Counties 3 Durham & Northumberland Explained

Counties 3 Durham & Northumberland
Current Season:	Participating clubs 2024-252024–25
Sport:	Rugby union
Formerly:	Durham/Northumberland 3
Inaugural:	1987–88
Teams:	11
Champion:	Durham University
Season:	2023–24
Most Champs:	Guisborough South Shields
Count:	4
Website:	England RFU
Promotion To:	Counties 2 Durham & Northumberland

Counties 3 Durham & Northumberland, previously known as Durham/Northumberland 3, is an English rugby union league at the ninth tier of the domestic competition and is currently the basement league of club rugby in North East England. Any club in the north east wishing to join the rugby union club hierarchy must begin at the bottom so all new teams from the north east start in this division - although until 2005-06 there was relegation to the now defunct Durham/Northumberland 4. The champions and runner-up are promoted to Counties 2 Durham & Northumberland.

Each season two teams from Durham/Northumberland 3 are picked to take part in the RFU Junior Vase (a national competition for clubs at levels 9-12) - one affiliated with the Durham County RFU, the other with the Northumberland RFU. Redcar won the league in 2020 with Seaham also promoted.

The division was split across two geographic areas (North & South) for the 2021–22 season as part of an RFU reorganisation of the Durham & Northumberland regional league. The experiment lasted just one season and the league was reunited in 2022-23.

Participating clubs 2024-25

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
				4th
Jarrovians	Community Centre			9th
	Newton Aycliffe Sports Club			8th
Prudhoe & Stocksfield	Stocksfield Sports Ground			11th
Seaham	Seaham Leisure Centre			Relegated from DN2 (12th)
Seaton Carew	Hornby Park			10th
	Welfare Park			5th
	Battle Hill Playing Field			3rd
Whitby	Recreation Ground			Relegated from DN2 (11th)
Winlaton Vulcans	Axwell View			6th
Yarm	Wass Way			7th

Participating clubs 2023-24

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Blyth	Plessey Road			6th
	Hollow Drift			New entry
				3rd
Jarrovians	Community Centre			8th
	Newton Aycliffe Sports Club			Re-entry
Prudhoe & Stocksfield	Stocksfield Sports Ground			7th
Seaton Carew	Hornby Park			4th
	Welfare Park			9th
	Battle Hill Playing Field			Relegated from DN2 (12th)
Winlaton Vulcans	Axwell View			Relegated from DN2 (11th)
Yarm	Wass Way			5th

Participating clubs 2022–23

Leaving the league were South Shields, Richmondshire and West Hartlepool T.D.S.O.B. who had withdrawn from the league in 2021-22, together with West End RFC (6th DN3N). Wallsend were promoted to DN2.

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Blyth	Plessey Road			3rd DN3N
				1st DN3S
				5th DN3N
Houghton	Dairy Lane			3rd DN3S
Jarrovians	Community Centre			7th DN3N
Prudhoe & Stocksfield	Stocksfield Sports Ground			4th DN3N
Seaton Carew	Hornby Park			4th DN3S
	Welfare Park			2nd DN3N
Yarm	Wass Way			2nd DN3S

Participating clubs 2021–22

Jarrovians rejoined the (North) league having withdrawn from DN3 in 2019–20.

Ahead of the new season Newton Aycliffe RUFC (5th in 2019-20) and West Hartlepool T.D.S.O.B. (9th in 2019-20) withdrew from DN3 (South).

In November 2021 South Shields withdrew, meaning the (North) league was completed with 7 teams in 2021–22.

In January 2022 Richmondshire RUFC (10th in 2019-20) also withdrew, meaning the (South) league was completed with 4 teams in 2021–22.

The teams competing in 2021–22 achieved their places in the league based on performances in 2019–20, the positions in brackets refer to that season not 2020–21.

North

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Blyth	Plessey Road			Relegated from DN2 (14th)
				Relegated from DN2 (12th)
Jarrovians	Community Centre			Re-entry
Prudhoe & Stocksfield	Stocksfield Sports Ground			8th
	Welfare Park			6th
	Battle Hill Playing Field			3rd
West End	Tower View			New entry

South

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
				New entry
Houghton	Dairy Lane			4th
Seaton Carew	Hornby Park			Relegated from DN2 (13th)
Yarm	Wass Way			7th

Season 2020–21

On 30 October 2020 the RFU announced ^[1] that due to the coronavirus pandemic a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning DN3 was not contested.

Participating clubs 2019–20

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Houghton	Dairy Lane			Relegated from DN2 (13th)
	Newton Aycliffe Sports Club			5th
Prudhoe & Stocksfield	Stocksfield Sports Ground			9th
	Mackinlay Park			Relegated from DN2 (12th)
Richmondshire	Theakston Lane			4th
Seaham	Seaham Leisure Centre			7th
	Welfare Park			8th
	Grosvenor Road			Relegated from DN2 (14th)
	Battle Hill Playing Field			10th
West Hartlepool T.D.S.O.B.	John Howard Park			6th
Yarm	Wass Way			3rd

Original teams

When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams:

• Billingham
• Chester-le-Street
• Darlington RA
• Guisborough
• Hartlepool TDSOB
• North Shields
• Seaton Carew
• Washington
• Wearside
• Whitby

Durham/Northumberland 3 Honours

Durham/Northumberland 3 (1987–1993)

The original Durham/Northumberland 3 was a tier 11 league with promotion up to Durham/Northumberland 2 and relegation down to Durham/Northumberland 4 until the end of the 1991–92 season when that division was cancelled.

