Kent 1
Kent 1 (known as Shepherd Neame Kent 1 for sponsorship reasons) is an English level 9 Rugby Union League[1] and is made up of teams predominantly from south-east London and Kent. The teams play home and away matches from September through to April. The league champions move up to London 3 South East while the runners up play against the runners up of Sussex 1 for the remaining place. Relegated teams drop down to Kent 2.
Current season or competition: 2019–20 Shepherd Neame Kent 1 | |
Sport | Rugby union |
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Instituted | 1987 |
Number of teams | 10 |
Country | England |
Holders | Southwark Lancers (1st title) (2019–20) (promoted to London 3 South East) |
Most titles | Park House (4 titles) |
Website | englandrugby.com |
Each year some of the clubs in this division also take part in the RFU Junior Vase - a level 9-12 national competition.
Participating clubs 2019-20
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Participating clubs 2018-19
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Participating clubs 2017-18
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Participating clubs 2016-17
- Beccehamaian
- Brockleians
- Hastings & Bexhill
- HSBC
- King's College Hospital
- Lordswood
- New Ash Green
- Old Gravesendians
- Sittingbourne (promoted from Kent 2)
- Southwark Lancers
- Snowdon C.W. (promoted from Kent 2)
- Vigo
Participating clubs 2015-16
- Beccehamaian
- Brockleians (promoted from Kent 2)
- Hastings & Bexhill (relegated from London 3 South East)
- HSBC
- King's College Hospital
- Lordswood
- New Ash Green (promoted from Kent 2)
- Old Gravesendians
- Old Williamsonians
- Sheppey
- Southwark Lancers
- Vigo
Participating clubs 2014-2015
- Beccehamian (relegated from London 3 South East)
- Bexley (promoted from Kent 2)
- Cranbrook
- HSBC
- King's College Hospital
- Lordswood
- Old Gravesendians
- Old Williamsonians
- Sheppey (relegated from London 3 South East)
- Sittingbourne
- Southwark Lancers
- Vigo
Participating clubs 2010-2011
- Ashford
- Beccehamian
- Cranbrook
- Dartfordians
- Erith
- Gillingham Anchorians.
- Guys' Kings' & St Thomas' Hospital
- Hastings and Bexhill
- HSBC
- New Ash Green
- Old Gravesendians
- Shooters Hill
- Sittingbourne
- Vigo
- Whitstable
Original teams
When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams:
- Bromley
- Charlton Park
- Erith
- Medway
- NatWest Bank
- Old Elthamians
- Old Shootershillians
- Park House
- Sevenoaks
- Thanet Wanderers
- Tonbridge[lower-alpha 1]
Kent 1 honours
Kent 1 (1987–1993)
The original Kent 1 was a tier 8 league with promotion up to London 3 South East and relegation down to Kent 2.
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Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
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1987–88 | 11 | Charlton Park | Erith | Old Shootershillians, NatWest Bank, Sevenoaks | ||||||||||
1988–89 | 11 | Gillingham Anchorians | Betteshanger | Old Elthamians, Tonbridge | ||||||||||
1989–90 | 11 | Park House | Medway | Canterbury, Dover | ||||||||||
1990–91 | 11 | Thanet Wanderers | Medway | Met Police Hayes, Dover, Snowdown C.W. | ||||||||||
1991–92 | 11 | Erith | Gillingham Anchorians | No relegation[lower-alpha 2] | ||||||||||
1992–93 | 13 | Canterbury | Sevenoaks | Sittingbourne, Tonbridge | ||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Kent 1 (1993–1996)
The creation of National 5 South meant that Kent 1 dropped from a tier 8 league to a tier 9 league for the years that National 5 South was active. Promotion and relegation continued to London 3 South East and Kent 2 respectively.
