| South Lancs/Cheshire 3 | |
| Current Season: | 2018–19 South Lancs/Cheshire 3 |
| Sport: | Rugby union |
| Teams: | 11 |
| Champion: | Aspull (1st title) |
| Season: | 2018–19) (Promoted to Lancs/Cheshire 2) |
| Most Champs: | Ellesmere Port, Hoylake |
| Count: | 2 |
| Website: | England RFU |
Lancs/Cheshire 3 (formerly South Lancs/Cheshire 3) was an English rugby union league. Promoted teams entered South Lancs/Cheshire 2, ranked at tier 9 of the English league system. This was the basement level for club rugby union for teams in the South Lancashire, Manchester and Cheshire areas and any team from this area wanting to begin in club rugby union had to join this league. Up until 2008–09 there was relegation with teams dropping down and coming up from South Lancs/Cheshire 4.
The division was initially known as North-West West 3 when it was created in 1987, and had a number of different names with South Lancs/Cheshire 3 being the longest running. The division had a break for the 2015-16 season as the RFU decided to restructure the South Lancs/Cheshire league into three zones - Merseyside (West), Cheshire (South) and Lancashire (North). This was short-lived and the division returned to its original format for the 2016–17 season - with only Lancashire (North) remaining of the three zones.
At the end of the 2016–17 season the RFU decided to break this division up into two regional leagues known as Lancs/Cheshire 3 (North) and Lancs/Cheshire 3 (South), with teams transferred into each league depending on geographical location. At the end of the 2018–19 season the division was cancelled.
| Team | Ground | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellesmere Port | Whitby Sports & Social Club | 3rd (league) | ||
| Liverpool University | Wyncote Sports Ground | 6th (league cup) | ||
| Mossley Hill | Mossley Hill Athletic Club | 8th (league) | ||
| Newton-le-Willows | Newton-le-Willows Sports Club | 1st (league cup) | ||
| Old Bedians | Millgate Lane | 7th (league) | ||
| Oldershaw | Belvidere Recreational Ground | Relegated from Lancs/Cheshire Division 2 (14th) | ||
| Oxton Parkonians | HM Curphey Memorial Ground | 9th (league) | ||
| Prenton | Prenton Dell Road | 2nd (league cup) | ||
| Mooragh Park | 4th (league) | |||
| Ruskin Drive Sports Ground | N/A | |||
| Port-E-Chee | Relegated from Lancs/Cheshire Division 2 (13th) | |||
| Team | Ground | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton-under-Lyne | Gambrel Bank | Transferred from Lancashire (North) (11th) | ||
| Bury | Radcliffe Road | Transferred from Lancashire (North) (10th) | ||
| Clitheroe | Littlemoor Road | Transferred from Raging Bull North West Leagues (2nd) | ||
| Eagle | Thornton Road | Transferred from South Lancs/Cheshire 2 (12th) | ||
| Garstang | Hudson Park | Transferred from Lancashire (North) (6th) | ||
| Tudor Lodge | Transferred from Lancashire (North) (9th) | |||
| Old Bedians | Millgate Lane | Transferred from South Lancs/Cheshire 3 (3rd) | ||
| Ormskirk | Green Lane | Transferred from Lancashire (North) (8th) | ||
| Team | Ground | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birchfield | Birchfield Road | Transferred from South Lancs/Cheshire 3 (9th) | ||
| Christleton | Christleton Sports Centre | Transferred from South Lancs/Cheshire 3 (7th) | ||
| Ellesmere Port | Whitby Sports & Social Club | Transferred from South Lancs/Cheshire 3 (6th) | ||
| Liverpool University | Wyncote Sports Ground | Transferred from South Lancs/Cheshire 3 (4th) | ||
| Mossley Hill | Mossley Hill Athletic Club | Transferred from South Lancs/Cheshire 3 (11th) | ||
| Newton-le-Willows | Newton-le-Willows Sports Club | Transferred from South Lancs/Cheshire 3 (10th) | ||
| Oxton Parkonians | HM Curphey Memorial Ground | Transferred from South Lancs/Cheshire 3 (8th) | ||
| Prenton | Prenton Dell Road | Transferred from South Lancs/Cheshire 3 (13th) | ||
| Mooragh Park | Transferred from South Lancs/Cheshire 3 (5th) | |||
| Wallasey | Cross Lane | Transferred from South Lancs/Cheshire 3 (12th) | ||
For the 2015-16 season this league, and South Lancs/Cheshire 3, were replaced by three county-wide leagues - Cheshire (South), Merseyside (West) and Lancashire (North). However, with the exception of Lancashire North, the county leagues were axed after just one season and the South Lancs/Cheshire leagues were restored.
