Tribute Western Counties North


Tribute Western Counties North is an English, level seven, rugby union league for clubs based in the south-west of England; mainly Bristol, Gloucestershire and Somerset. The champions are promoted to Tribute South West 1 West and the runner-up plays the second team in Tribute Western Counties West, with the winning team gaining promotion. The number of teams relegated depends on feedback following promotion and relegation in the leagues above, but is usually two or three to Gloucester Premier and Tribute Somerset Premier. Although 2nd XV rugby is part of the Somerset regional league system, only 1st XV teams are allowed in Tribute Western Counties North.
Teams from Tribute Western Counties North also participate in the RFU Intermediate Cup - a national competition for clubs at level 7 - with all clubs affiliated with the Gloucestershire RFU involved and a representative being sent from the Somerset RFU.

Format

The champions are promoted to South West 1 West and the second-placed team plays the runner-up from Western Counties West with the winner also promoted. The teams finishing in last two or three places are relegated to the Gloucester Premier or Somerset Premier. The season runs from September to April and comprises twenty-six rounds of matches, with each club playing each of its rivals, home and away. The results of the matches contribute points to the league as follows:

Participating teams

TeamGroundCapacityTown/AreaPrevious season
Avonmouth Old BoysBarracks LaneShirehampton, Bristol5th
Barton HillDuncombe RoadSpeedwell, Bristol10th
Bristol SaracensBakewell Memorial GroundCribbs Causeway, BristolPromoted from Gloucester Premier
CheltenhamNewlands ParkSoutham, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire11th
Chipping SodburyWickwar RoadChipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire6th
ClevedonColeridge Vale Playing FieldsClevedon, Somerset8th
Coney HillMetz HillGloucester, GloucestershireRelegated from South West 1 West
GordanoCaswell LanePortbury, Somerset7th
MatsonRedwell RoadMatson, Gloucester, Gloucestershire3rd
Midsomer NortonNorton Down Playing FieldsMidsomer Norton, SomersetRunners up
Old BristoliansMemorial Playing FieldsFailand, Somerset9th
SpartansLansdown RoadGloucester, GloucestershirePromoted from Gloucester Premier
StroudFromehall ParkStroud, Gloucestershire4th
WinscombeRecreation Ground1,200Winscombe, SomersetLevel transfer from Western Counties West

2018–19

Participating teams

TeamGroundCapacityTown/AreaPrevious season
Avonmouth Old BoysBarracks LaneShirehampton, Bristol3rd
Barton HillDuncombe RoadSpeedwell, BristolPromoted from Gloucester Premier
CheltenhamNewlands ParkSoutham, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire10th
Chew ValleyChew LaneChew Magna, SomersetRunners up
Chipping SodburyWickwar RoadChipping Sodbury, GloucestershirePromoted from Gloucester Premier
Chosen Hill Former PupilsBrookfield RoadChurchdown, Gloucestershire7th
ClevedonColeridge Vale Playing FieldsClevedon, SomersetRelegated from South West 1 West
GordanoCaswell LanePortbury, SomersetPromoted from Somerset Premier
MatsonRedwell RoadMatson, Gloucester, GloucestershireRelegated from South West 1 West
Midsomer NortonNorton Down Playing FieldsMidsomer Norton, Somerset6th
Old BristoliansMemorial Playing FieldsFailand, Somerset5th
Old RichiansSandyleazeGloucester, Gloucestershire4th
StroudFromehall ParkStroud, Gloucestershire8th
WellsCharter WayWells, Somerset9th

2017–18

The season starts on 2 September and the final league matches are due to be completed by 21 April 2018, with the promotion play-off the following week.

Participating teams

TeamGroundCapacityTown/AreaPrevious season
Avonmouth Old BoysBarracks LaneShirehampton, Bristol4th
Bristol SaracensBakewell Memorial GroundCribbs Causeway, Bristol7th
CheltenhamNewlands Park Sports & Social VenueSoutham, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire10th
Chew ValleyChew LaneChew Magna, Somerset2nd
Chosen Hill Former PupilsBrookfield RoadChurchdown, Gloucestershire3rd
Coney HillMetz HillGloucester, Gloucestershire11th
Midsomer NortonNorton Down Playing FieldsMidsomer Norton, SomersetRelegated from Tribute South West 1 West
Old BristoliansMemorial Playing FieldsFailand, Somerset6th
Oldfield Old BoysShaft RoadMonkton Combe, Bath, SomersetPromoted from Tribute Somerset Premier
Old RichiansSandyleazeGloucester, GloucestershirePromoted from Gloucester Premier
StroudFromehall ParkStroud, Gloucestershire5th
WellsCharter WayWells, Somerset9th
WinscombeRecreation Ground1,200Winscombe, SomersetPromoted from Tribute Somerset Premier
YattonThe ParkYatton, Somerset8th

