North 1 East was a sixth tier league in the English rugby union domestic competition, formed in 1987 using the name North Division 2, involving clubs from the north of the country. There was also a division known as North East 1 that began in 1987 for clubs based in the north-east but this was a seventh (later eighth) tier league. North Division 2 would later split into two regional divisions, known as North 1 East and North 1 West. North 1 East was made up of teams from around the North East and Yorkshire, playing home and away matches throughout a winter season.
The league champions were automatically promoted to the North Premier, whilst the second placed team entered into a play-off match with the second placed team in the equivalent Division North 1 West. The bottom three teams were relegated to either the Counties 1 Yorkshire or the Counties 1 Durham & Northumberland leagues, the seventh tier of the English domestic rugby union competition. Following the play-off game, depending on the result, a team from the division with fifteen teams was transferred to the division with thirteen teams to level up the number of teams in each division.
The league was discontinued in 2022 as part of the Rugby Football Union Adult Competition Review. The majority of the teams in North 1 East formed the new level six Regional 2 North East league, with the remainder moving to Regional 2 North.
Clubs 2021–22 Kendal finished 5th in N1E in 2019-20 but were level transferred to North 1 West for the current season to address an imbalance of teams.
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.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Bradford & Bingley Wagon Lane 4,000 Bingley, West Yorkshire 10th Cleckheaton Moorend Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire 2nd Consett Amethyst Park Consett, County Durham Promoted from Durham/Northumberland 1 (champions) Driffield Show Ground Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire 4th Durham City Hollow Drift 3,000 (500 seats) Durham, County Durham 11th Heath West Vale West Vale, Halifax, West Yorkshire Promoted from Yorkshire 1 (runners-up) Ilkley Stacks Field 2,000 (40 seats) Ilkley, West Yorkshire Relegated from North Premier (14th) Malton & Norton The Gannock Malton, North Yorkshire 9th Moortown Moss Valley Alwoodley, Leeds, West Yorkshire 3rd Morley Scatcherd Lane 6,000 (1,000 seats) Morley, West Yorkshire 6th Morpeth Grange House Field 1,000 Morpeth, Northumberland Relegated from North Premier (13th) Old Brodleians Woodhead Hipperholme, Halifax, West Yorkshire Promoted from Yorkshire 1 (champions) Pocklington Percy Road Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire 7th Scarborough Silver Royd 4500 (425 seats) Scalby, Scarborough, North Yorkshire 8th
2020–21 On 30 October 2020 the RFU announced that due to the coronavirus pandemic a decision had been taken to cancel all adult competitive leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season, meaning North 1 East was not contested.
2019–20
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Bradford & Bingley Wagon Lane 4,000 Bingley, West Yorkshire 7th Cleckheaton Moorend Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire 11th Driffield Show Ground Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire 8th Durham City Hollow Drift 3,000 (500 seats) Durham, County Durham Promoted from Durham/Northumberland 1 (champions) Huddersfield Y.M.C.A. Laund Hill 2,000 (1,000 seats) Huddersfield, West Yorkshire 4th Kendal Mint Bridge Stadium 3,500 (258 seats) Kendal, Cumbria Relegated from North Premier (12th) Malton & Norton The Gannock Malton, North Yorkshire 10th Moortown Moss Valley Alwoodley, Leeds, West Yorkshire Promoted from Yorkshire 1 (champions) Morley Scatcherd Lane 6,000 (1,000 seats) Morley, West Yorkshire 3rd Percy Park Preston Avenue North Shields, Tyne and Wear 5th Pocklington Percy Road Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire 9th Scarborough Silver Royd 4500 (425 seats) Scalby, Scarborough, North Yorkshire Runners up (lost playoff) West Hartlepool Brinkburn 2,000 (76 seats) Hartlepool, County Durham Promoted from Durham/Northumberland 1 (playoff) York Clifton Park York, North Yorkshire 1st Promoted to North Premier
Original When league rugby began in 1987 this was a single division containing the following teams from the north of England:
Alnwick Aspatria Bradford & Bingley Davenport Halifax Huddersfield Lymm Manchester New Brighton Sandal Wilmslow
Division honours
North Division 2 (1987–1993)
The original North Division 2 was a tier 6 league with promotion up to North Division 1 and relegation down to either North East 1 or North West 1.
North Division 2SeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated teams 1987–88 11 AspatriaHalifax Wilmslow, Manchester 1988–89 11 Bradford & Bingley Middlesbrough Davenport 1989–90 11 Rotherham Widnes No relegation 1990–91 11 Stockton Sandal New Brighton 1991–92 11 Wharfedale Lymm No relegation 1992–93 13 Manchester Huddersfield Sandbach Green backgrounds are promotion places.
North Division 2 (1993–1996)
The creation of National 5 North for the 1993–94 season, meant that North Division 2 dropped from being a tier 6 league to a tier 7 league for the years that National 5 North was active.
