Durham/Northumberland 4 was a regional English rugby union league for teams from North East England which was at the tenth tier of national domestic competition when it folded in 2006. On its inception in 1987 it was the twelfth tire of national domestic competition. Promoted teams moved up to Durham/Northumberland 3 and there was no relegation as this was the basement division for the region. Ever decreasing numbers of teams caused the division to be cancelled at the end of the 2005-06 season with the majority of teams being promoted automatically to Durham/Northumberland 3.
| Sport | Rugby Union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1987 |
| Ceased | 2006 |
| Country |  England |
| Most titles | Newton Aycliffe (3 titles) |
| Website | clubs.rfu.com |
Original teams edit
When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams:
- Barnard Castle
- Civil Service Durham
- Jarrovians
- Newton Aycliffe
- Prudhoe Hospital
- Richmondshire
- South Tyneside College
- Wensleydale
The league's numbers grew and declined throughout the years until the league was cancelled in 2006.
Durham/Northumberland 4 Honours edit
Durham/Northumberland 4 (1987–1993) edit
The original Durham/Northumberland 4 was a tier 12 league with promotion up to Durham/Northumberland 3. It ran until the end of the 1991–92 season when it was cancelled.
| ||||||||||||||
| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–88 | 8 | Wensleydale | Prudhoe Hospital | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 1988–89 | 10 | Barnard Castle | South Tyneside College | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 1989–90 | 7 | Newton Aycliffe | Civil Service Durham | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 1990–91 | 8 | Richmondshire | Wearside | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 1991–92 | 8 | Jarrovians | Sedgefield[a] | No relegation | ||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
Durham/Northumberland 4 (1996–2006) edit
Durham/Northumberland 4 was reintroduced for the 1996–97 season as a tier 13 league. Northern league restructuring by the RFU at the end of the 1999-2000 season saw the cancellation of North East 1, North East 2 and North East 3 (tiers 7-9). This meant that Durham/Northumberland 4 became a tier 10 league until the division was cancelled for the second time at the end of the 2005–06 season.
| ||||||||||||||
| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 7 | Gosforth | Hartlepool Athletic | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 1997–98 | 7 | West Hartlepool Amateurs | Wearside | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 1998–99[1] | 5 | Jarrovians | Durham Constabulary | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 1999–00[2] | 5 | Newton Aycliffe[b] | Yarm | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2000–01[3] | 7 | Yarm | Newton Aycliffe | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2001–02[4] | 7 | South Tyneside College | Richmondshire | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2002–03[5] | 7 | Seaham | Wensleydale | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2003–04[6] | 7 | Newton Aycliffe | Wearside Samurai | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2004–05[7] | 5 | Hartlepool Athletic | Hartlepool B.B.O.B. | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2005–06[8] | 5 | South Tyneside College | Jarrovians[c] | No relegation | ||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
Number of league titles edit
- Newton Aycliffe (3)
- Jarrovians (2)
- South Tyneside College (2)
- Barnard Castle (1)
- Gosforth (1)
- Hartlepool Athletic (1)
- Richmondshire (1)
- Seaham (1)
- Wensleydale (1)
- West Hartlepool Amateurs (1)
- Yarm (1)
Notes edit
- ^ Due to restructuring all eight teams in this league were promoted to Durham/Northumberland 3 as Durham/Northumberland 4 was abolished. The league was reinstated at a later date.
- ^ No promotions this season as division set to increase from 5 to 7 teams for 2000-01.
- ^ All teams apart from Shildon Town (who dropped out of the league) promoted to Durham/Northumberland 3 as this is the last season for Durham/Northumberland 4.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Northern Division". englandrugby.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ "Northern Division". englandrugby.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ "Northern Division". englandrugby.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ "Northern Division". englandrugby.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ "Northern Division". englandrugby.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ "Northern Division". englandrugby.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ "Northern Division". englandrugby.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ "Northern Division". englandrugby.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016.