Durham County RFU Senior Cup explained

Durham County RFU Senior Cup
Sport:	Rugby Union
Teams:	4
Champion:	Durham City (20th title)
Season:	2023-24
Most Champs:	Hartlepool Rovers
Count:	45
Website:	Durham County RFU

The Durham County RFU Senior Cup is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the Durham County Rugby Football Union. It was first introduced during the 1880-81 season, with the inaugural winners being Sunderland Rovers (a forerunner to Sunderland RFC) who defeated Houghton 3 tries to 0 in the final.^[1]

During the 1880s the competition used the archaic rugby union points systems of games being scored by goals, which were seen as more important than tries back then. It was only if both teams had not scored any goals, that tries would then be used to determine games, with the highest number winning. By the 1890s this system was changed to one which we are more familiar with today, using tries, conversions, drop goals (and later penalties).^[2] Today, the Durham Senior Cup remains the most important rugby union cup competition for club sides in County Durham, ahead of the Intermediate Cup, Junior Cup and Plate competitions.

The Senior Cup is currently open to club sides based in County Durham and occasionally, Tyne and Wear, who play between tier 3 (National League 1) and tier 5 (North Premier) of the English rugby union league system, although higher ranked clubs tend to field reserve sides due to the demands of league rugby. The current format is a knockout cup with a semi-finals and a final to be held at the ground of one of the finalists.^[3] Previously the cup final was held at a pre-determined venue but this has changed in recent seasons.

Durham County RFU Senior Cup winners

<					----> Durham County RFU Senior Cup Finals
Season	Winner	Score	Runners–up	Venue
1880-81	Sunderland Rovers	0(3)-0(0)	Houghton	The Blue House Field, Sunderland^[4]
1881-82	Houghton	0(1)-0(0)	Westoe
1882-83	North Durham	1(1)-0(0)	Ryton
1883-84		0(2)-0(1)	North Durham
1884-85		1(4)-0(0)	Sunderland Rovers
1885-86	No competition
1886-87		2(3)-0(0)	Humbledon
1887-88		1(0)-0(0)
1888-89		1(3)-0(0)
1889-90		6(2)-1(0)	Hartlepool Rangers
1890-91		2(1)-0(2)	Houghton
1891-92	Tudhoe	2-0
1892-93	Tudhoe	W-O
1893-94		15-3	Tudhoe
1894-95		3-0		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1895-96		7-0
1896-97		12-0	Sunderland
1897-98	Tudhoe	6-0
1898-99	Tudhoe	9-0		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1899-1900		6-3	Tudhoe
1900-01		6-0		Brewery Field, Spennymoor
1901-02		12-0		Hollow Drift, Durham
1902-03	Sunderland	8-5
1903-04		9-3	Sunderland
1904-05		19-4		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1905-06		21-5		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1906-07		8-0		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1907-08		8-0
1908-09		9-0		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1909-10		3-0		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1910-11		25-3		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1911-12		9-3		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1912-13		11-0	North Durham	Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1913-14		9-0	Winlaton Vulcans
1915-19	No competition due to World War I
1919-20		19-8	North Durham
1920-21		9-6
1921-22		21-8
1922-23		23-13	Ryton
1923-24		15-7	Ryton
1924-25		43-5	Winlaton Vulcans
1925-26		6-5		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1926-27	Ryton	10-5	Sunderland	Eastwood Gardens, Gateshead^[5]
1927-28	Sunderland	17-8
1928-29		9-3		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1929-30		11-3	North Durham	Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1930-31	Sunderland	14-9		Crow Trees, Swalwell
1931-32		22-3		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1932-33		13-5		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1933-34		13-3		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1934-35		8-6		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1935-36		10-3		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1936-37		7-0		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1937-38	North Durham	4-3		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1938-39		6-5		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1939-45	No competition due to World War II
1946-47		16-8
1947-48		14-0	Sunderland
1948-49		11-0
1949-50		6-0	Sunderland
1950-51		8-0
1951-52		11-6
1952-53		11-9
1953-54		5-3
1954-55		8-3
1955-56		8-0	Gateshead Fell
1956-57		9-3
1957-58		9-5
1958-59	Sunderland	6-3
1959-60		22-9
1960-61		28-6
1961-62		9-0
1962-63		9-3		New Friarage, Hartlepool
1963-64		20-6		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1964-65		17-0		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1965-66		8-0		Ashbrooke, Sunderland
1966-67		17-9
1967-68		17-10
1968-69		17-9
1969-70		19-6
1970-71		14-3
1971-72		4-0
1972-73		14-0
1973-74		13-4
1974-75		3-0
1975-76		23-8
1976-77		38-6
1977-78		16-6
1978-79		11-6
1979-80		4-3
1980-81		15-6
1981-82		12-10
1982-83		32-12
1983-84		16-13
1984-85		35-6
1985-86		33-6	Gateshead Fell
1986-87		15-12
1987-88		18-9
1988-89		19-6
1989-90		13-6
1990-91		10-7	Gateshead Fell
1991-92		7-0
1992-93		24-13
1993-94		16-14
1994-95		19-0
1995-96		22-3
1996-97		50-11	Sunderland
1997-98		23-10	West Hartlepool T.D.S.O.B.	New Friarage, Hartlepool
1998-99		37-15
1999-2000		26-9
2000-01		33-19
2001-02		34-22
2002-03		48-16
2003-04^[6]		28-20		Hollow Drift, Durham
2004-05		48-16
2005-06		W-O		Main Road, Ryton
2006-07		52-15
2007-08		36-33
2008-09	No competition
2009-10		N/A
2010-11	Competition not completed
2011-12	Competition not completed
2012-13		W-O
2013-14^[7]		42-22		Hollow Drift, Durham
2014-15^[8]		20-3		Hollow Drift, Durham
2015-16^[9]		65-10		Greenwood Road, Billingham
2016-17^[10]		64-5
2017-23	Competition suspended
2023-24	Durham City	32-10	Consett	Consett