2016–17

Participating teams

League table

Promotion play-off

Each season, the runners-up in Western Counties North and Western Counties West, participate in a play-off for promotion to South West 1 West. The team with the best playing record, in this case Chew Valley, host the match and they lost to their opponents Cullompton 12 – 29.
PlayedWonDrawnLostPoints forPoints againstPoints diffTry bonusLoss bonusPoints
Chew Valley262204822493329180106
Cullompton 262204659311348112101

2015–16

The 2015–16 Tribute Western Counties North consists of fourteen teams; six from Somerset, four from Gloucestershire, three from Bristol and one from Wiltshire. The season started on 5 September 2015 and is finishes on 30 April 2016.

Participating teams and location

Nine of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition. The 2014–15 champions Coney Hill and runners up Newent were promoted to Tribute South West 1 West while Bristol Saracens and North Bristol were relegated to the Gloucester Premier and Stothert & Pitt to the Tribute Somerset Premier.
TeamGroundCapacityTown/VillagePrevious season
AvonAshley LaneBradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire5th
Barton HillDuncombe RoadSpeedwell, Bristol10th
Bristol HarlequinsBroomhill RoadBrislington, Bristol3rd
Burnham-on-SeaBASC GroundBurnham-on-Sea, Somerset11th
CheltenhamNewlands Park Sports & Social VenueSoutham, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire9th
Chew ValleyChew LaneChew Magna, Somerset4th
Chosen Hill Former PupilsBrookfield RoadChurchdown, Gloucester, Gloucestershire6th
GordanoCaswell LanePortbury, Somersetpromoted from Tribute Somerset Premier
KeynshamBristol RoadKeynsham, Somerset8th
MatsonRedwell RoadGloucester, Gloucestershirerelegated from Tribute South West 1 West
Old BristoliansMemorial Playing FieldsFailand, Somerset7th
StroudFromehall ParkStroud, Gloucestershirepromoted from Gloucester Premier
WellingtonAthletic GroundWellington, Somersetlevel transfer from Tribute Western Counties West
WhitehallFoundry LaneWhitehall, Bristolpromoted from Gloucester Premier

Participating teams 2014–15

In the first season of the English rugby union league pyramid, sponsored by Courage, there was ten, tier seven leagues. The Western Counties League was for teams based in the south-west of England from Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Gloucester and Somerset. Each team played one match against each of the other teams with the winning team awarded two points, and there was one point for each team in a drawn match. This system prevailed for five seasons, and in 1992–93 the number of teams increased from eleven to thirteen. The following season Western Counties League was renamed Courage South West 2 League, and three seasons later in 1996–97 a major reorganisation occurred with South West 2 being split into two regional leagues:
  1. Courage Western Counties North consisted of sixteen teams based in Bristol, Gloucestershire and Somerset, and each team continued to play the others once
  2. Courage Western Counties West consisted of eleven teams based in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, and each team played the other twice.

    Western Counties

South West 2

Western Counties North

The league system was re-organised for 1996–97 season with South-West Division 2 being replaced with two divisions; Western Counties North and Western Counties West.

Promotion play-offs

Since the 2000-01 season there has been a one-off promotion playoff game played between the league runners-up of Western Counties North and Western Counties West for the third and final promotion place to South West 1 West, with the team with the superior league record getting home advantage in the tie. As of the end of the 2018–19 season the northern sides have been the more successful with ten victories to the west's nine while the home team has won thirteen times compared to the away teams six.

Number of league titles

The Western Counties League and South West 2 were part of the Courage Clubs Championship and was sponsored by Courage Brewery from the first season, 1987–88 to season 1996–97. The league was unsponsored until season 2007–08 when St Austell Brewery sponsored South-west based leagues under the Tribute Ale label.