2015 Bill Beaumont Cup

2015 Bill Beaumont Cup (County Championship)
Countries  England
Date 9 May 2015 - 31 May 2015
Champions Cornwall (4th title)
Runners-up Lancashire
Relegated Kent, Durham
Attendance 8,303 (average 823 per match)
Highest attendance 2,800 Cornwall at home to Hertfordshire on 23 May 2015
Lowest attendance 250 Cheshire at home to Lancashire on 9 May 2015
Top point scorer EnglandMatthew Shepherd
Cornwall 61 points
Top try scorer EnglandForbes Edwards
Cheshire 4 tries
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The 2015 Bill Beaumont Cup, also known as Bill Beaumont Cup Division One, was the 115th version of the annual, English rugby union, County Championship organized by the RFU for the top tier 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 South or National League 2 North). The counties were divided into two regional pools with the winners of each pool meeting in the final held at Twickenham Stadium. New counties to the competition were the two finalists from the 2013–14 County Championship Plate final – Kent (winners) and Durham (runners-up)[1][2] who replaced North Midlands[3] and Northumberland.[4]

At the end of the group stage, Lancashire won the northern division with relative ease to book their place in the final for the third successive year while Cornwall joined them, squeezing through by defeating Hertfordshire in the last game of the southern group having trailed 18 - 6 at half time. Both Durham and Kent made an instant return to the second division after being relegated by coming bottom of their respective groups.[5][6] The 2015 final was a repeat of the previous two seasons with Cornwall this time turning the tables on holders Lancashire and winning their first county title since 1999 in a 18 - 13 victory. Cornish All Black scrum half Matthew Shepherd was man of the match with two tries and also finished as the competitions top scorer.[7]

Competition format

The competition format was two regional group stages divided into north and south, with each team playing each other once. This meant that two teams in the pool had two home games, while the other two had just one. The top side in each group went through to the final held at Twickenham Stadium on May 31 2015.[8] The bottom side in each group was relegated to the second tier of the county championships for the following season, with the finalists from that division replacing them.

Participating Counties and ground locations

Chester (Cheshire)
Redruth (Cornwall)
Darlington (Durham)
Swalwell (Durham)
Cinderford (Gloucestershire)
Mangotsfield (Gloucestershire)
Ware (Hertfordshire)
Canterbury (Kent)
Gravesend (Kent)
Lytham Saint Annes (Lancashire)
Doncaster (Yorkshire)
Huddersfield (Yorkshire)
Locations of the 2015 Bill Beaumont Cup county teams
County Stadium(s) Capacity City/Area
Cheshire Hare Lane Chester, Cheshire
Cornwall Recreation Ground 12,000 Redruth, Cornwall
Durham Crow Trees
The Darlington Arena 		  
25,000		 Swalwell, Tyne and Wear
Darlington, County Durham
Gloucestershire Dockham Road
The Hayfields		 2,500
  		 Cinderford, Gloucestershire
Mangotsfield, Gloucestershire
Hertfordshire Highfields Ware, Hertfordshire
Kent Merton Lane
Milton Road		 Canterbury, Kent
Gravesend, Kent
Lancashire Woodlands Memorial Ground 9,000 Lytham St Annes, Lancashire
Yorkshire Lockwood Park
Castle Park		 1,500
5,000		 Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Group stage

Division 1 North

2015 Beaumont Cup Division 1 North Table
County Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1 Lancashire (Q) 3 3 0 0 67 24 29 1 0 13
2 Cheshire 3 2 0 1 95 80 15 1 1 10
3 Yorkshire 3 1 0 2 66 66 0 1 1 6
4 Durham (R) 3 0 0 3 58 102 –44 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. Pink background means the county were demoted to Division 2 North of the County Championship Plate for the following season. Updated: 12 May 2015
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com. 

Round 1

9 May 2015
15:00
(BP) Cheshire 18 – 21 Lancashire
Report
Hare Lane
Attendance: 250
Referee: Llyr Apgeraint-Roberts
9 May 2015
15:00
(BP) Yorkshire 33 – 12 Durham
Report
Lockwood Park, Huddersfield
Attendance: 446
Referee: Ben Davis

[9][10]

Round 2

16 May 2015
15:00
Durham 6 – 17 Lancashire
Report
Crow Trees, Swalwell
Attendance: 320
Referee: Peter Steniford
16 May 2015
15:00
(BP) Yorkshire 19 – 25 Cheshire
Report
Castle Park, Doncaster
Attendance: 550
Referee: Mike Harris

[11][10]

