2016 County Championship Plate

2016 County Championship Plate
Countries  England
Date 7 May 2016 - 29 May 2016
Champions East Midlands (1st title)
Runners-up Kent
Attendance 3,596 (average 320 per match)
Highest attendance 820 Devon v Somerset on 7 May 2016
Lowest attendance 80 Durham v Leicestershire on 7 May 2016
Top point scorer England Joe Daniel
East Midlands 38 points
Top try scorer Tonga Maama Molitika
East Midlands 6 tries
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The 2016 County Championship Plate, also known as Bill Beaumont Cup Division 2, was the 11th version of the annual English rugby union, County Championship organized 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 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]

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.

Participating Counties and ground locations

Teignmouth (Devon)
Swalwell (Durham)
West Hartlepool (Durham)
Northampton (East Midlands)
Peterborough (East Midlands)
Canterbury (Kent)
Medway (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 Teignmouth, Devon
Durham Crow Trees[a 1]
Brinkburn 		 
76 (seated)		 Swalwell, Tyne and Wear
Hartlepool, County Durham
East Midlands Rushmere Road
Fortress Fengate		 Northampton, Northamptonshire
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
Kent Merton Lane
Priestfields		 Canterbury, Kent
Rochester, Kent
Leicestershire Hinckley Road Leicester Forest East, Leicestershire
North Midlands Heathbrook Kingswinford, West Midlands
Northumberland Mitford Road 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.[6]

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
1 East Midlands (P) 3 3 0 0 90 36 54 2 0 14
2 Leicestershire 3 2 0 1 60 73 -13 1 0 9
3 Northumberland 3 1 0 2 45 58 -13 1 0 5
4 Durham 3 0 0 3 76 104 -28 1 0 1
  • 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. 

Round 1

7 May 2016
15:00
Northumberland 7 - 17 East Midlands
Report
Mitford Road, Morpeth
Attendance: 252
Referee: Callum Sharp
7 May 2016
15:15
(BP) Durham 28 - 38 Leicestershire (BP)
Report
Crow Trees, Swalwell[6]
Attendance: 80
Referee: Ben Rayner

[7]

Round 2

14 May 2016
15:00
Durham 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

[8]

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
Report
Fortress Fengate, Peterborough
Attendance: 450
Referee: Simon Harding

[9]

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
1 Kent (P) 3 2 0 1 94 62 32 2 1 11
2 Devon 3 2 0 1 97 57 40 2 0 10
3 Somerset 3 2 0 1 50 68 -18 0 0 8
4 North Midlands 3 0 0 3 53 107 -54 1 1 2
  • 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. 

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

[7]

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

[8]

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

[9]

Final

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

[4][5]

Total season attendances

County Home
Games		 Total Average Highest Lowest % Capacity
Devon 1 820 820 820 820 N/A
Durham 2 377 189 297 80 N/A
East Midlands 2 770 385 450 320 N/A
Kent 2 514 257 284 230 N/A
Leicestershire 1 250 250 250 250 N/A
North Midlands 1 203 203 203 203 N/A
Northumberland 1 252 252 252 252 N/A
Somerset 2 410 205 260 150 10%

[7][8][9]

Individual statistics

Top points scorers

Rank Player County Club Side Appearances Points
1 England Joe Daniel East Midlands Kettering 4 38
2 Tonga Maama Molitika East Midlands Ampthill 4 30
3 England Josh Bragman Durham Hull 3 26
4 England Brad Barnes Somerset Clifton 2 25
5 England Jordan Petherbridge Devon Barnstaple 2 22

[7][8][9][4][5]

Top try scorers

Rank Player County Club Side Appearances Tries
1 Tonga Maama Molitika East Midlands Ampthill 4 6
2 England Callum Mackenzie Durham Darlington Mowden Park 3 4
3 England Dan Williams Devon Torquay Athletic 2 3
4 England Ben Haigh Northumberland Tynedale 3 3
4 England Terry Read Kent Canterbury 3 3

[7][8][9][4][5]

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.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Rugby: Bedfordshire players inspire East Midlands to Twickenham triumph". Bedfordshire News. 29 May 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "East Midlands win County Champs Division 2 Plate". England Rugby. 29 May 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Durham Senior XV start to the 2016 campaign is disappointing". Durham RFU. 7 May 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (399). Rugby Paper Ltd. 8 May 2016. pp. 28–29 & 34.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (400). Rugby Paper Ltd. 15 May 2016. pp. 30–31 & 36.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (401). Rugby Paper Ltd. 22 May 2016. pp. 30–31 & 32.

External links

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