North 1 East is the sixth tier of the English rugby union domestic competition , formed in 1987 using the name North Division 2, involving clubs from the north of the country. There was also division known as North East 1 that began in 1987 for clubs based in the north-east but this was a seventh (later eighth) tier league. North Division 2 would later split into two regional divisions, currently known as North 1 East and North 1 West . North 1 East is made up of teams from around the North Eastern area of England , principally County Durham , Cumbria , East Yorkshire , North Yorkshire , Northumberland , South Yorkshire , Tyne and Wear , and West Yorkshire , who play home and away matches throughout a winter season.
The league champions are automatically promoted to the North Premier , whilst the second placed team enters into a play-off match with the second placed team in the equivalent division North 1 West . The bottom three teams are relegated to either the Yorkshire Division One or the Durham/Northumberland 1 leagues, the seventh tier of the English domestic rugby union competition. Following the play-off game, depending on the result, a team from the division with fifteen teams are transferred to the division with thirteen teams to level up the number of teams in each division.
2019–20
Team
Ground
Capacity
City/Area
Previous season
Bradford & Bingley
Wagon Lane
4,000
Bingley , West Yorkshire
7th
Cleckheaton
Moorend
Cleckheaton , West Yorkshire
11th
Driffield
Show Ground
Driffield , East Riding of Yorkshire
8th
Durham City
Hollow Drift
1,500 (500 seats)
Durham , County Durham
Promoted from Durham/Northumberland 1 (champions)
Huddersfield Y.M.C.A.
Laund Hill
2,000 (1,000 seats)
Huddersfield , West Yorkshire
4th
Kendal
Mint Bridge Stadium
3,500 (258 seats)
Kendal , Cumbria
Relegated from North Premier (12th)
Malton & Norton
The Gannock
Malton , North Yorkshire
10th
Moortown
Moss Valley
Alwoodley , Leeds , West Yorkshire
Promoted from Yorkshire 1 (champions)
Morley
Scatcherd Lane
Morley , West Yorkshire
3rd
Percy Park
Preston Avenue
North Shields , Tyne and Wear
5th
Pocklington
Percy Road
Pocklington , East Riding of Yorkshire
9th
Scarborough
Silver Royd
4500 (425 seats)
Scalby , Scarborough , North Yorkshire
Runners up (lost playoff)
West Hartlepool
Brinkburn
1,000 (76 seats)
Hartlepool , County Durham
Promoted from Durham/Northumberland 1 (playoff)
York
Clifton Park
York , North Yorkshire
6th
Locations of the 2019–20 North 1 East teams
Original teams
When league rugby began in 1987 this was a single division containing the following teams from the north of England :
Division honours
North Division 2 (1987–1993)
The original North Division 2 was a tier 6 league with promotion up to North Division 1 and relegation down to either North East 1 or North West 1 .
North Division 2 (1993–1996)
The creation of National 5 North for the 1993–94 season, meant that North Division 2 dropped from being a tier 6 league to a tier 7 league for the years that National 5 North was active.
North Division 2 (1996–2000)
The cancellation of National 5 North at the end of the 1995–97 season meant that North Division 2 reverted back to being a tier 6 league.
North 2 East
For the 2000–01 season, North Division 2 was split into two regional divisions - North 2 East and North 2 West . While promotion continued up into North Division 1 , the cancellation of the North East 1 , North East 2 and North East 3 meant that relegation was now to either Durham/Northumberland 1 or Yorkshire 1 .
Season
No of teams
Champions
Runners–up
Relegated Teams
2000–01[ 5]
12
Halifax
Darlington
York , West Park Leeds
2001–02[ 6]
12
Cleckheaton
Huddersfield
Bridlington , Old Crossleyans , Northern
2002–03[ 7]
12
Bradford & Bingley
Sheffield
Goole , Scarborough , Alnwick
2003-04[ 8]
12
Hull
Middlesbrough
Northern , York , Bridlington
2004–05[ 9]
12
Westoe
Huddersfield
Horden , Redcar , Malton & Norton
2005-06[ 10]
12
Penrith
Beverley
Sandal , Stockton , Alnwick
2006–07[ 11]
12
Middlesbrough
Sheffield Tigers
Horden , Percy Park , Sheffield
2007–08[ 12]
12
West Hartlepool
Durham City
Aldwinians , York , Hartlepool Rovers
2008–09[ 13]
12
Penrith
Old Crossleyans
Aspatria
Green backgrounds are promotion places.
North 1 East
For the 2009-10 season the division would be renamed North 1 East as part of wholesale national restructure of the league system by the RFU leading to mass changes at all levels including in the north.
Season
No of teams
Champions
Runners–up
Relegated Teams
2009–10[ 14]
14
Billingham
Sandal
Ilkley , Gateshead , Darlington
2010–11[ 15]
14
West Hartlepool
Percy Park
Hartlepool Rovers , Driffield , Pontefract
2011–12[ 16]
14
Billingham
Percy Park
Team Northumbria [ c] , Gateshead , Old Brodleians
2012–13[ 17]
14
Beverley
Morley
Darlington , Durham City , Keighley
2013–14[ 18]
14
Cleckheaton
Huddersfield Y.M.C.A.