Round 3

23 May 2015
15:00
(BP) Durham 40 – 52 Cheshire (BP)
Report
Darlington Arena, Darlington
Attendance: 380
Referee: Matt Turvey
23 May 2015
15:00
(BP) Lancashire 29 – 14 Yorkshire
Report
Woodlands Memorial Ground, Lytham St Annes
Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Gareth Holsgrove

[12][10]

Division 1 South

2015 Beaumont Cup Division 1 South Table
County Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1 Cornwall (Q) 3 3 0 0 74 42 32 1 0 13
2 Hertfordshire 3 2 0 1 86 69 17 2 1 11
3 Gloucestershire 3 1 0 2 53 75 –22 0 0 4
4 Kent (R) 3 0 0 3 46 73 –27 0 1 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. Pink background means the county were en demoted to Division 2 South of the County Championship Plate for the following season. Updated: 12 May 2015
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com. 

Round 1

9 May 2015
15:00
Gloucestershire 8 – 27 Cornwall (BP)
Report
Dockham Road, Cinderford
Attendance: 562
Referee: Mike Hudson
9 May 2015
15:00
Kent 19 – 31 Hertfordshire (BP)
Report
Merton Lane, Canterbury
Attendance: 250
Referee: Luis Caviglia

[9][10]

Round 2

16 May 2015
15:00
(BP) Hertfordshire 37 – 25 Gloucestershire
Report
Highfields, Ware
Attendance: 620
Referee: Luke Haskins
16 May 2015
15:00
(BP) Kent 16 – 22 Cornwall
Report
Milton Road, Gravesend
Attendance: 600
Referee: Calum Howard

[11][10]

Round 3

23 May 2015
15:00
Cornwall 25 – 18 Herfordshire (BP)
Report
The Recreation Ground, Redruth
Attendance: 2,800
Referee: Veryan Boscawen
23 May 2015
15:00
Gloucestershire 20 – 11 Kent
Report
The Hayfields, Mangotsfield
Attendance: 325
Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe

[12][10]

Final

31 May 2015
12:00
Cornwall 18 - 13 Lancashire
Report
Twickenham Stadium, London
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: James Sullivan

[10]

Total season attendances

County Home
Games		 Total Average Highest Lowest % Capacity
Cheshire 1 250 250 250 250 N/A
Cornwall 1 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,800 23%
Durham 2 700 350 380 320 N/A
Gloucestershire 2 887 444 562 325 N/A
Hertfordshire 1 620 620 620 620 N/A
Kent 2 850 425 600 250 N/A
Lancashire 1 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,200 13%
Yorkshire 2 996 498 550 446 20%

Individual statistics

Top points scorers

Rank Player County Club Side Appearances Points
1 England Matthew Shepherd Cornwall Cornish All Blacks 4 61
2 England Jack Lavin Cheshire Caldy 3 31
3 England Dan Watt Hertfordshire Old Albanian 3 28
4 England Chris Johnson Lancashire Fylde 3 21
5 England Forbes Edwards Cheshire Caldy 3 20

Top try scorers

Rank Player County Club Side Appearances Tries
1 England Forbes Edwards Cheshire Caldy 3 4
2 England Matthew Shepherd Cornwall Cornish All Blacks 4 4
3 England Jordan Dorrington Cheshire Fylde 3 3
4 England Jack Lavin Cheshire Caldy 3 3
5 England Robin Wedlake Cornwall Redruth 3 3

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Stradwick leads Kent to county title". Kent RFU. 1 June 2014.
  2. ↑ "Durham rugby hope not to freeze at Twickenham in County Championship final v Kent". Hartlepool Mail. 30 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "North Midlands relegated". North Midlands RFU. 24 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Northumberland 22 Yorkshire 36: Relegation blow for beaten North". Chronicle Live. 25 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "RUGBY: Gloucestershire survive relegation with vital win over Kent". Gazette. 26 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "Counties beaten as Durham relegated and Northumberland miss out". Chronicle Live. 24 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "Cornwall win County Championship with superb win over Lancashire". West Briton. 31 May 2015.
  8. ↑ "ENGLAND V BARBARIANS SUNDAY 31 MAY 2015 K.O. 3pm". Tunbridge Wells RFC. 21 January 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (347). Rugby Paper Ltd. 10 May 2015. pp. 32–33 & 36.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "County Championships Results: 2014-15". englandrugby.com. 31 May 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (348). Rugby Paper Ltd. 17 May 2015. pp. 28–30.
  12. 1 2 "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (349). Rugby Paper Ltd. 24 May 2015. pp. 24–26.

External links

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