<											----> Durham/Northumberland 3
Season	No of Teams	Champions	Runners–up	Relegated Teams
1987–88	10	Whitby
1988–89	10	Darlington Railway Athletic	North Shields	No relegation
1989–90	11	Barnard Castle	Seaton Carew	Prudhoe Hospital, Wearside
1990–91	11	Guisborough	West Hartlepool T.D.S.O.B.	Civil Service Durham
1991–92	11	Chester-le-Street		No relegation
1992–93	11	Newton Aycliffe	Hartlepool B.B.O.B.	No relegation
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

Durham/Northumberland 3 (1993–2000)

The creation of National 5 North for the 1993–94 season meant that Durham/Northumberland 3 dropped to being a tier 12 league. A further restructure at the end of the 1995–96 season saw Durham/Northumberland 3 remain at tier 12. The reintroduction of Durham/Northumberland 4, meant that relegation returned for the 1996–97 season.

<											----> Durham/Northumberland 3
Season	No of Teams	Champions	Runners–up	Relegated Teams
1993–94	10	Billingham	Richmondshire	No relegation
1994–95	10	Barnard Castle	Sedgefield	No relegation
1995–96	12	South Tyneside College	Seaton Carew	Multiple teams
1996–97	8	Billingham		Wearside
1997–98	9	Gosforth	Houghton	No relegation
1998–99^[2]	10	Wallsend	Richmondshire	Hartlepool B.B.O.B.
1999–00^[3]	9	Guisborough	Seaton Carew	Hartlepool Athletic, Seaham
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

Durham/Northumberland 3 (2000–present)

Northern league restructuring by the RFU at the end of the 1999–2000 season saw the cancellation of North East 1, North East 2 and North East 3 (tiers 7–9). This meant that Durham/Northumberland 3 became a tier 9 league. Relegation continued to Durham/Northumberland 4 until that division was abolished at the end of the 2005–06 season.

<											----> Durham/Northumberland 3
Season	No of Teams	Champions	Runners–up	Relegated Teams
2000–01^[4]	12	Guisborough	Barnard Castle	Durham Constabulary
2001–02^[5]	12	Novocastrians	Seaton Carew	Newton Aycliffe, Wensleydale
2002–03^[6]	12	Ponteland	Yarm	Wearside Samurai, Jarrovians
2003–04^[7]	12	Richmondshire	Whitby	West Hartlepool Amateurs, Hartlepool Athletic
2004–05^[8]	10	Sunderland
2005–06^[9]	10	Blyth	Yarm	No relegation
2006–07^[10]	13	Medicals	Barnard Castle	No relegation
2007–08^[11]	11	Hartlepool		No relegation
2008–09^[12]	11	Seaton Carew	Bishop Auckland	No relegation
2009–10^[13]	12	Guisborough	Prudhoe & Stocksfield	No relegation
2010–11^[14]	11	North Shields	Whitby	No relegation
2011–12^[15]	11	Prudhoe & Stocksfield	Seaham	No relegation
2012–13^[16]	12	Hartlepool B.B.O.B.	Whitby	No relegation
2013–14^[17]	12	South Tyneside College	Winlaton Vulcans	No relegation
2014–15^[18]	12	Whitby	Houghton	No relegation
2015–16^[19]	13	South Shields	Sedgefield	No relegation
2016–17^[20]	12	Newton Aycliffe	Richmondshire	No relegation
2017–18^[21]	12	South Shields	Houghton	No relegation
2018–19^[22]	10	Seaton Carew	Blyth	No relegation
2019–20^[23]	11	Redcar	Seaham	No relegation
2020–21	11
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

Number of league titles

• Guisborough (4)
• South Shields (4)
• Barnard Castle (2)
• Billingham (2)
• Newton Aycliffe (2)
• Seaton Carew (2)
• Whitby (2)
• Blyth (1)
• Chester-le-Street (1)
• Darlington Railway Athletic (1)
• Gosforth (1)
• Hartlepool (1)
• Hartlepool B.B.O.B. (1)
• Medicals (1)
• North Shields (1)
• Novocastrians (1)
• Ponteland (1)
• Prudhoe & Stocksfield (1)
• Redcar (1)
• Richmondshire (1)
• Sunderland (1)
• Wallsend (1)

See also

• Durham RFU
• Northumberland RFU
• English rugby union system
• Rugby union in England

Notes and References

1. Web site: RFU Cancels Adult Competitive Leagues for the 2020/21 Season . RFU . 2020-10-20 . 2020-11-09.
2. Web site: 1998-99 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
3. Web site: 1999-00 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
4. Web site: 2000-01 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
5. Web site: 2001-02 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
6. Web site: 2002-03 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
7. Web site: 2003-04 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
8. Web site: 2004-05 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
9. Web site: 2005-06 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
10. Web site: 2006-07 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
11. Web site: 2007-08 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
12. Web site: 2008-09 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
13. Web site: 2009-10 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
14. Web site: 2010-11 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
15. Web site: 2011-12 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
16. Web site: 2012-13 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
17. Web site: 2013-14 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
18. Web site: 2014-15 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
19. Web site: 2015-16 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
20. Web site: 2015-16 Northern Division. England Rugby. 30 April 2017.
21. Web site: 2017-18 Northern Division. England Rugby. 28 April 2018.
22. Web site: 2018-19 Northern Division. England Rugby. RFU. 13 April 2019.
23. Web site: Men's North Level 8 and below leagues 2019–20. England Rugby. 25 April 2020.