Malton & Norton , Middlesbrough , Morpeth
2014–15[ 19]
14
Ilkley
Sheffield
Horden , Old Crossleyans , Bradford and Bingley
2015–16[ 20]
14
Doncaster Phoenix
Morley
Beverley , South Shields Westoe , Northern
2016–17[ 21]
14
Pocklington
Penrith
Wheatley Hills , Guisborough , Durham City
2017–18[ 22]
14
Alnwick
Driffield
Northern , West Hartlepool , Dinnington
2018–19[ 23]
14
Morpeth
Scarborough
Consett , West Leeds , Bridlington
2019–20[ 24]
14
York
Cleckheaton
Huddersfield Y.M.C.A. , West Hartlepool , Percy Park
Green backgrounds are promotion places.
Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of North 1 East and North 1 West for the third and final promotion place to North Premier . The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the North 1 East have been the most successful with thirteen wins to the North 1 West teams six; and the home team has won promotion on fifteen occasions compared to the away teams five.
North 1 East v North 1 West promotion play-off results
Season
Home team
Score
Away team
Venue
Attendance
2000–01[ 25]
Darlington (E)
49-0
Aldwinians (W)
Blackwell Meadows, Darlington , County Durham
2001–02[ 26]
Huddersfield (E)
26-10
Vale of Lune (W)
Lockwood Park, Huddersfield , West Yorkshire
2002–03[ 27]
Sheffield (E)
32-15
Rochdale (W)
Abbeydale Park , Dore , Sheffield , South Yorkshire
2003–04[ 28]
Middlesbrough (E)
21-13
Caldy (W)
Acklam Park, Middlesbrough , North Yorkshire
2004–05[ 29]
Huddersfield (E)
22-13
Stockport (W)
Lockwood Park, Huddersfield , West Yorkshire
2005–06[ 30]
Beverley (E)
21-16
Winnington Park (W)
Beaver Park, Beverley , East Riding of Yorkshire
2006–07[ 31]
Sheffield Tigers (E)
50-10
Lymm (W)
Dore Moor, Dore , Sheffield , South Yorkshire
2007–08[ 32]
Durham City (E)
13-18
Stockport (W)
Hollow Drift, Durham , County Durham
2008–09[ 33]
Old Crossleyans (E)
25-31
Rossendale (W)
Broomfield Avenue, Halifax , West Yorkshire
2009–10[ 34]
Sandal (E)
30-22
Northwich (W)
Milnthorpe Green, Sandal Magna , Wakefield , West Yorkshire
2010–11[ 35]
Percy Park (E)
26-27
Burnage (W)
Preston Avenue, North Shields , Tyne and Wear
2011–12[ 36]
Percy Park (E)
18-12
Liverpool St Helens (W)
Preston Avenue, North Shields , Tyne and Wear
500
2012–13[ 37]
Liverpool St Helens (W)
17-28
Morley (E)
Moss Lane, St Helens , Merseyside
2013–14[ 38]
Birkenhead Park (W)
19-29
Huddersfield Y.M.C.A. (E)
Upper Park, Birkenhead , Merseyside
2014–15[ 39]
Kirkby Lonsdale (W)
29-35
Sheffield (E)
Underley Park, Kirkby Lonsdale , Cumbria
1,000
2015–16[ 40]
Kirkby Lonsdale (W)
33-38 (aet)
Morley (E)
Underley Park, Kirkby Lonsdale , Cumbria
2016–17[ 41]
Birkenhead Park (W)
29-21
Penrith (E)
Upper Park, Birkenhead , Merseyside
2017–18[ 42]
Driffield (E)
21-24
Wilmslow (W)
Show Ground, Driffield , East Riding of Yorkshire
2018–19[ 43]
Blackburn (W)
17-7
Scarborough (E)
Ramsgreave Drive, Blackburn , Lancashire
2019–20
Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom . Best ranked runner up - Northwich (W) - promoted instead.
2020–21
Green background is the promoted team. E = North 1 East (formerly North 2 East) and W = North 1 West (formerly North 2 West)
Number of league titles
Notes
^ Davenport would be renamed as Stockport RUFC in 1992.[ 1]
^ The introduction of a number of new leagues in the north for the 1996–97 season meant that more teams than normal were relegated between leagues to populate the new divisions.
^ Team Northumbria disbanded after relegation. Although they still do participate in the Northumberland Senior Cup .
^ One of Bradford & Bingley's titles was won when league was a single division known as North Division 2.
^ Aspatria's title was won when league was a single division known as North Division 2.
^ Doncaster's title was won when league was a single division known as North Division 2.
^ Manchester's title was won when league was a single division known as North Division 2.
^ Manchester's title was won when league was a single division known as North Division 2.
^ New Brighton's title was won when league was a single division known as North Division 2.
^ Northern's title was won when league was a single division known as North Division 2.
^ Rotherham's title was won when league was a single division known as North Division 2.
^ Stockton's title was won when league was a single division known as North Division 2.
^ Currently known as South Shields Westoe.
^ Wharfedale's title was won when league was a single division known as North Division 2.
^ York's title was won when league was a single division known as North Division 2.
See also
References
Governing body National teams
International competitions
Competition divisions
European competitions National competitions London and South East competitions Midland competitions Northern competitions South West competitions County competitions Discontinued competitions Related articles Other