Northumberland Senior Plate (rugby union)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2018) |
| Sport | Rugby Union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 2002 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Country |  England |
| Holders | Rockcliff (1st title) (2022-23) |
| Most titles | Ponteland & Ashington (3 titles) |
| Website | Northumberland RFU |
The Northumberland Senior Plate is an annual rugby union competition held between the clubs of the Northumberland RFU which was first played for during the 2001-2002 season. It is the second tier county cup for the Northumberland Rugby Union, which includes Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, and Northumberland.
The plate was originally introduced in 2001-2002 for the first round losers in the Northumberland Senior Cup when it was clear some clubs would not reach the latter rounds of the Cup. Since then the competition has undergone various changes. The competition is now open to the 9th-16th best placed clubs in the league pyramid. The current holders are Rockcliff who defeated Novocastrians 28-18, in the 2023 cup final. All Senior Plate Finals have been played at various venues in the county and takes place on Easter Saturday.
The Senior Plate is currently the second most important county cup competition for club sides based in Northumberland and Tyne and Wear typically competing at tier 7 (Durham/Northumberland 1), tier 8 (Durham/Northumberland 2) and tier 9 (Durham/Northumberland 3) of the English rugby union system. The format is a knock-out cup with a quarter-final, semi-final and final, which is to be played at a neutral ground in April.[1]
Northumberland Senior Plate Winners[edit]
| Year | Winners | Score | Runners Up | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Ashington | 37-23 | North Shields | |||
| 2003 | Berwick | 36-19 | Ashington | |||
| 2004 | Ponteland[2] | 22-8 | Wallsend | |||
| 2005 | Gosforth[3] | 18-7 | North Shields | |||
| 2006 | Ashington | 23-18 | Wallsend | |||
| 2007 | Wallsend | 18-17 | Gosforth | |||
| 2008 | Ashington | 28-27 | Northumbria University | |||
| 2009 | Northumbria University | Ponteland | ||||
| 2010-2011 | No Competition played | |||||
| 2012 | Medicals[4] | 27-19 | Rockcliff | |||
| 2013 | Northumbria University | 78-17 | Novocastrians | |||
| 2014 | Blyth[5] | 37-31 | Berwick | |||
| 2015 | Ponteland | 32-23 | Novocastrians | |||
| 2016 | Novocastrians | 41-3 | Ponteland | |||
| 2017 | Ponteland[6] | 21-18 | Rockcliff | |||
| 2018 | Novocastrians | 33-30 | North Shields | |||
| 2019 | North Shields | 24-23 | Ponteland | |||
| 2020-2021 | No Competition due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom | |||||
| 2022 | Medicals | 32-26 | Alnwick II | |||
| 2023 | Rockcliff | 28-18 | Novocastrians | |||
By number of wins (clubs)[edit]
| Team | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Ashington | 3 | 2002, 2006, 2008 |
| Ponteland | 3 | 2004, 2015, 2017 |
| Medicals | 2 | 2012, 2022 |
| Northumbria University | 2 | 2009, 2013 |
| Novocastrians | 2 | 2016, 2018 |
| Berwick | 1 | 2003 |
| Blyth | 1 | 2014 |
| Gosforth | 1 | 2005 |
| North Shields | 1 | 2019 |
| Rockcliff | 1 | 2023 |
| Wallsend | 1 | 2007 |
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "CUP DRAWS FOR SEASON 2016-17 (Word doc)". Northumberland RFU. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- ^ "Rugby - Ponteland Champions". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "Rugby - Plate Final Gosforth North Shields". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "Rugby - Medicals Champions". Medicals RFC. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ "Rugby - Blyth Champions". Blyth RFC. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ "Rugby - Ponteland Champions". Ponteland RFC. Retrieved 30 March 2021.