London 2 North West

Last updated

London 2 North West
Current season or competition:
Rugby football current event.svg 2019–20 London 2 North West
Sport Rugby union
Instituted1987;37 years ago (1987)(as London 3 North West)
Number of teams12
CountryFlag of England.svg  England
Holders London Welsh (1st title) (2019–20)
(promoted to London 1 South)
Most titles Hertford, Tabard (3 titles)
Website englandrugby.com

London 2 North West is an English rugby union league which is at the seventh tier of club rugby union in England and is made up of teams predominantly from north-west London and Hertfordshire. When this division began in 1987 it was known as London 3 North West, changing to its current name ahead of the 2009–10 season.

Contents

Promotion is usually to London 1 North with the league champions going up automatically and the runners up entering a promotion playoff against the league runners up from London 2 North East, however those clubs based in London rather than the Home Counties are sometimes promoted to London 1 South. Relegated teams typically drop into London 3 North West. Each year all clubs in the division also take part in the RFU Intermediate Cup - a level 7 national competition.

Teams for 2021–22

The teams competing in 2021-22 achieved their places in the league based on performances in 2019–20, the 'previous season' column in the table below refers to that season not 2020–21.

Season 2020–21

On 30 October the RFU announced [1] that a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning London 2 North West was not contested.

Participating Clubs 2019–20

Participating Clubs 2018–19

Participating Clubs 2017–18

Participating Clubs 2016-17

Participating Clubs 2015-16

Participating Clubs 2014-15

Participating Clubs 2013-14

Participating Clubs 2012-13

Original teams

When league rugby began in 1987 this division (known as London 3 North West) contained the following teams:

London 2 North West Honours

London 3 North West (1987–1993)

Originally known as London 3 North West, this division was a tier 7 league with promotion up to London 2 North and relegation down to either Hertfordshire 1 or Middlesex 1.

London 3 North West
SeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated Teams
1987–8811 Bishop's Stortford Hendon Old Paulines, Twickenham
1988–8911 Finchley Tabard Letchworth Garden City, Hendon, Harrow
1989–9011 Tabard Fullerians Twickenham, Bacavians
1990–9111 Letchworth Garden City Hertford Mill Hill, Uxbridge
1991–9211 Upper Clapton Lensbury St. Mary's Hospital, Hemel Hempstead
1992–9313 Verulamians Letchworth Garden City Harpenden, Old Millhillians
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

London 3 North West (1993–1996)

At the end of the 1992–93 season, the top six teams from London 1 and the top six from South West 1 were combined to create National 5 South. This meant that London 3 North West dropped from a tier 7 league to a tier 8 league for the years that National 5 South was active. Promotion continued to London 2 North, while relegation was to the newly introduced Herts/Middlesex.

London 3 North West Honours
SeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated Teams
1993–9413 Staines Letchworth Garden City Old Meadonians, Fullerians
1994–9513 Hertford Grasshoppers London New Zealand, Upper Clapton
1995–9613 Old Albanian Old Gaytonians Mill Hill, Old Elizabethans
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

London 3 North East (1996–2000)

The cancellation of National 5 South at the end of the 1995–96 season meant that London 3 North West reverted to being a tier 7 league. Promotion continued to London 2 North, while relegation was to Herts/Middlesex 1 (formerly Herts/Middlesex).

London 3 North West Honours
SeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated Teams
1996–9713 Old Merchant Taylors' Welwyn [lower-alpha 3] No relegation [lower-alpha 4]
1997–9817 Harpenden Hertford Hackney, Haringey Rhinos
1998–99 [2] 17 London Nigerian Hertford Harlequin Amateurs
1999–00 [3] 17 Hertford Ealing Trailfinders Multiple teams [lower-alpha 5]
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

London 3 North West (2000–2009)

London 3 North West continued to be a tier 7 league with promotion up to London 2 North. However, the introduction of London 4 North West ahead of the 2000–01 season meant that clubs were now relegated into this new division instead of into Herts/Middlesex 1.

London 3 North West Honours
SeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated Teams
2000–01 [4] 10 Hertford Twickenham Welwyn
2001–02 [5] 10 Bank of England Letchworth Garden City Old Merchant Taylors' Lambs, [lower-alpha 6] Finchley
2002–03 [6] 10 London Scottish Ealing Trailfinders Ruislip, Metropolitan Police
2003–04 [7] 9 Civil Service St Albans West London
2004–05 [8] 12 St Albans Bank of England Cheshunt, Verulamians
2005–06 [9] 12 Woodford Tring Fullerians, Barnet Elizabethans
2006–07 [10] 12 Ruislip Welwyn Bank of England, Haringey Rhinos
2007–08 [11] 12 Stevenage Town Imperial Medicals Vauxhall Motors, Datchworth
2008–09 [12] 12 Harpenden Hampstead No relegation due to league restructure [lower-alpha 7]
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

London 2 North East (2009–present)

Nationwide league restructuring by the RFU ahead of the 2009–10 season saw London 3 North West renamed as London 2 North West. It remained at level 7 with promotion to London 1 North (formerly London 2 North) and relegation to London 3 North West (formerly London 4 North West).

