London 2 South East Explained

London 2 South East
Current Season:	2019–20 London 2 South East
Sport:	Rugby union
Founded:	(as London 3 South East)
Teams:	12
Champion:	Haywards Heath (1st title)
Season:	2019–20) (promoted to London 1 South
Most Champs:	Tunbridge Wells
Count:	4
Website:	englandrugby.com

London 2 South East is an English level 7 Rugby Union League.^[1] When this division began in 1987 it was known as London 3 South East, changing to its current name ahead of the 2009–10 season. The division is made up of teams predominantly from south-east London, Kent, East Sussex and West Sussex. The twelve teams play home and away matches from September through to April. Each year all clubs in the division also take part in the RFU Intermediate Cup - a level 7 national competition.

Promoted teams move up to London 1 South with the league champions being promoted automatically and the runners up playing the runners up from London 2 South West, while demoted teams tend to move down to London 3 South East.

Teams for 2021–22

The teams competing in 2021-22 achieved their places in the league based on performances in 2019-20, the 'previous season' column in the table below refers to that season not 2020-21.

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Ashford	Kinney's Field			Promoted from London 3SE (champions)
Beccehamian	Sparrow's Den			9th
	Balmoral Avenue			Relegated from London 1 South (14th)
	Broad Walk			4th
Crowborough	Steel Cross			5th
Dartfordians	Bourne Road			Relegated from London 1 South (13th)
	The Drill Field			8th
Folkestone	New Burlington Ground			Promoted from London 3SE (runners-up)
Gravesend	Rectory Field			6th
	Dulwich Common			3rd
	Lee			2nd
	St Peter's Recreation Ground			10th

Season 2020–21

On 30 October the RFU announced^[2] that a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning London 2 South East was not contested.

Teams for 2019–20

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Beccehamian	Sparrow's Den			Promoted from London 3 SE (runners up)
	Broad Walk			3rd
Crowborough	Steel Cross			Promoted from London 3 SE (champions)
	The Drill Field			7th
Dover	Crabble Athletic Ground			9th
Gravesend	Rectory Field			6th
				4th
	Hove Recreation Ground			Relegated from London 1 South (14th)
	William Davey Memorial Ground			10th
	Dulwich Common			Level transfer from London 2 SW (4th)
	Lee			5th

Teams for 2018–19

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Aylesford Bulls	Jack Williams Ground			Promoted from London 3 SE (champions)
	Balmoral Avenue			6th
	Broad Walk			3rd
	The Drill Field			9th
Dover	Crabble Athletic Ground			5th
Gravesend	Rectory Field			Relegated from London 1 South (14th)
				7th
Heathfield & Waldron	Hardy Roberts Recreational Ground			10th
	Coolhurst Ground			5th
	William Davey Memorial Ground			Relegated from London 1 South (12th)
	Lee			Relegated from London 1 South (13th)
	St Peter's Recreation Ground			Promoted from London 3 SE (runners up)

Teams for 2017–18

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
	Goresbrook	1,000		Relegated from London 1 North (14th)
	Balmoral Avenue			5th
	Broad Walk			4th
Dartfordians	Bourne Road			3rd
	The Drill Field			8th
Dover	Crabble Athletic Ground			Relegated from London 1 South (13th)
				Promoted from London 3 South East (runners up)
Heathfield & Waldron	Hardy Roberts Recreational Ground			10th
	Coolhurst Ground			7th
	Hove Recreation Ground			6th
	Dulwich Common			9th
Pulborough	Freelands			Promoted from London 3 South East (champions)

Teams for 2016-2017

• Beckenham
• Bromley (promoted from London 3 South East)
• Charlton Park (relegated from London 1 South)
• Crowborough
• Dartfordians
• Deal & Betteshanger
• Heathfield & Waldron (promoted from London 3 South East)
• Horsham
  • Hove Medway (relegated from London 1 South)
• Old Alleynians
• Old Colfeians

