2016 County Championship Shield

2016 County Championship Shield
Countries  England
Date 30 April 2016 - 29 May 2016
Champions Hampshire (2nd title)
Runners-up Staffordshire
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The 2016 County Championship Shield was the 12th version of the annual English rugby union County Championship, organized by the RFU for the tier 3 English counties. Each county drew its players from rugby union clubs from the fifth tier and below of the English rugby union league system. The counties were divided into three pools - one pool with four teams, the others with three teams each, with the winner of each group plus the best runner-up going through to the semi-finals, and the winners of those games meeting in the final held at Twickenham Stadium. At the moment there is no definitive promotion or relegation out of or into the County Championship Shield although the 2015 winners Leicestershire went up to join tier 2 while Middlesex did not take part in the 2016 competition.[1]

After winning their respective pools and semi-final games, Staffordshire and Hampshire met in the final. In the end it was Hampshire who finished as the champions, defeating Staffordshire, 33-11.[2]

Competition format

The competition format consisted of three groups (one with four teams, two with three teams), based roughly on regional lines where possible. The four team group consisted of six games, with two teams playing two home games and the others one home game each, while the three team groups saw each team play one home game. The top side of each group automatically qualified for the semi-finals, as did the best group runner-up. The winners of the semi-finals met in the final at Twickenham Stadium held on May 29 April 2016. As the lowest tier in the county championship there was no relegation while promotion is not given every season, although outstanding county performances can lead to counties moving up to tier 2.

Participating counties and ground locations

Sonning (Berkshire)
Aylesbury (Buckinghamshire)
Aspatria (Cumbria)
Waltham Forest, London (Essex)
Newham, London (Essex)
Wootton Bassett (Dorset & Wilts)
Gosport (Hampshire)
Mansfield (Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire)
Banbury (Oxfordshire)
Leek (Staffordshire)
Rugby (Warwickshire)
Locations of the 2016 County Championship Shield county teams
County Stadium(s) Capacity City/Area
Berkshire Holme Park Sonning, Reading, Berkshire
Buckinghamshire Ostler's Field Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
Cumbria Bower Park Aspatria, Cumbria
Dorset & Wilts Ballard’s Ash Sports Ground Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire
Essex Memorial Park
The New Wilderness		 Newham, Greater London
Waltham Forest, Greater London
Hampshire Gosport Park Gosport, Hampshire
Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire Eakring Road Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
Oxfordshire Bodicote Park Banbury, Oxfordshire
Staffordshire Esterchem Park Leek, Staffordshire
Warwickshire Webb Ellis Road 1,000 Rugby, Warwickshire

Group stage

Pool 1

2016 County Championship Shield Pool 1 Table
County Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1 Buckinghamshire (Q) 3 2 1 0 99 72 27 2 0 12
2 Warwickshire (Q) 3 2 1 0 89 81 8 2 0 12
3 Essex 3 1 0 2 71 75 -4 1 1 6
4 Oxfordshire 3 0 0 3 78 109 -31 1 1 2
  • If teams were level at any stage, tiebreakers were 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 Shield semi finals. Updated: 14 May 2016
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com. 

Round 1

15:00
(BP) Warwickshire 27 - 21 Oxfordshire (BP)
Report
Webb Ellis Road, Rugby[3]
15:00
Buckinghamshire 20 - 8 Essex
Report
Ostler's Field, Aylesbury

[4]

Round 2

7 May 2016
15:00
(BP) Essex 22 - 24 Warwickshire
Report
Memorial Park, Newham, Greater London
7 May 2016
15:00
Oxfordshire 26 - 41 Buckinghamshire (BP)
Bodicote Park, Banbury

[5]

Round 3

14 May 2016
15:00
(BP) Essex 41 - 31 Oxfordshire (BP)
The New Wilderness, Waltham Forest, Greater London
14 May 2016
15:00
(BP) Warwickshire 38 - 38 Buckinghamshire (BP)
Webb Ellis Road, Rugby

[6]

Pool 2

2016 County Championship Shield Pool 2 Table
County Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1 Staffordshire (Q) 2 2 0 0 68 51 17 1 0 9
2 Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire 2 1 0 1 52 50 2 1 0 5
3 Cumbria 2 0 0 2 63 83 -20 2 0 2
  • If teams were level at any stage, tiebreakers were 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 Shield semi finals. Updated: 14 May 2016
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com. 

    Round 1

    30 April 2016
    Staffordshire 23 - 15 Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire
    Report
    Esterchem Park, Leek

    [4]

    Round 2

    7 May 2016
    15:00
    (BP) Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire 37 - 27 Cumbria (BP)
    Eakring Road, Mansfield

    [5]

    Round 3

    14 May 2016
    15:00
    (BP) Cumbria 36 - 45 Staffordshire (BP)
    Bower Park, Aspatria

    [6]

    Pool 3

    2016 County Championship Shield Pool 3 Table
    County Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
    1 Hampshire (Q) 2 2 0 0 90 13 77 2 0 10
    2 Berkshire 2 1 0 1 35 60 -25 1 0 5
    2 Dorset & Wilts 2 0 0 2 27 79 -52 0 0 0
    • If teams were level at any stage, tiebreakers were 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 Shield semi finals. Updated: 14 May 2016
    Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com. 

      Round 1

      30 April 2016
      15:00
      (BP) Hampshire 44 - 13 Dorset & Wilts
      Report
      Gosport Park, Gosport

      [4]

      Round 2

      7 May 2016
      13:00
      Berkshire 0 - 46 Hampshire (BP)
      Holme Park, Reading

      [5]

      Round 3

      14 May 2016
      15:00
      Dorset & Wilts 14 - 35 Berkshire (BP)
      Ballard’s Ash Sports Ground, Wootton Bassett

      [6]

      Knock-out Stage

      Semi-finals

      21 May 2016
      15:00
      Warwickshire 15 - 23 Hampshire
      Webb Ellis Road, Rugby[7]
      21 May 2016
      15:00
      Staffordshire 6 - 3 Buckinghamshire
      Esterchem Park, Leek[8]

      [9]

      Final

      29 May 2016
      Hampshire v Staffordshire
      Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, Greater London

      See also

      References

      1. ↑ "Rugby: Leicestershire lift County Championship Shield after win over Cumbria at Twickenham". Leicester Mercury. 1 June 2015.
      2. ↑ "Staffordshire beaten by Hampshire in County Shield final at Twickenham". Staffordshire Newsletter. 29 May 2016.
      3. ↑ "Warwickshire RFU". Rugby Network. 26 April 2016.
      4. 1 2 3 "County Championships". England Rugby. 30 April 2016.
      5. 1 2 3 "County Championships". England Rugby. 7 May 2016.
      6. 1 2 3 "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (400). Rugby Paper Ltd. 15 May 2016. pp. 31 & 36.
      7. ↑ "COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD SEMI FINAL.". Warwickshire RFU. 21 May 2016.
      8. ↑ "Staffordshire v Buckinghamshire on 21 May 2016". Staffordshire RFU. 20 May 2016.
      9. ↑ "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (401). Rugby Paper Ltd. 22 May 2016. pp. 30–31 & 32.

      External links

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