2017 Bill Beaumont County Championship Division 1

The 2017 Bill Beaumont County Championship Division 1 was the 117th version of the annual, English rugby union, County Championship organised by the RFU for the top tier English counties. This was the first season it would be officially known as Bill Beaumont Division 1 having previously been known as the Bill Beaumont Cup.[1] 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 North or National League 2 South). The counties were divided into two regional sections (each divided into two pools, for a total of four) with the winners of each meeting in the final held at Twickenham Stadium. Cornwall were the defending champions.[2][3]

For the second tier of the English Counties competition, see 2017 Bill Beaumont County Championship Division 2. For the third tier of the English Counties competition, see 2017 Bill Beaumont County Championship Division 3.
2017 Bill Beaumont County Championship Division 1
Countries England
Date6 May 2017 - 28 May 2017
ChampionsLancashire (24th title)
Runners-upCornwall
Matches played19
Attendance27,548
(average 1,450 per match)
Highest attendance7,000
Lancashire v Cornwall on 28 May 2017
Lowest attendance150
Gloucestershire v Devon on 6 May 2017
Tries scored149
(average 7.8 per match)
Top point scorer Sam Goatley (Gloucestershire) / Calum Irvine (Yorkshire) 35
Top try scorer Sam Goatley (Gloucestershire) 7

Due to changes to the County Championship format (more detail of this below) four new teams were added to the competition, with East Midlands and Northumberland joining the northern section, while Kent and Devon joined the south. East Midlands (winners) and Kent (runners up) were promoted after reaching the final of the 2016 County Championship Plate, while Northumberland and Devon were promoted by virtue of their performances in the competition over the past couple of seasons. It also saw a lucky escape for the likes of Yorkshire, who would have been playing tier 2 rugby this year were it not for the competition restructuring.[4][5][6]

By the end of the group stages, Lancashire and Cornwall came top of their respective pools, winning all three of their games with a bonus point in each to qualify for the final in what would be the fourth county championship final between the two sides. Lancashire possibly had the harder time of it as they edged rivals Yorkshire by just one point with neither side playing each other due to the new format, while Cornwall won all their games. In the Twickenham final, the first half started with Cornwall dominant in taking an 8-0 lead into the break - although they perhaps should have capitalized more on a Lancashire yellow card towards the end of the half. The second half was a completely different story, however, as Lancashire played some breath-taking rugby scoring three delightful tries to take the game 19-8, ending Cornwall's hope of a treble of championships, and claiming the 24th county championship title for the Red Rose.[7]

Competition format

The 2017 County Championships saw a new competition structure introduced across all three divisions. In tier 1 there were now twelve teams instead of the eight from 2016, with six counties in the northern group, and six in the southern group. To complicate matters further, each county only played three games per group instead of five. This meant that some counties had two home games, while the others had just one. The RFU plans to switch this around the following year so that teams that played one home game in 2017 will get two during the 2018 competition - it is assumed that this is against the three teams in the group they did not play the previous season.

At the end of the group stage the top teams with the best record from each group (north and south) advanced to the final held on 28 May 2017 at Twickenham Stadium. A further change will see relegation occur every two seasons instead of one, with points accumulated over the two seasons taken into consideration. This system will also apply to promoted teams in tier 2.[4]

Participating Counties and ground locations

Group stage

Division 1 North
2017 Bill Beaumont Division 1 North Table
County Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1Lancashire (Q)330011546693015
2Yorkshire330012154672014
3East Midlands32018467172010
4Cheshire31025479-25105
5Northumberland300362118-56101
6Eastern Counties300351123-72011
  • 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.Updated: 20 May 2017
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com.

Round 1
6 May 2017
14:15
(BP) Eastern Counties 21 - 24 East Midlands (BP)
Report
Grantchester Road, Cambridge
Attendance: 300
Referee: Jack Sutton
6 May 2017
15:00
(BP) Lancashire 48 - 28 Northumberland (BP)
Report
Woodlands Memorial Ground, Lytham St. Annes
Attendance: 545
Referee: Llyr ApGeraint-Roberts
6 May 2017
15:00
Yorkshire 26 - 17 Cheshire
Report
Lockwood Park, Huddersfield
Attendance: 436
Referee: Andrew Wigley

[8]

Round 2
13 May 2017
14:15
Eastern Counties 15 - 38 Lancashire (BP)
Report
University Football Ground, Cambridge
Attendance: 314
Referee: Neil Chivers
13 May 2017
15:00
(BP) Cheshire 32 - 24 East Midlands
Report
Paton Field, Thurstaston
Attendance: 325
Referee: Matt Turvey
13 May 2017
15:00
Northumberland 22 - 34 Yorkshire (BP)
Greensfield, Alnwick
Attendance: 256
Referee: Ieuan Davies

[9]

Round 3
20 May 2017
15:00
Cheshire 5 - 29 Lancashire (BP)
Heywood Park, Sale
Attendance: 450
Referee: Andrew Wrigley
20 May 2017
15:00
(BP) East Midlands 36 - 14 Northumberland
Report
Dillingham Park, Ampthill
Attendance: 350
Referee: Claire Hodnett
20 May 2017
15:00
(BP) Yorkshire 61 - 15 Eastern Counties
Brantingham Park, Brantingham
Attendance: 484
Referee: Ieuan Davies

[10]

Division 1 South
2017 Bill Beaumont Division 1 South Table
County Played Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Points difference Try bonus Losing bonus Points
1Cornwall (Q)330013553823015
2Gloucestershire320113070602010
3Kent3201585621110
4Hertfordshire3201937617208[a 1]
5Surrey300343108-65011
6Devon300343139-96000
  • 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.Updated: 20 May 2017
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com.
Notes
    • Hertfordshire were initially deducted 4 points for fielding an ineligible player against Kent on 6 May 2017. It was later reduced to a 2 point deduction.[11][12]

