South Lancs/Cheshire 4
South Lancs/Cheshire 4 was a regional English rugby union league at the ninth tier of national competition for teams from the South Lancashire, Cheshire and Manchester area. Teams were promoted to South Lancs/Cheshire 3 and generally there was no relegation - although there was up until 2002 when South Lancs/Cheshire 5 was still active. Despite retaining healthy numbers of teams South Lancs/Cheshire 4 was abolished by the end of the 2008-09 season with most teams moving automatically up into South Lancs/Cheshire 3.
 | |
| Sport | Rugby Union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1996 |
| Ceased | 2009 |
| Number of teams | 7 |
| Country |  England |
| Holders | West Park Warriors (1st title) (2008–09) (transferred to North Lancs 2) |
| Most titles | Orrell Anvils, Prenton (2 titles) |
| Website | clubs.rfu.com |
Original teams
When this league was introduced in 1996 it contained the following teams:
- Halton - relegated from Lancashire South (9th)
- Hightown - relegated from Lancashire South (10th)
- Holmes Chapel - relegated from Cheshire (9th)
- Moore - relegated from Cheshire (8th)
- Shell Stanlow[lower-alpha 1] - relegated from Cheshire (7th)
South Lancs/Cheshire 4 honours
South Lancs/Cheshire 4 (1996-2000)
The original South Lancs/Cheshire 4 league was ranked at tier 13 of the league system. Promotion was to South Lancs/Cheshire 3 and, as it was the lowest level in the North-West region, there was no relegation until the creation of South Lancs/Cheshire 5 at the end of the 1999–00 season.
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| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 5 | Shell Stanlow | Halton | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 1997–98 | 7 | Moore | Vulcan | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 1998–99[1] | 6 | Halton | Runcorn | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 1999–00[2] | 7 | Orrell Anvils[lower-alpha 2] | Capenhurst | Lucas Merseyside, Mossley Hill[lower-alpha 3] | ||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
South Lancs/Cheshire 4 (2000-2009)
Northern league restructuring by the RFU at the end of the 1999-2000 season saw the cancellation of North West 1, North West 2 and North West 3 (tiers 7-9). This meant that South/Lancs Cheshire 4 became a tier 10 league. The creation of South Lancs/Cheshire 5 meant that there was briefly relegation into that division until it ceased at the end of the 2000–01 season. South Lancs/Cheshire 4 was itself cancelled at the end of the 2008–09 season with the majority of teams transferred into South Lancs/Cheshire 3.
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| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01[3] | 10 | Orrell Anvils | Bowdon | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2001–02[4] | 10 | Prenton | Liverpool Collegiate | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2002–03[5] | 10 | Manchester Wanderers | Halton | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2003–04[6] | 10 | Sale FC | Oswestry | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2004-05[7] | 10 | Mossley Hill | Oxton Parkonians | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2005–06[8] | 12 | Prenton | Trentham | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2006–07[9] | 12 | Eagle | Trentham | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2007–08[10] | 10 | Marple | Knutsford | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2008–09[11] | 10 | West Park Warriors[lower-alpha 4] | Linley[lower-alpha 5] | No relegation | ||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
Number of league titles
- Orrell Anvils (2)
- Prenton (2)
- Eagle (1)
- Halton (1)
- Manchester Wanderers (1)
- Marple (1)
- Moore (1)
- Mossley Hill (1)
- Sale FC (1)
- Shell Stanlow (1)
- West Park Warriors (1)
Notes
- Shell Stanlow are now known as Ellesmere Port RUFC.
- Despite finishing as champions Orrell Anvils were not promoted due to the division increasing from 7 to 10 teams for the following season.
- Mossley Hill were also relegated despite finishing 4th.
- Although champions due to the cancellation of South Lancs/Cheshire 4 at the end of the season, West Park Warriors instead transferred across to North Lancs 2.
- Runners up Linley would go up into South Lancs/Cheshire 3 along with Oxton Parkonians, Ramsey, Capenhurst, Port Sunlight, Congleton and Helsby due to this being the last season of South Lancs/Cheshire 4. Crosby St. Mary's would transfer to North Lancs 2 along with champions West Park Warriors while Merseyside Police would drop out of the league altogether joining the North West Merit League Division 4 West.
References
- "1998-99 Northern Division". England Rugby. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "1999-00 Northern Division". England Rugby. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "2000-01 Northern Division". England Rugby. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "2001-02 Northern Division". England Rugby. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "2002-03 Northern Division". England Rugby. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "2003-04 Northern Division". England Rugby. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "2004-05 Northern Division". England Rugby. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "2005-06 Northern Division". England Rugby. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "2006-07 Northern Division". England Rugby. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "2007-08 Northern Division". England Rugby. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "2008-09 Northern Division". England Rugby. Retrieved 30 April 2017.