East Midlands/Leicestershire 2
East Midlands/Leicestershire 2 was a tier 10 English Rugby Union league with teams from Bedfordshire, parts of Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire taking part. Promoted teams moved up to East Midlands/Leicestershire 1 and relegated teams dropped to East Midlands/Leicestershire 3.
Current season or competition: 1999–00 East Midlands/Leicestershire 2 | |
Sport | Rugby union |
---|---|
Instituted | 1992 |
Ceased | 2000 |
Number of teams | 12 |
Country | England |
Holders | Aylestone St James (1st title) (1999–00) (transferred to Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire/Leicestershire 1 West[lower-alpha 1]) |
Most titles | Multiple teams (1 title) |
The league ran for two spells between 1992–96 and 1998–00. At the end of the 1999–00 season it was cancelled for the second time following the splitting of the East Midlands and Leicestershire leagues and all teams transferred into East Midlands 1 or Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire/Leicestershire 1 West.
Original teams
When this division was introduced in 1992 as part of a merger of the East Midlands and Leicestershire leagues, it contained the following teams:
- Aylestonians - transferred from Leicestershire 1 (9th)
- Bedford Queens - transferred from East Midlands 1 (8th)
- Birstall - transferred from Leicestershire 2 (runners up)
- Daventry - transferred from East Midlands 2 (runners up)
- Dunstablians - transferred from East Midlands 2 (3rd)
- New Parks Old Boys[lower-alpha 2] - transferred from Leicestershire 1 (10th)
- Northampton Casuals transferred from East Midlands 1 (9th)
- Oakham - transferred from Leicestershire 2 (champions)
- Old Ashbeians[lower-alpha 3] - transferred from Leicestershire 1 (11th)
- Rushden & Higham - transferred from East Midlands 2 (champions)
- Wellingborough Old Grammarians[lower-alpha 4] - transferred from East Midlands 1 (11th)
- Wigston[lower-alpha 5] - transferred from Leicestershire 1 (8th)
East Midlands/Leicestershire 2 honours
East Midlands/Leicestershire 2 (1992–1993)
The original East Midlands/Leicestershire 2 was a tier 10 league. Promotion was to East Midlands/Leicestershire 1 and relegation to East Midlands/Leicestershire 3.
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated teams | Reference | |||||||||
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1992–93 | 12 | Daventry | Dunstablians | No relegation[lower-alpha 6] | [5] | |||||||||
Green backgrounds are the promotion places. |
East Midlands/Leicestershire 2 (1993–1996)
The top six teams from Midlands 1 and the top six from North 1 were combined to create National 5 North, meaning that East Midlands/Leicestershire 2 dropped another level to become a tier 11 league. Promotion continued to East Midlands/Leicestershire 1 and relegation to East Midlands/Leicestershire 3. The division was cancelled at the end of the 1995–96 season due to the splitting of the East Midlands and Leicestershire leagues[lower-alpha 7].
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated teams | Reference | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1993–94 | 13 | Old Northamptonians | Bedford Queens | New Parks Old Boys | [6] | |||||||||
1994–95 | 13 | Rushden & Higham | Oakham | Wigston, Aylestonians | [7] | |||||||||
1995–96 | 13 | Bedford Swifts | Old Bosworthians[lower-alpha 8] | New Parks Old Boys, Northampton Casuals, Kempston[lower-alpha 9] | [8] | |||||||||
Green backgrounds are the promotion places. |
East Midlands/Leicestershire 2 (1998–2000)
East Midlands/Leicestershire 2 returned after an absence of several seasons as a tier 10 league. Promotion was to East Midlands/Leicestershire 1 and relegation to East Midlands/Leicestershire 3. At the end of the 1999–00 campaign the league was cancelled for the second time and teams either transferred into East Midlands 1 or Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire/Leicestershire 1 West.
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated teams | Reference | |||||||||
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1998–99 | 12 | Wellingborough Old Grammarians | Old Newtonians | Colworth House | [9][lower-alpha 10] | |||||||||
1999–00 | 12 | Aylestone St James[lower-alpha 11] | Bedford Queens[lower-alpha 12] | No relegation[lower-alpha 13] | [10][lower-alpha 14] | |||||||||
Green backgrounds are the promotion places. |
Number of league titles
- Aylestone St James (1)
- Bedford Swifts (1)
- Daventry (1)
- Old Northamptonians (1)
- Rushden & Higham (1)
- Wellingborough Old Grammarians (1)
Notes
- Restructuring meant that champions Aylestone St James were promoted to Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire/Leicestershire 1 West instead of East Midlands/Leicestershire 1.
- Old Boys side of New Parks Boys School.
- Old Boys side of Ashby School. Now known as Ashby RFC.[1]
- Old Boys side of Wellingborough Grammar School.[2]
- Wigston RFC would later merge with Westleigh RFC in 1998 to form Leicester Lions RFC.[3][4].
- As the division was due to increase from 12 to 13 teams there was no relegation.
- Restructuring meant that East Midlands/Leicestershire 2, East Midlands/Leicestershire 3 and East Midlands/Leicestershire 4 were cancelled. Only East Midlands/Leicestershire 1 remained intact.
- League restructuring of the East Midlands/Leicestershire leagues meant that the top nine teams - Bugbrooke, St Ives, Wellingborough Old Grammarians, Brackley, Colworth House, Daventry and Old Ashbeians - were promoted into East Midlands/Leicestershire 1.
- Restructuring of the East Midlands/Leicestershire leagues meant that New Parks Old Boys dropped to Leicestershire 1 while Northampton Casuals and Kempston dropped to East Midlands.
- 1998–99 East Midlands/Leicestershire 2 mistakenly referred to as East Midlands 2 on RFU website.
- Champions Aylestone St James were transferred to the newly introduced Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire/Leicestershire 1 West.
- The cancellation of East Midlands/Leicestershire 2 meant that all teams were transferred into new divisions. Bedford Queens (2nd), Bugbrooke (3rd), Deepings (4th) and Brackley (6th) went into East Midlands 1, while Aylestonians (5th) and Ashby (8th) went into Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire/Leicestershire 2 West.
- The merger of cancellation of the East Midlands/Leicestershire leagues meant there was no relegation.
- 1999–00 East Midlands/Leicestershire 2 mistakenly referred to as East Midlands 2 on RFU website.
See also
References
- "OLD ASHBEIANS` ASSOCIATION REUNION DINNER" (PDF). Ashby School. 1 January 2001.
- "Old Grammarians, Wellingborough". What Pub?. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
- "History". Leicester Lions RFC (Pitchero). Retrieved 16 March 2017.
- "Leicester Lions (Team History)". Rugby Archive. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- Jones, Stephen; Griffiths, John (1993). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1993-94. Headline. pp. 164–167. ISBN 0-7472-7891-1.
- Jones, Stephen; Griffiths, John (1994). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1994-95. Headline. pp. 164–167. ISBN 0-7472-7891-1.
- Jones, Stephen; Griffiths, John (1995). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1995-96. Headline. pp. 176–179. ISBN 0-7472-7850-4.
- Cleary, Mick; Griffiths, John (1996). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1996-97. Headline. pp. 192–195. ISBN 0-7472-7816-4.
- "1998-1999 Midlands Division". England Rugby. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- "1999-2000 Midlands Division". England Rugby. Retrieved 20 December 2020.