^{[11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]}

Number of wins

• Hartlepool Rovers (45)
• Durham City (19)
• West Hartlepool (15)
• Westoe (8)
• Darlington Mowden Park (7)
• Blaydon (5)
• Stockton (5)
• Sunderland (5)
• Tudhoe (4)
• Darlington (3)
• North Durham (2)
• Billingham (1)
• Houghton (1)
• Ryton (1)

See also

• Durham County RFU
• Intermediate Cup
• Junior Cup
• Plate
• English rugby union system
• Rugby union in England

External links

• Durham County RFU

Notes and References

1. Web site: 1111 - the Senior Cup : History and Records. HHTandN. 8 February 2019 .
2. Web site: Goals, Tries, Minor Points and Rouges. Rugby Data. 26 February 2018 .
3. Web site: Senior County Cup 2018 /2019 Season. Durham County RFU. 8 February 2018 .
4. Web site: Beginnings. Sunderland AFC. 8 February 2018 .
5. Book: One Among Many: The story of Sunderland Rugby Football Club RFC. 28 September 2011. Keith Gregson. 9781907685187. 9 February 2019 .
6. Web site: Blaydon enjoy a Hollow victory. Chronicle Live. 27 April 2004 .
7. Web site: Westoe RFC lose to Billingham in cup final. SportsByte Sunderland. 9 May 2014 .
8. Web site: Durham County Cup win completes family circle for West Hartlepool's Iain Dixon. Chronicle Live. 3 May 2015 .
9. Web site: Mowden romp to cup win. The Northern Echo. 30 April 2016 .
10. Web site: Mowden Park 64-5 West Hartlepool. Darlington Mowden Park RFC (Pitchero). 17 May 2017 .
11. Web site: The Senior Cup Winners & Runners Up 1880 to 1891. HHTandN. 8 February 2019 .
12. Web site: The Senior Cup Winners & Runners Up 1891 to 1920. HHTandN. 8 February 2019 .
13. Web site: The Senior Cup Winners & Runners Up 1920 to 1950. HHTandN. 8 February 2019 .
14. Web site: The Senior Cup Winners & Runners Up 1950 to 1980. HHTandN. 8 February 2019 .
15. Web site: The Senior Cup Winners & Runners Up 1980 to 2010. HHTandN. 8 February 2019 .
16. Web site: The Senior Cup Winners & Runners Up 2010 to current. HHTandN. 8 February 2019 .