2016 County Championship Plate

The 2016 County Championship Plate, also known as Bill Beaumont Cup Division 2, was the 15th version of the annual English rugby union, County Championship organised by the RFU for the tier 2 English counties. Each county drew its players from rugby union clubs from the third tier and below of the English rugby union league system (typically National League 1, National League 2 North or National League 2 South). The counties were divided into two regional pools (north/south) with four teams in each and the winners of each pool meet in the final to be held at Twickenham Stadium. New counties to the division included Kent and Durham County who were relegated from the 2015 Bill Beaumont Cup while Leicestershire were promoted as the winners of the 2015 County Championship Shield.[1][2][3]

For the first tier of the English Counties competition, see 2016 Bill Beaumont Cup. For the third tier of the English Counties competition, see 2016 County Championship Shield.
2016 County Championship Plate
Countries England
Date7 May 2016 - 29 May 2016
ChampionsEast Midlands (1st title)
Runners-upKent
Attendance3,596 (average 320 per match)
Highest attendance820 Devon v Somerset (7 May 2016)
Lowest attendance80 Durham County v Leicestershire (7 May 2016)
Top point scorer Joe Daniel
East Midlands 38
Top try scorer Maama Molitika
East Midlands 6

At the end of the pool stage, pool winners East Midlands (north) and Kent (south) met in the final at Twickenham. Despite it being their first final against regulars Kent, East Midlands finished as the winners of an exciting match, 33-27, with former Tongan international, Maama Molitika, scoring 3 tries in the game which also saw him finish as the competition's top try scorer.[4][5]

Competition format

The competition format is two regional group stages divided into north and south, with each team playing each other once. This means that two teams in the pool have two home games, while the other two had just one. The top side in each group goes through to the final held at Twickenham Stadium, with both teams also being promoted to the top tier for the following season. Typically there was no relegation although teams have dropped out/been invited to join the division.

Due to changes to the County Championships to be implemented for the 2017 competition, four teams instead of two would be promoted to the top tier. This meant that the two group winners would be joined by two other teams from the plate competition based on how well they have done over the past couple of seasons.[6]

Participating Counties and ground locations
Teignmouth (Devon)
Swalwell (Durham)
West Hartlepool (Durham)
Northampton (East Midlands)
Peterborough (East Midlands)
Canterbury (Kent)
Rochester (Kent)
Leicester (Leicestershire)
Morpeth (Northumberland)
Taunton (Somerset)
Locations of the 2016 County Championship Plate county teams
County Stadium(s) Capacity City/Area
Devon Bitton Park Sports Ground 1,210 Teignmouth, Devon
Durham County Crow Trees[a 1]
Brinkburn		 2,000 (400 seats)
1,000 (76 seats)		 Swalwell, Tyne and Wear
Hartlepool, County Durham
East Midlands Rushmere Road
Fortress Fengate		 N/A
N/A		 Northampton, Northamptonshire
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
Kent Merton Lane
Priestfields		 N/A
N/A		 Canterbury, Kent
Rochester, Kent
Leicestershire Hinckley Road N/A Leicester Forest East, Leicestershire
North Midlands Heathbrook N/A Kingswinford, West Midlands
Northumberland Grange House Field 1,000 Morpeth, Northumberland
Somerset Hyde Park 2,000 Taunton, Somerset
  1. Durham were originally meant to play their first county game at Eastwood Gardens, home of Gateshead, but a late switch in venue meant that they would play at Blaydon's home ground of Crow Trees instead.[7]

Group stage

Division 2 North
2016 Beaumont Cup Division 2 North Table
County Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1East Midlands (P)33009036542014
2Leicestershire32016073-13109
3Northumberland (P)[b 1]31024558-13105
4Durham County300376104-28101
  • If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background means the county qualified for the final and is also promoted to the Division 1 North of the Bill Beaumont Cup for the following season. Updated: 12 May 2016
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com.
Notes
    • Northumberland would be promoted to tier 1 for the 2017 season due to competition restructuring, based on performances over the past couple of seasons.[6]

Round 1
7 May 2016
15:00
Northumberland 7 - 17 East Midlands
Report
Grange House Field, Morpeth
Attendance: 252
Referee: Callum Sharp
7 May 2016
15:15
(BP) Durham County 28 - 38 Leicestershire (BP)
Report
Crow Trees, Swalwell[7]
Attendance: 80
Referee: Ben Rayner

