Sussex 1 Explained

Sussex 1
Current Season:	2019–20 Sussex 1
Sport:	Rugby union
Teams:	9
Season:	2021–22)
Most Champs:	Uckfield RFC
Count:	5
Website:	englandrugby.com

Sussex 1 (known as Harvey's of Sussex 1 due to sponsorship reasons) is an English level 9 Rugby Union League.^[1] It is made up of teams predominantly from Sussex. Teams play home and away matches from September through to April. The league champions are automatically promoted up to London 3 South East, while the second placed team plays a promotion playoff against the second placed team from Kent 1. Relegated teams drop to Sussex 2 although in recent season there has been no relegation. Only 1st XV sides can be promoted into London 3 South East.

The system from 2017 to 2018 sees the eight team league play home and away games against each team in the league (14 games each) up until February when the league splits into two mini leagues of 4 teams (Sussex 1A and Sussex 1B) based on league ranking. Each team then a further 6 games against teams in their group (home and away) with the teams in the promotion group (1A) playing off for the title, and the teams in the relegation group (1B) playing to avoid the drop. Note that points from the first stage are carried into the second.

Each year some of the clubs in this division also take part in the RFU Junior Vase - a level 9-12 national competition.

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.

Barns Green finished 9th in 2019-20 and whilst not relegated, did not return for 2021-22 and instead have dropped to Sussex 2 West.

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
	Southway Recreation Ground			4th
	Saint Hill			2nd
Eastbourne	Park Avenue			3rd
Hellingly	Horsebridge Recreation Ground			5th
	Hove Recreation Ground			8th
	Stanley Turner Ground			7th
	Salts Recreation Ground			6th
Uckfield	Hempstead Playing Fields			Relegated from London 3 South East (10th)

Season 2020–21

On 30 October 2020 the RFU announced ^[2] 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 Sussex 1 was not contested.

Teams for 2019-20

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Barns Green	Barns Green Sports & Social Club			Promoted from Sussex 2 (runners up)
	Southway Recreation Ground			4th
	Willoughby Fields			Runners up (lost playoff)
	Saint Hill			5th
Eastbourne	Park Avenue			3rd
Hellingly	Horsebridge Recreation Ground			N/A
	Hove Recreation Ground			N/A
	Stanley Turner Ground			Relegated from London 3 South East (11th)
	Salts Recreation Ground			7th

Teams for 2018-19

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
	Southway Recreation Ground			4th
	Willoughby Fields			Relegated from London 3 SE (12th)
Ditchling	Ditchling Recreation Ground			7th
	Saint Hill			3rd
Eastbourne	Park Avenue			6th
Plumpton	Plumpton Racecourse			Promoted from Sussex 2 (champions)
	Salts Recreation Ground			5th
Uckfield	Hempstead Playing Fields			Runners up (lost playoff)

Teams for 2017-18

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Barns Green	Barns Green Sports & Social Club			Promoted from Sussex 2 (4th)
	Southway Recreation Ground			3rd
Ditchling	Ditchling Recreation Ground			Promoted from Sussex 2 (runners up)
	Saint Hill			Promoted from Sussex 2 (champions)
Eastbourne	Park Avenue			Relegated from London 3 South East (11th)
Hellingly	Horsebridge Recreation Ground			4th
	Salts Recreation Ground			5th
Uckfield	Hempstead Playing Fields			2nd (lost play-off)

Teams for 2016-17

• Bognor 2nd XV (promoted from Sussex Canterbury Jack Division 2)
• Brighton II
• Burgess Hill (relegated from London 3 South East)
• Crawley
• Hellingly
• Horsham II
  • Hove 2nd XV Seaford
• Shoreham (promoted from Sussex Canterbury Jack Division 2)
• Uckfield (relegated from London 3 South East)

Teams for 2015-16

• Brighton II
• Chichester III
• Crowborough II
• Crawley
• Haywards Heath
• Hellingly
• Horsham II
• Hove 2nd XV
• Lewes (relegated from London 3 South East)
• Midhurst
• Seaford
• Worthing Senior I

Teams for 2014-15

• Brighton II
• Burgess Hill (relegated from London 3 South East)
• Chichester III
• Crowborough II
• Crawley
• Eastbourne
• Hellingly
• Holbrook
• Hove 2nd XV
• Rye
• Seaford
• Worthing Senior I

Teams for 2012-13

• Brighton II
• Burgess Hill
• Chichester III
• Eastbourne
• Holbrook
• Haywards Heath II
• Hove III
• Lewes II
• Midhurst
• Newick
• Rye
• Seaford

Original teams

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

• Bognor
• Brighton
• Burgess Hill
• Chichester
• Crowborough
• Eastbourne
• Hastings & Bexhill
• Haywards Heath
• Hove
• Sussex Police

Sussex 1 honours

Sussex 1 (1987–1993)

The original Sussex 1 was a tier 8 league with promotion up to London 3 South East and relegation down to Sussex 2.