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Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
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1993–94 | 13 | Park House | Sevenoaks | NatWest Bank, New Ash Green, Snowdown C.W. | ||||||||||
1994–95 | 13 | Sevenoaks | Tunbridge Wells | Thames Polytechnic, Betteshanger | ||||||||||
1995–96 | 13 | Tunbridge Wells | Gillingham Anchorians | Old Elthamians, Medway, Erith[lower-alpha 3] | ||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Kent 1 (1996–2000)
The cancellation of National 5 South at the end of the 1995–96 season meant that Kent 1 reverted back to being a tier 8 league. Promotion and relegation continued to London 3 South East and Kent 2 respectively.
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Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
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1996–97 | 12 | Cranbrook | Medway[lower-alpha 4] | No relegation[lower-alpha 5] | ||||||||||
1997–98 | 16 | Folkestone | Dartfordians | Deal Wanderers, Snowdown C.W. | ||||||||||
1998–99[2] | 17 | Dartfordians | Guys' Kings' & St Thomas' Hospital | Met Police Hayes, Sittingbourne | ||||||||||
1999–00[3] | 15 | Old Dunstonians | Betteshanger | Sheppey, HSBC, Ashford, Dover[lower-alpha 6] | ||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Kent 1 (2000–2009)
The introduction of London 4 South East ahead of the 2000–01 season meant Kent 1 dropped to become a tier 9 league with promotion to this new division. Relegation continued to Kent 2.
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Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
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2000–01[4] | 10 | Guys' Kings' & St Thomas' Hospital | Betteshanger | Old Elthamians | ||||||||||
2001–02[5] | 10 | Bromley | Whitstable | Brockleians, Medway, Park House | ||||||||||
2002–03[6] | 10 | Aylesford Bulls | Ashford | Erith, New Ash Green | ||||||||||
2003–04[7] | 10 | Lordswood | Old Elthamians | Askean | ||||||||||
2004–05[8] | 10 | Dover | Sittingbourne | Sheppey | ||||||||||
2005–06[9] | 10 | Beccehamian | Ashford | New Ash Green | ||||||||||
2006–07[10] | 10 | Whitstable | Park House | Brockleians, Sheppey, Cranbrook | ||||||||||
2007–08[11] | 10 | Park House | Old Gravesendians | No relegation[lower-alpha 7] | ||||||||||
2008–09[12] | 12 | Medway | Old Gravesendians | Askean | ||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Kent 1 (2009–present)
Kent 1 remained a tier 9 league despite national restructuring by the RFU. Promotion was to London 3 South East (formerly London 4 South East) and relegation to Kent 2.
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Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
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2009–10[13] | 12 | Dartfordians | Cranbrook | Guys' Kings' & St Thomas' Hospital, Erith | ||||||||||
2010–11[14] | 11 | Ashford | Sheppey | Lordswood | ||||||||||
2011–12[15] | 12 | Gillingham Anchorians | Vigo | New Ash Green | ||||||||||
2012–13[16] | 11 | Dartfordians | Beccehamian | Whitstable | ||||||||||
2013–14[17] | 12 | Park House | Hastings & Bexhill | Footscray, Shooters Hill | ||||||||||
2014–15[18] | 12 | Cranbrook | Sheppey | Bexley, Sittingbourne | ||||||||||
2015–16[19] | 12 | Sheppey | Old Williamsonians | Old Gravesendians, Lordswood | ||||||||||
2016–17[20] | 12 | Hastings & Bexhill | Old Williamsonians | Snowdown C.W., Brockleians | ||||||||||
2017–18[21] | 12 | Beccehamian | Vigo | Sittingbourne | ||||||||||
2018–19[22] | 11[lower-alpha 8] | Ashford | Gillingham Anchorians | Sheppey, Footscray | ||||||||||
2019–20[23] | 10 | Southwark Lancers | Cranbrook | Whitstable, Old Gravesendians | ||||||||||
2020–21 | ||||||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Promotion play-offs
Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of Kent 1 and Sussex 1 for the third and final promotion place to London 3 South East. The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the Kent 1 teams have been the most successful with fourteen wins to the Sussex 1 teams five; and the home team has won promotion on eleven occasions compared to the away teams eight.