[8]

Round 2
14 May 2016
15:00
Durham County 29 - 38 Northumberland (BP)
Report
Brinkburn, Hartlepool
Attendance: 297
Referee: Chris Dennis
14 May 2016
15:00
(BP) East Midlands 45 - 10 Leicestershire
Rushmere Road, Northampton
Attendance: 320
Referee: Neil Chivers

[9]

Round 3
21 May 2016
14:30
Leicestershire 12 - 0 Northumberland
Report
Hinckley Road, Leicester Forest East
Attendance: 250
Referee: Robert Teare
21 May 2016
15:00
(BP) East Midlands 28 - 19 Durham County
Report
Fortress Fengate, Peterborough
Attendance: 450
Referee: Simon Harding

[10]

Division 2 South
2016 Beaumont Cup Division 2 South Table
County Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1Kent (P)32019462322111
2Devon (P)[c 1]32019757402010
3Somerset32015068-18008
4North Midlands300353107-54112
  • If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background means the county qualified for the final and is also promoted to the Division 1 South of the Bill Beaumont Cup for the following season. Updated: 21 May 2016
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com.
Notes
    • Devon would be promoted to tier 1 for the 2017 season due to competition restructuring, based on performances over the past couple of seasons.[6]

Round 1
7 May 2016
15:00
(BP) Devon 39 - 10 Somerset
Report
Bitton Park Sports Ground, Teignmouth
Attendance: 820
Referee: Adam Leal
7 May 2016
15:00
(BP) Kent 43 - 28 North Midlands (BP)
Kent Report
North Midlands Report
Merton Lane, Canterbury
Attendance: 230
Referee: Daniel Collins

[8]

Round 2
14 May 2016
14:30
Somerset 26 - 22 Kent (BP)
Report
Hyde Park, Taunton
Attendance: 260
Referee: Don Conway
14 May 2016
15:00
North Midlands 18 - 50 Devon (BP)
Report
Heathbrook, Kingswinford
Attendance: 203
Referee: Matt Turvey

[9]

Round 3
21 May 2016
14:30
Somerset 14 - 7 North Midlands (BP)
Report
Hyde Park, Taunton
Attendance: 150
Referee: Luis Caviglia
21 May 2016
15:00
(BP) Kent 29 - 8 Devon
Report
Priestfields, Rochester
Attendance: 284
Referee: David Clarkson

[10]

Final
29 May 2016
East Midlands 33 - 27 Kent
Report
Twickenham Stadium, London

[4][5]

Total season attendances
  • Does not include final at Twickenham which is a neutral venue and involves teams from all three county divisions on the same day
County Home
Games		 Total Average Highest Lowest % Capacity
Devon182082082082068%
Durham County23771892978017%
East Midlands2770385450320
Kent2514257284230
Leicestershire1250250250250
North Midlands1203203203203
Northumberland125225225225225%
Somerset241020526015010%

[8][9][10]

Individual statistics
  • Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals. Appearance figures also include coming on as substitutes (unused substitutes not included). Statistics will also include final.
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See also

References
  1. "RUGBY: Gloucestershire survive relegation with vital win over Kent". Gazette. 26 May 2015.
  2. "Counties beaten as Durham relegated and Northumberland miss out". Chronicle Live. 24 May 2015.
  3. "Rugby: Leicestershire lift County Championship Shield after win over Cumbria at Twickenham". Leicester Mercury. 1 June 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-06-03. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  4. "Rugby: Bedfordshire players inspire East Midlands to Twickenham triumph". Bedfordshire News. 29 May 2016.
  5. "East Midlands win County Champs Division 2 Plate". England Rugby. 29 May 2016.
  6. "Full Men's County Championship fixture list 2016-17" (PDF). England Rugby. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  7. "Durham Senior XV start to the 2016 campaign is disappointing". Durham RFU. 7 May 2016.
  8. "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (399). Rugby Paper Ltd. 8 May 2016. pp. 28–29 & 34.
  9. "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (400). Rugby Paper Ltd. 15 May 2016. pp. 30–31 & 36.
  10. "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (401). Rugby Paper Ltd. 22 May 2016. pp. 30–31 & 32.
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