Teams for 2015-2016

• Ashford
• Beckenham
• Crowborough
• Dartfordians (promoted from London 3 South East)
• Deal & Betteshanger
• Horsham (promoted from London 3 South East)
• Hove (relegated from London 1 South)
• Old Alleynians (transferred from London 2 South West)
• Old Colfeians
• Sevenoaks
• Thanet Wanderers
• Tunbridge Wells

Teams for 2014-2015

• Ashford (promoted from London 3 South East)
• Aylesford Bulls
• Beckenham (relegated from London 1 South)
• Crowborough
• Deal & Betteshanger
• Haywards Heath (relegated from London 1 South) withdrew from league prior to the season, now playing in Sussex 2
• Maidstone
• Medway
• Old Colfeians
• Sevenoaks
• Thanet Wanderers (promoted from London 3 South East)
• Tunbridge Wells

Teams for 2013-2014

• Aylesford Bulls
• Charlton Park
• Crowborough
• Deal & Betteshanger
• Heathfield & Waldron
• Lewes
• Maidstone (promoted from London 3 South East)
• Medway
• Old Colfeians (relegated from London 1 South)
• Sevenoaks
• Tunbridge Wells (promoted from London 3 South East)
• Warlingham

Teams for 2012-2013

• Aylesford Bulls
• Brighton Football Club
• Crowborough
• Charlton Park
• Deal & Betteshanger
• Heathfield & Waldron
• Lewes
• Medway
• Old Dunstonians
• Sevenoaks
• Thanet Wanderers
• Warlingham

Teams for 2011-2012

• Aylesford Bulls
• Brighton Football Club
• Charlton Park
• Deal & Betteshanger
• East Grinstead
• Heathfield & Waldron
• Lewes
• Old Dunstonians
• Old Mid-Whitgiftian
• Sevenoaks
• Tunbridge Wells
• Warlingham

Teams for 2010-2011

• Aylesford Bulls
• Brighton Football Club
• Deal & Betteshanger
• East Grinstead
• Lewes
• Maidstone
• Old Dunstonians
• Old Elthamians
• Old Mid-Whitgiftian
• Purley John Fisher
• Sevenoaks
• Warlingham

Teams for 2009-2010

• Bromley
• Deal & Betteshanger
• Eastbourne
• Hove
• KCS Old Boys
• Lewes
• Old Dunstonians
• Old Reigatian
• Purley John Fisher
• Sevenoaks
• Tonbridge Juddian
• Warlingham

Original teams

When league rugby began in 1987 this division (known as London 3 South East) contained the following teams:

• Beccehamian
• Beckenham
• Canterbury
• Crawley
• East Grinstead
• Gillingham Anchorians
• Horsham
• Old Colfeians
  • Old Dunstonians Tunbridge Wells
• Westcombe Park

London 2 South East Honours

London 3 South East (1987–1993)

Originally known as London 3 South East, this division was a tier 7 league with promotion up to London 2 South and relegation down to either Kent 1 or Sussex 1.

<											----> London 3 South East
Season	No of teams	Champions	Runners–up	Relegated Teams
1987–88	11	Tunbridge Wells
1988–89	11	Old Colfeians
1989–90	11	Westcombe Park
1990–91	11	Old Juddian
1991–92	11	Charlton Park
1992–93	13	Horsham
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

London 3 South East (1993–1996)

At the end of the 1992–93 season, the top six teams from London 1 and the top six from South West 1 were combined to create National 5 South. This meant that London 3 South East dropped from a tier 7 league to a tier 8 league for the years that National 5 South was active. Promotion continued to London 2 South, and relegation to either Kent 1 or Sussex 1.

<											----> London 3 South East
Season	No of teams	Champions	Runners–up	Relegated Teams
1993–94	13	Gravesend
1994–95	13	Old Brockleians
1995–96	13	Beckenham
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

London 3 South East (1996–2000)

The cancellation of National 5 South at the end of the 1995–96 season meant that London 3 South East reverted to being a tier 7 league. Promotion continued to London 2 South and relegation to either Kent 1 or Sussex 1.