Round 1
6 May 2017
15:00
(BP) Gloucestershire 55 - 12 Devon
Report
The Hayfields, Mangotsfield
Attendance: 150
Referee: James Clarke
6 May 2017
15:00
(BP) Kent 12 - 19 Hertfordshire
Report
Broad Way, Kidbrooke, London
Attendance: 452
Referee: Gareth Holsgrove
6 May 2017
15:00
Surrey 14 - 34 Cornwall (BP)
Report
Athletic Ground, Richmond, London
Attendance: 643
Referee: Neil Chivers

[8]

Round 2
13 May 2017
15:00
Devon 11 - 56 Cornwall (BP)
Report
Cross-in-Hand, Ivybridge
Attendance: 1,025
Referee: Robert Bourke
13 May 2017
15:00
(BP) Hertfordshire 46 - 19 Gloucestershire
Report
Highfields, Ware
Attendance: 450
Referee: Philip Davies
13 May 2017
15:00
(BP) Surrey 17 - 18 Kent
Report
The Big Field, Dorking
Attendance: 231
Referee: Calum Howard

[9]

Round 3
20 May 2017
15:00
(BP) Cornwall 45 - 28 Hertfordshire (BP)
Report
Recreation Ground, Camborne
Attendance: 3,525
Referee: Ben Russell
20 May 2017
15:00
Devon 20 - 28 Kent (BP)
Pottington Road, Barnstaple
Attendance: 412
Referee: Kevin Williams
20 May 2017
15:00
(BP) Gloucestershire 56 - 12 Surrey
Report
Regentsholm, Lydney
Attendance: 200
Referee: James Milliner

[10]

Final
28 May 2017
12:00
Lancashire 19 - 8 Cornwall
Try: Bingham, Burtonwood, Armstrong
Con: Johnson (2)
 Report Try: Jones
Pen: Shepherd
Twickenham Stadium, London
Attendance: 7,000
Referee: Ben Blain


15Lewis AllenPreston Grasshoppers
14Scott ArmstrongFylde
13Chris BriersFylde
12Scott RawlingsSale FC
11Anthony BinghamFylde
10Chris JohnsonSale FC
9Sam StelmaszekFylde
1Dan BirchallFylde
2Tom BurtonwoodFylde
3Adam LewisFylde
4Bob BirtwellSedgley Park
5Reece TomlinsonRossendale
6Mark GoodwinSedgley Park
7Evan Stewart (capt)Fylde
8Tom AilesSale FC
Replacements:
16Peter AlthamPreston Grasshoppers
17Johnny MatthewsSedgley Park
18Simon GriffithsFylde
19Greg SmithFylde
20Connor WilkinsonFylde
21Rhys DaviesSale FC
22Steve CollinsSedgley Park
23Ciaran ConnollySale FC
15Matthew ShepherdPlymouth Albion
14Seti RaumakitaPlymouth Albion
13Robin WedlakePlymouth Albion
12Jake Murphy (capt)Barnstaple
11Tom NotmanRedruth
10Jake ElderkinRedruth
9Jack OultonRedruth
1Tommy PhillipsRedruth
2Richard BrownRedruth
3Craig WilliamsRedruth
4Tony WhittleCamborne
5Bryn JenkinsBarnstaple
6George JonesPenryn
7Sam MatavesiCamborne
8Grant RandlesomePenryn
Replacements:
16Matt BallardWadebridge Camels
17Dan CollierPlymouth Albion
18Jack SimmonsCamborne
19Andrius ZacharovasCamborne
20Chris FucaRedruth
22David MankeeCamborne
23Barrie-John ChapmanRedruth

[7]

Total season attendances
  • Does not include final at Twickenham which is a neutral venue and involves teams from all three county divisions on the same day
County Home
Games		 Total Average Highest Lowest % Capacity
Cheshire277538845032511%
Cornwall13,5253,5253,5253,52550%
Devon21,4377191,02541221%
East Midlands135035035035012%
Eastern Counties261430731430028%
Gloucestershire235017520015013%
Hertfordshire1450450450450
Kent1452452452452
Lancashire15455455455456%
Northumberland125625625625621%
Surrey287443764323119%
Yorkshire292046048443631%

[8][9][10]

Individual statistics
  • Note if players are tied on tries or points the player with the lowest number of appearances will come first. Also note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals. Appearance figures also include coming on as substitutes (unused substitutes not included). Statistics will also include final.

Competition records

See also

References
  1. "County Championships renamed to honour rugby legends". England Rugby. 27 March 2017.
  2. "County Championship final 2016: Cornwall beat Cheshire to retain title at Twickenham". BBC Sport. 29 May 2016.
  3. "Cornwall win back to back Twickenham triumphs". Plymouth Herald. 29 May 2016.
  4. "Full Men's County Championship fixture list 2016-17" (PDF). England Rugby. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  5. "Rugby: Bedfordshire players inspire East Midlands to Twickenham triumph". Bedfordshire News. 29 May 2016.
  6. "East Midlands win County Champs Division 2 Plate". England Rugby. 29 May 2016.
  7. "LANCASHIRE WIN BILL BEAUMONT COUNTY CHAMPS FINAL". England RFU. 28 May 2017.
  8. "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (451). Rugby Paper Ltd. 7 May 2017. pp. 30–31 & 34.
  9. "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (452). Rugby Paper Ltd. 14 May 2017. pp. 30–31.
  10. "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (453). Rugby Paper Ltd. 21 May 2017. pp. 24–25 & 30.
  11. "Gloucestershire back in the race for Twickenham". Camborne RFC (Pitchero). Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  12. "Herts points deduction halved". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
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