When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams:
The original incarnation of South Lancs/Cheshire 3 was known as North-West West 3, and was a tier 11 league with promotion up to North-West West 2 and as the lowest ranked league in the region there was no relegation.
| < | ---->
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | |||||||||||
| 1987–88 | 10 | Halton | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 1988–89 | 12 | Hoylake | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 1989–90 | 9 | Vagabonds | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 1990–91 | 8 | St. Mary's Old Boys | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 1991–92 | 8 | Birchfield | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | |||||||||||||||
The division would be reintroduced for the 1996–97 season, this time with the name South Lancs/Cheshire 3 and at tier 12 of the league system. Promotion would be to South Lancs/Cheshire 2 (formerly North-West West 2) while relegation would be down to the newly formed South Lancs/Cheshire 4. From the 1998–99 season onward the league was known as EuroManx South Lancs/Cheshire 3 after its sponsor EuroManx.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | |||||||||||
| 1996–97 | 8 | Marple | Vulcan, Mossley Hill | ||||||||||||
| 1997–98 | 8 | Shell Stanlow | Halton, Hoylake | ||||||||||||
| 1998–99[1] | 8 | Moore | |||||||||||||
| 1999–00[2] | 8 | Runcorn | |||||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | |||||||||||||||
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 3 became a tier 9 league. The division would continue to be known as EuroManx South Lancs/Cheshire 1 until the 2007–08 season when EuroManx ceased operations. At the end of 2014–15 season South Lancs/Cheshire 2 and South Lancs/Cheshire 3 were discontinued and all teams were transferred into Cheshire (South), Lancashire (North) or Merseyside (West).
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | |||||||||||
| 2000–01[3] | 9 | Anselmians | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 2001–02[4] | 10 | Hoylake | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 2002–03[5] | 11 | Ruskin Park | |||||||||||||
| 2003-04[6] | 11 | Manchester Wanderers | |||||||||||||
| 2004–05[7] | 12 | Sale FC | |||||||||||||
| 2005–06[8] | 11 | Oswestry | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 2006–07[9] | 11 | Southport | |||||||||||||
| 2007–08[10] | 11 | Douglas | |||||||||||||
| 2008–09[11] | 12 | Oldershaw | |||||||||||||
| 2009–10[12] | 11 | Holmes Chapel | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 2010–11[13] | 12 | Crewe & Nantwich | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 2011–12[14] | 12 | Wallasey | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 2012–13[15] | 12 | Manchester Medics | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 2013–14[16] | 12 | Prenton | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 2014–15[17] | 11 | Ellesmere Port | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | |||||||||||||||
After just one season Cheshire (South) and Merseyside (West) were discontinued and South Lancs/Cheshire 2 and South Lancs/Cheshire 3 reinstated for the 2016–17 season with all clubs transferred back into these divisions.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | |||||||||||
| 2016–17[18] | 14 | Aspull | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | |||||||||||||||
A further restructure for the 2018–19 season saw South Lancs/Cheshire 3 renamed to Lancs/Cheshire 3. At the end of the 2018–19 the division was cancelled.
| < | ---->
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | |||||||||||
| 2017–18[19] | 9 | Garstang | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| 2018–19[20] | 11 | Ramsey | No relegation | ||||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | |||||||||||||||