London 2 North West Honours
SeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated Teams
2009–10 [13] 12 Tabard Hammersmith & Fulham Finchley, London Nigerian
2010–11 [14] 12 Hammersmith & Fulham Harpenden West London, London New Zealand
2011–12 [15] 12 Old Haberdashers Stevenage Town Welwyn, Imperial Medicals
2012–13 [16] 12 Tabard Hemel Hempstead Fullerians, Grasshoppers
2013–14 [17] 12 Old Priorians Twickenham London Nigerian, UCS Old Boys
2014–15 [18] 12 Harrow Chiswick Hemel Hempstead, St Albans
2015–16 [19] 12 Fullerians Hammersmith & Fulham Old Merchant Taylors', Staines
2016–17 [20] 12 Old Haberdashers H.A.C. Stockwood Park, Welwyn
2017–18 [21] 12 H.A.C. Hampstead Tabard, Harrow
2018–19 [22] 11 [lower-alpha 8] Belsize Park Harpenden Enfield Ignatians
2019–20 [23] 12 London Welsh Hammersmith & Fulham Luton, Welwyn
2020–2112
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

Promotion play-offs

Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of London 2 North East and London 2 North West for the third and final promotion place to London 1 North. The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the London 2 North East and London 2 North West teams are tied on nine wins apiece, and the home team has won promotion on fourteen occasions compared to the away teams five.

London 2 (north-east v north-west) promotion play-off results
SeasonHome teamScoreAway teamVenueAttendance
2000–01 [24] Twickenham (NW)44-8 Rochford Hundred (NE)Parkfields, Hampton, Greater London
2001–02 [25] Letchworth Garden City (NW)31-22 Basildon (NE)Baldock Road, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire
2002–03 [26] Ealing Trailfinders (NW)36-12 Saffron Walden (NE) Trailfinders Sports Ground, Ealing, London
2003–04 [27] St Albans (2nd XV) (NW)5-22 Hadleigh (NE)Oaklands Land, St Albans, Hertfordshire
2004–05 [28] Bank of England (NW)39-0 Romford and Gidea Park (NE)Bank Lane, Roehampton, Greater London
2005–06 [29] Tring (NW)19-5 Diss (NE)Cow Lane, Tring, Hertfordshire
2006–07 [30] Welwyn (NW)19-6 Harlow (NE)Hobbs Way, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
2007–08 [31] Diss (NE)50-15 Imperial Medicals (NW)Mackenders, Roydon, Norfolk
2008–09 [32] Brentwood (NE)23-15 Hampstead (NW)King George's Playing Fields, Brentwood, Essex
2009–10 [33] Hammersmith & Fulham (NW)22-29 Colchester (NE)Hurlingham Park, Fulham, London
2010–11 [34] Braintree (NE)24-14 Harpenden (NW)Robbs Wood, Braintree, Essex 300
2011–12 [35] Basildon (NE)38-13 Stevenage (NW)Gardiners Close, Basildon, Essex
2012–13 [36] Hemel Hempstead (NW)13-16 (aet) Woodford (NE)Chaulden Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire 500
2013–14 [37] Twickenham (NW)44-43 Saffron Walden (NE)Parkfields, Hampton, Greater London
2014–15 [38] Diss (NE)13-16 Chiswick (NW)Mackenders, Roydon, Norfolk
2015–16 [39] Sudbury (NE)22-18 Hammersmith & Fulham (NW)Whittham Field, Sudbury, Suffolk
2016–17 [40] H.A.C. (NW)48-7 [lower-alpha 9] South Woodham Ferrers (NE) Dukes Meadows, Chiswick, London
2017–18 [42] Hampstead (NW)7-37 Sudbury (NE) Parliament Hill Fields, Highgate, Camden, London
2018–19 [43] Harpenden (NW)60-6 Romford and Gidea Park (NE) Redbourn Lane, Harpenden, Hertfordshire
2019–20Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Best ranked runner up - Hammersmith & Fulham (NW) - promoted instead.
2020–21
Green background is the promoted team. NE = London 2 North East (formerly London 3 North East) and NW = London 2 North West (formerly London 3 North West)

Number of league titles

See also

Notes

  1. H.A.C. won the 2016-17 play-off but were denied promotion and the result overturned by the RFU due to H.A.C. fielding an ineligible player.
  2. Kingsburians would later merge with Gaytonians and Roxeth Manor to form West London RFC.
  3. 3rd place Barnet also promoted.
  4. No relegation as league was set to expand from 13 to 17 teams for the following season.
  5. The creation of London 4 North West for the following season meant that twelve teams would be relegated. Uxbridge and Mill Hill dropped two divisions to Herts/Middlesex 1, while Tring, St Albans, Old Millhillians, Hampstead, Letchworth Garden City, Chiswick and Hemel Hempstead went into the new London 4 North West division. 11th place Kingsburians were also supposed to be relegated into the new division but would fold at the end of the season and become amalgamated into West London RFC.
  6. The Lambs were Old Merchant Taylors' 2nd team.
  7. The division would be renamed London Division 2 North West for the next season and along with the whole national restructure of the league system by the RFU lead to mass changes at all levels.
  8. League reduced from 12 to 11 after London Nigerian withdraw from RFU leagues.
  9. The initial result of the 2016-17 playoff was overturned by the RFU after HAC were found guilty of fielding an ineligible player. This meant that South Woodham Ferrers were promoted instead. [41]

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References

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