<											----> London 3 South East
Season	No of teams	Champions	Runners–up	Relegated Teams
1996–97	13	Lewes		No relegation
1997–98	17	Canterbury
1998–99^[3]	16	Maidstone
1999–00^[4]	17	Brighton		Multiple teams
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

London 3 South East (2000–2009)

London 3 South East continued to be a tier 7 league with promotion up to London 2 South. However, the introduction of London 4 South East ahead of the 2000–01 season meant that clubs were now relegated into this new division instead of into Kent 1 or Sussex 1.

<											----> London 3 South East
Season	No of teams	Champions	Runners–up	Relegated Teams
2000–01^[5]	10	Tunbridge Wells
2001–02^[6]	10	Worthing
2002–03^[7]	10	Sidcup
2003–04^[8]	10	Dartfordians		No relegation
2004–05^[9]	12	Maidstone
2005–06^[10]	12	Tunbridge Wells		Brighton, Dartfordians
2006–07^[11]	12	Sidcup
2007–08^[12]	12	Gravesend
2008–09^[13]	12	Old Elthamians
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

London 2 South East (2009–present)

Nationwide league restructuring by the RFU ahead of the 2009–10 season saw London 3 South East renamed as London 2 South East. It remained at level 7 with promotion to London 1 South (formerly London 2 South) and relegation to London 3 South East (formerly London 4 South East).

<											----> London 2 South East
Season	No of teams	Champions	Runners–up	Relegated Teams
2009–10^[14]	12	Tonbridge Juddians
2010–11^[15]	12	Old Elthamians		Maidstone, Purley John Fisher
2011–12^[16]	12	East Grinstead
2012–13^[17]	12	Brighton		Thanet Wanderers, Old Dunstonians
2013–14^[18]	12	Charlton Park
2014–15^[19]	11	Maidstone
2015–16^[20]	12	Tunbridge Wells
2016–17^[21]	12	Medway
2017–18^[22]	12	Dartfordians		Barking, Pulborough
2018–19^[23]	12	Beckenham		Heathfield & Waldron, Aylesford Bulls
2019–20^[24]	12	Haywards Heath
2020–21	12
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

Promotion play-offs

Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of London 2 South East and London 2 South West for the third and final promotion place to London 1 South. The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the London 2 South West teams have been the most successful with ten wins to the London 2 South East teams nine, and the home team has won promotion on eleven occasions compared to the away teams eight.

<											----> London 2 (south-east v south-west) promotion play-off results
Season	Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Attendance
2000–01^[25]	Gosport & Fareham (SW)	27-14	Sidcup (SE)
2001–02^[26]	Sidcup (SE)	21-23	Cobham (SW)
2002–03^[27]	Barnes (SW)	41-3	Dartfordians (SE)
2003–04^[28]	Old Wimbledonians (SW)	3-24	Lewes (SE)
2004–05^[29]	Sevenoaks (SE)	33-12	Effingham & Leatherhead (SW)
2005–06^[30]	Purley John Fisher (SE)	15-23	London Irish Wild Geese (SW)
2006–07^[31]	Dorking (SW)	21-6	Purley John Fisher (SE)
2007–08^[32]	Purley John Fisher (SW)	19-25	Dover (SE)		400
2008–09^[33]	Aylesford Bulls (SE)	20-36	Wimbledon (SW)
2009–10^[34]	Hove (SE)	17-14	Guernsey (SW)
2010–11^[35]	Aylesford Bulls (SE)	14-28	Trojans (SW)
2011–12^[36]	Wimbledon (SW)	18-6	Charlton Park (SE)
2012–13^[37]	Charlton Park (SE)	12-15	Sutton & Epsom (SW)
2013–14^[38]	Gosport & Fareham (SW)	14-10	Maidstone (SE)
2014–15^[39]	Medway (SE)	29-12	London Cornish (SW)		600
2015–16^[40]	Sevenoaks (SE)	37-31	London Cornish (SW)		234
2016–17^[41]	Camberley (SW)	17-20	Old Colfeians (SE)
2017–18^[42]	Hove (SE)	17-16	Old Reigatian (SW)
2018–19^[43]	Horsham (SE)	44-17	Farnham (SW)		600
2019–20	Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Best ranked runner up - Farnham (SW) - promoted instead.
2020–21
Green background is the promoted team. SE = London 2 South East (formerly London 3 South East) and SW = London 2 South West (formerly London 3 South West)

