South Lancs/Cheshire 4
 | |
| 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, (2 titles) |
| Website | clubs.rfu.com |
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.
Original teams[]
When this league was introduced in 1996 it contained the following teams:
- - relegated from Lancashire South (9th)
- - relegated from Lancashire South (10th)
- - relegated from Cheshire (9th)
- - relegated from Cheshire (8th)
- [a] - 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.
| ||||||||||||||
| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 5 | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 1997–98 | 7 | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 1998–99[1] | 6 | Runcorn | No relegation | |||||||||||
| 1999–00[2] | 7 | Orrell Anvils[b] | , [c] | |||||||||||
| 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.
| ||||||||||||||
| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01[3] | 10 | Orrell Anvils | No relegation | |||||||||||
| 2001–02[4] | 10 | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 2002–03[5] | 10 | Manchester Wanderers | No relegation | |||||||||||
| 2003–04[6] | 10 | Sale FC | No relegation | |||||||||||
| 2004-05[7] | 10 | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 2005–06[8] | 12 | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 2006–07[9] | 12 | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 2007–08[10] | 10 | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 2008–09[11] | 10 | West Park Warriors[d] | [e] | No relegation | ||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
Number of league titles[]
- Orrell Anvils (2)
- (2)
- (1)
- (1)
- Manchester Wanderers (1)
- (1)
- (1)
- (1)
- Sale FC (1)
- (1)
- West Park Warriors (1)
Notes[]
- ^ Shell Stanlow are now known as .
- ^ Despite finishing as champions Orrell Anvils were not promoted due to the division increasing from 7 to 10 teams for the following season.
- ^ 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 would go up into South Lancs/Cheshire 3 along with , Ramsey, , , and due to this being the last season of South Lancs/Cheshire 4. would transfer to North Lancs 2 along with champions West Park Warriors while would drop out of the league altogether joining the North West Merit League Division 4 West.
See also[]
- Cheshire RFU
- Lancashire RFU
- English rugby union system
- Rugby union in England
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.
See also[]
- English Rugby Union Leagues
- English rugby union system
- Rugby union in England
- Rugby union leagues in England