<											----> Sussex 1
Season	No of Teams	Champions	Runners–up	Relegated Teams
1987–88	11	Bognor
1988–89	11	Hove
1989–90	11	Chichester
1990–91	11	Hastings & Bexhill
1991–92	11	Brighton		No relegation
1992–93	12	Haywards Heath
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

Sussex 1 (1993–1996)

The creation of National 5 South meant that Sussex 1 dropped from a tier 9 league to a tier 10 league for the years that National 5 South was active. Promotion and relegation continued to London 3 South East and Sussex 2 respectively.

<											----> Sussex 1
Season	No of Teams	Champions	Runners–up	Relegated Teams
1993–94	12	Heathfield & Waldron
1994–95	13	Uckfield
1995–96	13	Bognor
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

Sussex 1 (1996–2000)

The cancellation of National 5 South at the end of the 1995–96 season meant that Sussex 1 reverted to being a tier 8 league. Promotion and relegation continued to London 3 South East and Sussex 2 respectively.

<											----> Sussex 1
Season	No of Teams	Champions	Runners–up	Relegated Teams
1996–97	13	Heathfield & Waldron		Burgess Hill
1997–98	9	Eastbourne
1998–99^[3]	9	Hove		Burgess Hill, Ditchling, Old Brightonian
1999–00^[4]	8	Bognor		No relegation
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

Sussex 1 (2000–2009)

The introduction of London 4 South East ahead of the 2000–01 season meant Sussex 1 dropped to become a tier 9 league with promotion to this new division. Relegation continued to Sussex 2 (briefly two regional divisions) until that league was abolished at the end of the 2003–04 season.

<											----> Sussex 1
Season	No of Teams	Champions	Runners–up	Relegated Teams
2000–01^[5]	10	Uckfield
2001–02^[6]	10	Chichester		St. Francis, Sussex Police
2002–03^[7]	9	Uckfield
2003–04^[8]	10	Hove
2004–05^[9]	8	Horsham		No relegation
2005–06^[10]	9	Crowborough
2006–07^[11]	10	Hastings & Bexhill		Plumpton
2007–08^[12]	9	Heathfield & Waldron
2008–09^[13]	11	Brighton		No relegation
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

Sussex 1 (2009–present)

Sussex 1 remained a tier 9 league despite national restructuring by the RFU. Promotion was to London 3 South East (formerly London 4 South East) and relegation was to Sussex Canterbury Jack Intermediate (Sussex 2) which was reintroduced for the 2010–11 season after an absence of six years.

<											----> Sussex 1
Season	No of Teams	Champions	Runners–up	Relegated Teams
2009–10^[14]	12	Crawley
2010–11^[15]	12	Uckfield
2011–12^[16]	10	Pulborough	East Grinstead II, Burgess Hill (3rd)
2012–13^[17]	12	Burgess Hill
2013–14^[18]	12	Pulborough
2014–15^[19]	12	Eastbourne
2015–16^[20]	12	Lewes		Crowborough II, Midhurst
2016–17^[21]	10	Crawley
2017–18^[22] ^[23]	8	Hellingly
2018–19^[24] ^[25]	8	Uckfield		No relegation
2019–20	9	Crawley		No relegation
2020–21
2021–22	8	East Grinstead
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

Promotion play-offs

Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of Kent 1 and Sussex 1 for the third and final promotion place to London 3 South East. The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the Kent 1 teams have been the most successful with fourteen wins to the Sussex 1 teams five; and the home team has won promotion on eleven occasions compared to the away teams eight.

<											----> Kent 1 v Sussex 1 promotion play-off results
Season	Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Attendance
2000–01^[26]	Hastings & Bexhill (S)	12-29	Betteshanger (K)
2001–02^[27]	Heathfield & Waldron (S)	25-12	Whitstable (K)
2002–03^[28]	Ashford (K)	10-0	Hastings & Bexhill (S)
2003–04^[29]	Hastings & Bexhill (S)	13-21	Old Elthamians (K)
2004–05^[30]	Hastings & Bexhill (S)	0-22	Sittingbourne (K)
2005–06^[31]	Hastings & Bexhill (S)	17-18	Ashford (K)
2006–07^[32]	Horsham (S)	33-7	Park House (K)
2007–08^[33]	Old Gravesendians (K)	8-14	East Grinstead (S)
2008–09^[34]	Old Gravesendians (K)	10-5	Uckfield (S)		300
2009–10^[35]	Uckfield (S)	19-21	Cranbrook (K)
2010–11^[36]	Sheppey (K)	42-10	Burgess Hill (S)		500
2011–12^[37]	Vigo (K)	10-7	Burgess Hill (S)		400
2012–13^[38]	Eastbourne (S)	0-47	Beccehamian (K)
2013–14^[39]	Crawley (S)	22-41	Hastings & Bexhill (K)
2014–15^[40]	Burgess Hill (S)	26-23	Sheppey (K)
2015–16^[41]	Haywards Heath (S)	13-8	Old Williamsonians (K)
2016–17^[42]	Old Williamsonians (K)	20-17	Uckfield (S)
2017–18^[43]	Vigo (K)	31-17	Uckfield (S)
2018–19^[44]	Gillingham Anchorians (K)	23-21	Crawley (S)
2019–20	Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Best ranked runner up - Cranbrook (K) - promoted instead.
2020–21
Green background is the promoted team. K = Shepherd Neame Kent 1 and S = Sussex 1

