Northumberland Senior Cup (rugby union)


The Northumberland Senior Cup is an annual rugby union competition held between the clubs of the Northumberland RFU which was first played in 1882. It is the senior county cup for the Northumberland Rugby Union, which includes Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, and Northumberland. The current holders are Alnwick who defeated Northern 31-8 in the 2024 cup final. Most finals were held at the Northumberland County Ground from 1912 up until 1988; before and after the County Ground's existence Senior Cup Finals have been played at various venues in the county.

Northumberland Senior Cup
SportRugby Union
Instituted1882; 142 years ago (1882)
Number of teams8
Country England
HoldersAlnwick RFC (5th title) (2023-24)
Most titlesGosforth (Newcastle Falcons) (30 titles)
WebsiteNorthumberland RFU

The Senior Cup is currently the premier county cup competition for club sides affiliated to the Northumberland Rugby Football Union typically based at level 5 (North Premier) and level 6 (North 1 East) of the English rugby union system, although the 2nd XV of Tynedale (who play in level 4 National League 2 North), Berwick (who play in the Scottish Regional League) and the two university's in Newcastle (who play in the BUCS) have taken part in the competition. The format is as a knock-out cup with a quarter-final, semi-final and final, which is to be played at a neutral ground in April on Easter Saturday.[1]

Past winners

edit
Year Winners Score Runners Up
1882 Northern 5-0 Northumberland Club ±
1883 Tynemouth ± 2-0 Tynedale
1884 Northern 1-0 Tynedale
1885 Tynemouth ± 6-3 Northern
1886 Percy Park 4-3 North Elswick ±
1887 Tynedale 4-1 Northern
1888 Northern 7-0 Percy Park
1889 Northern 7-0 Percy Park
1890 Rockcliff 10-0 North Elswick ±
1891 Northern 18-0 Gosforth
1892 Rockcliff 13-0 Percy Park
1893 Rockcliff 13-3 Percy Park
1894 Rockcliff 0-0 Percy Park
1894 (R) Rockcliff 29-3 Percy Park
1895 Rockcliff 28-5 Brighton ±
1896 Rockcliff 10-0 Percy Park
1897 Percy Park 6-3 Rockcliff
1898 Rockcliff 5-3 Percy Park
1899 Percy Park 19-0 Wallsend
1900 Rockcliff 8-5 Percy Park
1901 Rockcliff 13-0 Northern
1902 Rockcliff 9-0 Percy Park
1903 Northern 6-4 Percy Park
1904 Northern 8-0 Rockcliff
1905 Rockcliff 10-0 Percy Park
1906 Tynedale 11-3 Percy Park
1907 Percy Park 6-3 Tynedale
1908 Percy Park 23-0 Tynedale
1909 Rockcliff 0-0 Northern
1909 (R) Rockcliff 22-3 Northern
1910 Percy Park 3-0 Northern
1911 Tynedale 7-6 Percy Park
1912 Northern 12-10 Percy Park
1913 Percy Park 19-3 Old Novocastrians
1914 Tynedale 0-0 Percy Park
1914 (R) Tynedale 9-3 Percy Park
1915-19 Competition suspended for World War I
1920 Rockcliff 9-0 Northern
1921 Percy Park 10-0 Medicals
1922 Medicals 30-0 Northern
1923 Medicals 12-3 Northern
1924 Percy Park 4-3 Northern
1925 Seghill 0-0 Medicals
1926 Northern 3-0 Rockcliff
1927 Tynedale 5-3 Northern
1928 Gosforth 5-3 Percy Park
1929 Seghill 5-5 Percy Park
1929 (R) Seghill 4-3 Percy Park
1930 Seghill 15-11 Percy Park
1931 Northern 11-3 Armstrong College
1932 Seghill 19-8 Gosforth
1933 Tynedale 17-0 Old Novocastrians
1934 Tynedale 3-3 Old Novocastrians
1934 (R) Tynedale 9-6 Old Novocastrians
1935 Tynedale 13-11 Northern
1936 Tynedale 23-21 Gosforth
1937 Northern 21-4 Percy Park
1938 Percy Park 9-3 Old Novocastrians
1939 Percy Park 8-3 Northern
1940-46 Competition suspended for World War II
1947 Percy Park 13-0 Medicals
1948 Tynedale 15-13 Northern
1949 Percy Park 10-3 Medicals
1950 Percy Park 9-3 Gosforth
1951 Percy Park 9-0 Gosforth
1952 Medicals 5-3 Northern
1953 Medicals 14-0 Percy Park
1954 Percy Park 6-0 Medicals
1955 Northern 11-5 Percy Park
1956 Gosforth 3-3 Northern
1956 (R) Gosforth 6-3 Northern
1957 Percy Park 9-3 Gosforth
1958 Percy Park 9-3 Morpeth
1959 Northern 11-3 Percy Park
1960 Gosforth 22-6 King's College
1961 Northern 17-6 Gosforth
1962 Gosforth 3-3 Northern
1962 (R) Gosforth 6-3 Northern
1963 Gosforth 16-0 Morpeth
1964 Gosforth 3-3 Northern
1964 (R) Gosforth 9-3 Northern
1965 Newcastle University 12-3 Rockcliff
1966 Gosforth 17-6 Morpeth
1967 Gosforth 10-6 Northern
1968 Gosforth 46-0 Seghill
1969 Gosforth 18-3 Percy Park
1970 Northern 3-0 Gosforth
1971 Gosforth 19-6 Tynedale
1972 Gosforth 22-6 Northern
1973 Gosforth 21-9 Alnwick
1974 Gosforth 25-3 Morpeth
1975 Gosforth 22-3 Tynedale
1976 Gosforth 36-0 Northern
1977 Gosforth 37-0 Morpeth
1978 Gosforth 38-3 Alnwick
1979 Gosforth 9-3 Northern
1980 Gosforth 21-9 Alnwick
1981 Gosforth 19-0 Morpeth
1982 Gosforth 32-6 Morpeth
1983 Gosforth 24-6 Alnwick
1984 Alnwick 6-4 Gosforth
1985 Gosforth 17-12 Tynedale
1986 Gosforth 9-7 Tynedale
1987 Gosforth 18-9 Tynedale
1988 Tynedale 13-6 Gosforth
1989 Northern 24-16 Tynedale
1990 Gosforth 16-3 Northern
1991 Newcastle Gosforth 6-3 Tynedale
1992 Tynedale 15-3 Novocastrians
1993 Tynedale 6-6 (AET) Trophy Shared Newcastle Gosforth
1994 Newcastle Gosforth 14-8 Tynedale
1995 Northern 6-3 Tynedale
1996 Tynedale 22-12 Berwick
1997 Berwick 51-3 Northern
1998 Morpeth 21-13 Tynedale
1999 Tynedale 24-10 Alnwick
2000 Tynedale 33-10 Morpeth
2001 Not Completed due to Foot and Mouth Outbreak
2002 Morpeth 35-16 Northern
2003 Tynedale 7-6 Morpeth
2004 Tynedale 20-6 Morpeth
2005 Tynedale 41-13 Berwick
2006 Tynedale 64-8 Percy Park
2007 Morpeth 39-13 Tynedale
2008 Tynedale 40-7 Morpeth
2009 Tynedale 77-3 Gosforth
2010 Tynedale 24-9 Morpeth
2011 Percy Park 31-25 Tynedale
2012 Percy Park 12-6 Tynedale
2013 Percy Park 25-11 Morpeth
2014 Tynedale 32-0 Morpeth
2015 Northumbria University 25-13 Percy Park
2016 Morpeth 21-3 Percy Park
2017 Alnwick 11-7 Morpeth
2018 Percy Park 21-16 Alnwick
2019 Alnwick 39-3 Morpeth
2020 Morpeth 11-10 Alnwick
2021 No Competition due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
2022 Alnwick 61-14 Novocastrians
2023 Northern 47-19 Tynedale
2024 Alnwick 31-8 Northern
  • ± Denotes club now defunct
 