Number of league titles

• Tunbridge Wells (4)
• Maidstone (3)
• Beckenham (2)
• Brighton (2)
• Charlton Park (2)
• Dartfordians (2)
• Gravesend (2)
• Old Elthamians (2)
• Tonbridge Juddians (2)
• Canterbury (1)
• East Grinstead (1)
• Haywards Heath (1)
• Horsham (1)
• Lewes (1)
• Medway (1)
• Old Brockleians (1)
• Old Colfeians (1)
• Sidcup (1)
• Westcombe Park (1)
• Worthing (1)

See also

• London & SE Division RFU
• Kent RFU
• Sussex RFU
• English rugby union system
• Rugby union in England

External links

• London 2 South East results at the Rugby Football Union

Notes and References

1. Web site: Sussex Rugby Union . League Make up . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100112130757/http://www.sussexrugby.co.uk/dyn/pages/competitions/league-results . 12 January 2010 .
2. Web site: RFU Cancels Adult Competitive Leagues for the 2020/21 Season . RFU . 2020-10-20 . 2020-11-09.
3. Web site: 1998–99 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
4. Web site: 1999–00 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
5. Web site: 2000–01 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
6. Web site: 2001–02 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
7. Web site: 2002–03 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
8. Web site: 2003–04 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
9. Web site: 2004–05 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
10. Web site: 2005–06 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
11. Web site: 2006–07 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
12. Web site: 2007–08 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
13. Web site: 2008–09 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
14. Web site: 2009–10 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
15. Web site: 2010–11 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
16. Web site: 2011–12 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
17. Web site: 2012–13 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
18. Web site: 2013–14 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
19. Web site: 2014–15 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
20. Web site: 2015–16 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
21. Web site: 2016–17 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 5 May 2017.
22. Web site: 2017–18 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 April 2018.
23. Web site: 2018-2019 London & South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 13 April 2019.
24. Web site: Men's level 5 - 7 leagues 2019–20. England Rugby. 25 April 2020.
25. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2000-01 . England Rugby . 12 May 2001.
26. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2001-02 . England Rugby . 19 May 2001.
27. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2002-03 . England Rugby . 6 May 2017.
28. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2003-04 . England Rugby . 24 April 2004.
29. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2004-05 . England Rugby . 30 April 2005.
30. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2005-06 . England Rugby . 29 April 2006.
31. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2005-06 . England Rugby . 28 April 2007.
32. Web site: PJF falter at Playoff stage . Purley John Fisher RFC (Pitchero) . 26 April 2008.
33. Web site: Aylesford Bulls 20 Wimbledon 36 . Richmond and Twickenham Times . 27 April 2009.
34. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2009-10 . England Rugby . 24 April 2010.
35. Web site: Trojans end season on a high . Eastleigh News . 31 May 2011 .
36. Web site: Wimbledon 18 - Charlton Park 6 . Everything Rugby . 23 April 2012 .
37. Web site: "It's time to set the wrongs right," says Sutton & Epsom skipper Matt Whitaker . Wimbledon Guardian . 24 April 2013 .
38. Web site: Gosport & Fareham 14-10 Maidstone . Kent Sports News . 26 April 2014 .
39. Web site: Medway End Cornish Dreams...For Now!. London Cornish RFC (Pitchero). 25 April 2015 .
40. Web site: Cornish Go Down All Guns Blazing!. London Cornish RFC (Pitchero). 30 April 2016 .
41. Web site: Cam unable to escape OCs Stranglehold. Camberley RFC (Pitchero). 22 April 2017 .
42. Web site: POINTS MAKE PRIZES; CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR AS OR 1ST XV GO DOWN VALIANTLY AT HOVE IN PROMOTION PLAY-OFF. OLD REIGATIAN RFC. 24 April 2018 .
43. Web site: Horsham put in a commanding performance to secure play-off promotion. Horsham Rugby Club (Pitchero). 13 April 2019 .