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Season | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Attendance | |||||||||
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2000–01[24] | Hastings & Bexhill (S) | 12-29 | Betteshanger (K) | William Parker Lower School, Hastings, East Sussex | ||||||||||
2001–02[25] | Heathfield & Waldron (S) | 25-12 | Whitstable (K) | Hardy Roberts Recreational Ground, Cross In Hand, Heathfield, East Sussex | ||||||||||
2002–03[26] | Ashford (K) | 10-0 | Hastings & Bexhill (S) | Canterbury Road, Ashford, Kent | ||||||||||
2003–04[27] | Hastings & Bexhill (S) | 13-21 | Old Elthamians (K) | William Parker Lower School, Hastings, East Sussex | ||||||||||
2004–05[28] | Hastings & Bexhill (S) | 0-22 | Sittingbourne (K) | William Parker Lower School, Hastings, East Sussex | ||||||||||
2005–06[29] | Hastings & Bexhill (S) | 17-18 | Ashford (K) | William Parker Lower School, Hastings, East Sussex | ||||||||||
2006–07[30] | Horsham (S) | 33-7 | Park House (K) | Coolhurst Ground, Horsham, West Sussex | ||||||||||
2007–08[31] | Old Gravesendians (K) | 8-14 | East Grinstead (S) | Fleetway Sports Ground, Gravesend, Kent | ||||||||||
2008–09[32] | Old Gravesendians (K) | 10-5 | Uckfield (S) | Fleetway Sports Ground, Gravesend, Kent | 300 | |||||||||
2009–10[33] | Uckfield (S) | 19-21 | Cranbrook (K) | Hempstead Playing Fields, Uckfield, East Sussex | ||||||||||
2010–11[34] | Sheppey (K) | 42-10 | Burgess Hill (S) | Stupple Field, Minster, Kent | 500 | |||||||||
2011–12[35] | Vigo (K) | 10-7 | Burgess Hill (S)[lower-alpha 9] | Swanswood Field, Meopham, Kent | 400 | |||||||||
2012–13[36] | Eastbourne (S) | 0-47 | Beccehamian (K) | Park Avenue, Eastbourne, East Sussex | ||||||||||
2013–14[37] | Crawley (S) | 22-41 | Hastings & Bexhill (K) | Willoughby Fields Pavilion, Crawley, West Sussex | ||||||||||
2014–15[38] | Burgess Hill (S) | 26-23 | Sheppey (K) | Southway Recreation Ground, Burgess Hill, West Sussex | ||||||||||
2015–16[39] | Haywards Heath (S) | 13-8 | Old Williamsonians (K) | Whitemans Green, Cuckfield, West Sussex | ||||||||||
2016–17[40] | Old Williamsonians (K) | 20-17 | Uckfield (S) | Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School, Rochester, Kent | ||||||||||
2017–18[41] | Vigo (K) | 31-17 | Uckfield (S) | Swanswood Field, Meopham, Kent | ||||||||||
2018–19[42] | Gillingham Anchorians (K) | 23-21 | Crawley (S) | Darland Banks, Gillingham, Kent | ||||||||||
2019–20 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Best ranked runner up - Cranbrook (K) - promoted instead. | |||||||||||||
2020–21 | ||||||||||||||
Green background is the promoted team. K = Kent 1 and S = Sussex 1 | ||||||||||||||
Number of league titles
- Park House (4)
- Dartfordians (3)
- Ashford (2)
- Beccehamian (2)
- Cranbrook (2)
- Gillingham Anchorians (2)
- Aylesford Bulls (1)
- Bromley (1)
- Canterbury (1)
- Charlton Park (1)
- Dover (1)
- Erith (1)
- Folkestone (1)
- Guys' Kings' & St Thomas' Hospital (1)
- Hastings & Bexhill (1)
- Lordswood (1)
- Medway (1)
- Old Dunstonians (1)
- Sevenoaks (1)
- Sheppey (1)
- Southwark Lancers (1)
- Thanet Wanderers (1)
- Tunbridge Wells (1)
- Whitstable (1)
Notes
- Tonbridge would later merge with Old Juddian in 1999 to form Tonbridge Juddians RFC.