Northumberland County Ground in 1965

By number of wins (clubs)

edit
Team Wins
(outright wins/shared titles)
Years (* title was shared)
Gosforth (Newcastle Falcons) 30 (29/1) 1928, 1956, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993*, 1994
Tynedale 24 (23/1) 1887, 1906, 1911, 1914, 1927, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1948, 1988, 1992, 1993*, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014
Percy Park 22 1886, 1897, 1899, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1913, 1921, 1924, 1938, 1939, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1954, 1957, 1958, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018
Northern 18 1882, 1884, 1888, 1889, 1891, 1903, 1904, 1912, 1926, 1931, 1937, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1970, 1989, 1995, 2023
Rockcliff 13 1890, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1898, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1905, 1909, 1920
Alnwick 5 1984, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2024
Morpeth 5 1998, 2002, 2007, 2016, 2020
Medicals 4 1922, 1923, 1952, 1953
Seghill 4 1925, 1929, 1930, 1932
Tynemouth 2 1883, 1885
Berwick 1 1997
Newcastle University 1 1965
Northumbria University 1 2015

Northumberland Senior Plate

edit

With the advent of professionalism, the gap between some clubs became too great in the county. In the 2001-2002 season the Northumberland Senior Plate was inaugurated as a competition for clubs knocked out of the first round of the Northumberland Senior Cup. Since then the competition has undergone various changes. The Plate is now competed for by all clubs, who are not in the top eight of Northumberland clubs, every season.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "CUP DRAWS FOR SEASON 2016-17 (Word doc)". Northumberland RFU. Retrieved 15 June 2017.

"Senior Cup". northumberlandrugbyunion.com. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2011.