2015 Bill Beaumont Cup

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 2014 County Championship Plate – Kent (winners) and Durham County (runners-up) who replaced North Midlands and Northumberland.[1][2][3][4] Lancashire were the defending champions.[5]

For the second tier of the English Counties competition, see 2015 County Championship Plate. For the third tier of the English Counties competition, see 2015 County Championship Shield.
2015 Bill Beaumont Cup (County Championship)
Countries England
Date9 May 2015 - 31 May 2015
ChampionsCornwall (4th title)
Runners-upLancashire
RelegatedKent, Durham County
Matches played13
Attendance9,803
(average 754 per match)
Highest attendance2,800 Cornwall v Hertfordshire (23 May 2015)
Lowest attendance250 Cheshire v Lancashire (9 May 2015)
Top point scorer Matthew Shepherd
Cornwall 64
Top try scorer Forbes Edwards
Cheshire 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 seventh 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 County and Kent made an instant return to the 2016 County Championship Plate after being relegated by coming bottom of their respective groups.[6][7] 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 an 18 - 13 victory. Cornish All Black scrum half Matthew Shepherd was man of the match with two tries and also finished as the competition's top scorer.[8]

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 31 May 2015.[9] 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)
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 2,000 Chester, Cheshire
Cornwall Recreation Ground 3,500 (580 seats) Redruth, Cornwall
Durham County Crow Trees
The Darlington Arena		 2,000
25,000		 Swalwell, Tyne and Wear
Darlington, County Durham
Gloucestershire Dockham Road
The Hayfields		 2,500
N/A		 Cinderford, Gloucestershire
Mangotsfield, Gloucestershire
Hertfordshire Highfields N/A Ware, Hertfordshire
Kent Merton Lane
Rectory Field		 1,075 (75 seats)
N/A		 Canterbury, Kent
Gravesend, Kent
Lancashire Woodlands Memorial Ground 9,000 Lytham St Annes, Lancashire
Yorkshire Lockwood Park
Castle Park		 1,500 (500 seats)
5,000 (1,650 seats)		 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
1Lancashire (Q)33006724291013
2Cheshire32019580151110
3Yorkshire310266660116
4Durham County (R)300358102–44101
  • 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 County
Report
Lockwood Park, Huddersfield
Attendance: 446
Referee: Ben Davis

[10][11]

Round 2
16 May 2015
15:00
Durham County 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

[12][11]

Round 3
23 May 2015
15:00
(BP) Durham County 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

[13][11]

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
1Cornwall (Q)33007442321013
2Hertfordshire32018669172111
3Gloucestershire31025375–22004
4Kent (R)30034673–27011
  • 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

[10][11]

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

[12][11]

Round 3
23 May 2015
15:00
Cornwall 25 – 18 Hertfordshire (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

[13][11]

Final
31 May 2015
12:00
Cornwall 18 - 13 (HT 10-6) Lancashire
Try: Shepherd (2)
Con: Shepherd
Pen: Shepherd, Searle
 Report Try: Stewart
Con: Johnson
Pen: Collins, Johnson
Twickenham Stadium, London
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: James Sullivan


15Billy SearleCornish All Blacks
14Jon DaweCornish All Blacks
13Jake MurphyCornish All Blacks
12Nielson WebberRedruth
11Robin WedlakeRedruth
10Lewis WebbTaunton
9Matthew ShepherdCornish All Blacks
1Rupert FreestoneClifton
2Jamie SalterCornish All Blacks
3Craig WilliamsRedruth
4Tony WhittleCamborne
5Ben HiltonCornish All Blacks
6Chris FucaRedruth
7George JonesPenryn
8Kyle Marriott (capt)Redruth
Replacements:
16Christian JudgeCornish All Blacks
17Damien CookRedruth
18Tommy PhillipsRedruth
19James GoldsworthyCamborne
20David MankeeCamborne
22Sam ParsonsRedruth
23Barrie-John ChapmanCornish All Blacks
15Warren SpraggFylde
14Jordan DorringtonFylde
13Chris BriersFylde
12Scott RawlingsFylde
11Anthony BinghamRossendale
10Steve CollinsSedgley Park
9Ryan De La HarpeFylde
1Ben BlackSedgley Park
2Alex LoneyFylde
3Adam LewisFylde
4Jonathan NugentBergerac
5Gareth RawlingsFylde
6Evan Stewart (capt)Fylde
7Steven McGinnisLoughborough Students
8Matthew LampreySedgley Park
Replacements:
16Louis McGowanCaldy
17Peter AlthamPreston Grasshoppers
18Philip MillsPreston Grasshoppers
19Paul ArnoldFylde
20Chris JohnsonFylde
21Oliver BrennandFylde
22Niall CrossleyHartpury College

[11]

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
Cheshire125025025025013%
Cornwall12,8002,8002,8002,80080%
Durham County27003503803209%
Gloucestershire288744456232522%
Hertfordshire1620620620620
Kent285042560025023%
Lancashire11,2001,2001,2001,20013%
Yorkshire299649855044620%

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.

See also

References
  1. "Stradwick leads Kent to county title". Kent RFU. 1 June 2014. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  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. "Cornwall fall short in County Championship final at Twickenham". Western Morning News. 1 June 2014. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  6. "RUGBY: Gloucestershire survive relegation with vital win over Kent". Gazette. 26 May 2015.
  7. "Counties beaten as Durham relegated and Northumberland miss out". Chronicle Live. 24 May 2015.
  8. "Cornwall win County Championship with superb win over Lancashire". West Briton. 31 May 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-06-02. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  9. "ENGLAND V BARBARIANS SUNDAY 31 MAY 2015 K.O. 3pm". Tunbridge Wells RFC. 21 January 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  10. "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (347). Rugby Paper Ltd. 10 May 2015. pp. 32–33 & 36.
  11. "County Championships Results: 2014-15". englandrugby.com. 31 May 2015.
  12. "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (348). Rugby Paper Ltd. 17 May 2015. pp. 28–30.
  13. "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (349). Rugby Paper Ltd. 24 May 2015. pp. 24–26.
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