Number of league titles

• Uckfield (5)
• Bognor (3)
• Crawley (3)
• Heathfield & Waldron (3)
• Hove (3)
• Brighton (2)
• Chichester (2)
• Eastbourne (2)
• Hastings & Bexhill (2)
• Pulborough (2)
• Burgess Hill (1)
• Crowborough (1)
• Haywards Heath (1)
• Hellingly (1)
• Horsham (1)
• Lewes (1)

See also

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

External links

• Sussex Rugby Football Union

Notes and References

1. Web site: 17 February 2010. Sussex Rugby Union. League Make up. https://web.archive.org/web/20100112130757/http://www.sussexrugby.co.uk/dyn/pages/competitions/league-results. 12 January 2010. dead. dmy-all.
2. Web site: RFU Cancels Adult Competitive Leagues for the 2020/21 Season . RFU . 2020-10-20 . 2020-11-09.
3. Web site: 1998-1999 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
4. Web site: 1999-2000 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
5. Web site: 2000-2001 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
6. Web site: 1998-1999 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
7. Web site: 2002-2003 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
8. Web site: 2003-2004 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
9. Web site: 2004-2005 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
10. Web site: 2005-2006 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
11. Web site: 2006-2007 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
12. Web site: 2007-2008 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
13. Web site: 2008-2009 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
14. Web site: 2009-2010 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
15. Web site: 2010-2011 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
16. Web site: 2011-2012 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
17. Web site: 2012-2013 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
18. Web site: 2013-2014 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 February 2015.
19. Web site: 1998-1999 London South East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 3 May 2015.
20. Web site: 2015-2016 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 25 April 2016.
21. Web site: 2016-2017 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 22 April 2017.
22. Web site: 2017-2018 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 April 2018.
23. Web site: 2017-2018 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 21 April 2018.
24. Web site: 2018-2019 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 19 January 2019.
25. Web site: 2018-2019 London South-East Division. England Rugby. RFU . 13 April 2019.
26. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2000-01 . England Rugby . 19 May 2001.
27. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2001-02 . England Rugby . 27 April 2002.
28. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2002-03 . England Rugby . 6 May 2017.
29. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2003-04 . England Rugby . 24 April 2004.
30. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2004-05 . England Rugby . 30 April 2005.
31. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2005-06 . England Rugby . 29 April 2006.
32. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2006-07 . England Rugby . 28 April 2007.
33. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2007-08 . England Rugby . 27 April 2008.
34. Web site: Old Gravesendians 10-5 Uckfield . News Shopper . 28 April 2009.
35. Web site: Cranes in stunning fightback . This is Kent . 23 April 2010.
36. Web site: Sheppey 42 - 10 Burgess Hill . Sheppey RFC (Pitchero) . 16 April 2011.
37. Web site: Vigo 10 - 7 Burgess Hill . Burgess Hill RFC (Pitchero) . 28 April 2012.
38. Web site: What a finish to the season.... . Beccehamian RFC (Pitchero) . 27 April 2013.
39. Web site: Crawley Miss Out On Successive Promotions. Crawley RFC (Pitchero) . 26 April 2014.
40. Web site: BHRFC 1 v Sheppey . Burgess Hill RFC (Pitchero) . 25 April 2015.
41. Web site: Haywards Heath 13, Old Williamsonians 8: Heath gain promotion with home win after tense play-off . Mid Sussex Times . 2 May 2016.
42. Web site: London & SE Division Play-Offs 2016-17 . England Rugby . 22 April 2017.
43. Web site: LONDON & SOUTH EAST DIVISION PLAY OFFS: VIGO 31 UCKFIELD 17. Vigo RFC (Pitchero). 21 April 2018.
44. Web site: Gillingham Anchorians v Crawley London & SE Division – Level 9 Play-off, 15:00 13th April 2019. Gillingham Anchorians RFC. 15 April 2019.