- No relegation as Kent 1 to increase from 11 to 13 teams.
- 11th place Erith would drop out of the leagues before the start of the following season.
- 3rd place Sheppey also promoted.
- No relegation as Kent 1 to increase from 12 to 16 teams.
- More relegations than normal due to league restructuring - Kent 2 would become a single division and Kent 3 and Kent 4 were created for the following season.
- No relegation due to Kent 3 folding at the end of the season and the subsequent league restructuring meant that the number of teams in Kent 1 would increase to 12 for the following season.
- Reduced from 12 to 11 teams after Royal Bank of Scotland withdrew from league.
- Despite finishing 3rd in the league Burgess Hill took 2nd placed East Grinstead II place in the 2011-12 promotion playoff as East Grinstead's first team were in the division above.
References
- "League Make up". Kent RFU. Archived from the original on 1 July 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
- "1998-1999 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "1999-2000 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "2000-2001 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "2001-2002 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "2002-2003 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "2003-2004 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "2004-2005 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "2005-2006 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "2006-2007 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "2007-2008 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "2008-2009 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "2009-2010 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "2010-2011 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "2011-2012 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "2012-2013 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "2013-2014 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- "2014-2015 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- "2015-2016 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- "2016-2017 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
- "2017-2018 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- "2018-2019 London & South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
- "Men's London & South East Level 8 and below leagues 2019–20" (PDF). England Rugby. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- "London & SE Division Play-Offs 2000-01". England Rugby. 19 May 2001.
- "London & SE Division Play-Offs 2001-02". England Rugby. 27 April 2002.
- "London & SE Division Play-Offs 2002-03". England Rugby. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
- "London & SE Division Play-Offs 2003-04". England Rugby. 24 April 2004.
- "London & SE Division Play-Offs 2004-05". England Rugby. 30 April 2005.
- "London & SE Division Play-Offs 2005-06". England Rugby. 29 April 2006.
- "London & SE Division Play-Offs 2006-07". England Rugby. 28 April 2007.
- "London & SE Division Play-Offs 2007-08". England Rugby. 27 April 2008.
- "Old Gravesendians 10-5 Uckfield". News Shopper. 28 April 2009.
- "Cranes in stunning fightback". This is Kent. 23 April 2010.
- "Sheppey 42 - 10 Burgess Hill". Sheppey RFC (Pitchero). 16 April 2011.
- "Vigo 10 - 7 Burgess Hill". Burgess Hill RFC (Pitchero). 28 April 2012.
- "What a finish to the season..." Beccehamian RFC (Pitchero). 27 April 2013.
- "Crawley Miss Out On Successive Promotions". Crawley RFC (Pitchero). 26 April 2014.
- "BHRFC 1 v Sheppey". Burgess Hill RFC (Pitchero). 25 April 2015.
- "Haywards Heath 13, Old Williamsonians 8: Heath gain promotion with home win after tense play-off". Mid Sussex Times. 2 May 2016.
- "London & SE Division Play-Offs 2016-17". England Rugby. 22 April 2017.
- "LONDON & SOUTH EAST DIVISION PLAY OFFS: VIGO 31 UCKFIELD 17". Vigo RFC (Pitchero). 21 April 2018.
- "Gillingham Anchorians v Crawley London & SE Division – Level 9 Play-off, 15:00 13th April 2019". Gillingham Anchorians RFC. 15 April 2019.