North Division 2SeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated teams 1993–94 13 York West Park Bramhope Carlise, Wigan, Lymm 1994–95 13 Macclesfield Bridlington Northwich 1995–96 13 New Brighton Sedgley Park Birkenhead Park, West Park St Helens, Old Crossleyeans, Hartlepool Rovers Green backgrounds are promotion places.
North Division 2 (1996–2000)
The cancellation of National 5 North at the end of the 1995–96 season meant that North Division 2 reverted to being a tier 6 league.
North Division 2SeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated teams 1996–97 12 Doncaster Middlesbrough Durham City 1997–98 12 Northern Blaydon Halifax 1998–99 12 Bradford & Bingley Driffield York, Percy Park 1999–00 12 Darlington Mowden Park Chester No relegation Green backgrounds are promotion places.
North 2 East
For the 2000–01 season, North Division 2 was split into two regional divisions - North 2 East and North 2 West. While promotion continued up into North Division 1, the cancellation of the North East 1, North East 2 and North East 3 meant that relegation was now to either Durham/Northumberland 1 or Yorkshire 1.
North 2 EastSeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated Teams 2000–01 12 Halifax Darlington York, West Park Leeds 2001–02 12 Cleckheaton Huddersfield Bridlington, Old Crossleyans, Northern 2002–03 12 Bradford & Bingley Sheffield Goole, Scarborough, Alnwick 2003-04 12 Hull Middlesbrough Northern, York, Bridlington 2004–05 12 Westoe Huddersfield Horden, Redcar, Malton & Norton 2005-06 12 Penrith Beverley Sandal, Stockton, Alnwick 2006–07 12 Middlesbrough Sheffield Tigers Horden, Percy Park, Sheffield 2007–08 12 West Hartlepool Durham City Aldwinians, York, Hartlepool Rovers 2008–09 12 Penrith Old Crossleyans Aspatria Green backgrounds are promotion places.
North 1 East
For the 2009–10 season the division would be renamed North 1 East as part of wholesale national restructure of the league system by the RFU leading to mass changes at all levels including in the north.
North 1 EastSeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated Teams 2009–10 14 Billingham Sandal Ilkley, Gateshead, Darlington 2010–11 14 West Hartlepool Percy Park Hartlepool Rovers, Driffield, Pontefract 2011–12 14 Billingham Percy Park Team Northumbria, Gateshead, Old Brodleians 2012–13 14 Beverley Morley Darlington, Durham City, Keighley 2013–14 14 Cleckheaton Huddersfield Y.M.C.A. Malton & Norton, Middlesbrough, Morpeth 2014–15 14 Ilkley Sheffield Horden, Old Crossleyans, Bradford and Bingley 2015–16 14 Doncaster Phoenix Morley Beverley, South Shields Westoe, Northern 2016–17 14 Pocklington Penrith Wheatley Hills, Guisborough, Durham City 2017–18 14 Alnwick Driffield Northern, West Hartlepool, Dinnington 2018–19 14 Morpeth Scarborough Consett, West Leeds, Bridlington 2019–20 14 York Cleckheaton Huddersfield Y.M.C.A., West Hartlepool, Percy Park 2020–21 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. 2021-22 14 Ilkley Heath No relegation Green background are the promotion places. Green backgrounds are promotion places.
Promotion play-offs Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of North 1 East and North 1 West for the third and final promotion place to North Premier. The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the North 1 East have been the most successful with thirteen wins to the North 1 West teams six; and the home team has won promotion on fifteen occasions compared to the away teams five.
North 1 East v North 1 West promotion play-off results Season Home team Score Away team Venue Attendance 2000–01 Darlington (E) 49-0 Aldwinians (W) Blackwell Meadows, Darlington, County Durham 2001–02 Huddersfield (E) 26-10 Vale of Lune (W) Lockwood Park, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire 2002–03 Sheffield (E) 32-15 Rochdale (W) Abbeydale Park, Dore, Sheffield, South Yorkshire 2003–04 Middlesbrough (E) 21-13 Caldy (W) Acklam Park, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire 2004–05 Huddersfield (E) 22-13 Stockport (W) Lockwood Park, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire 2005–06 Beverley (E) 21-16 Winnington Park (W) Beaver Park, Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire 2006–07 Sheffield Tigers (E) 50-10 Lymm (W) Dore Moor, Dore, Sheffield, South Yorkshire 2007–08 Durham City (E) 13-18 Stockport (W) Hollow Drift, Durham, County Durham 2008–09 Old Crossleyans (E) 25-31 Rossendale (W) Broomfield Avenue, Halifax, West Yorkshire 2009–10 Sandal (E) 30-22 Northwich (W) Milnthorpe Green, Sandal Magna, Wakefield, West Yorkshire 2010–11 Percy Park (E) 26-27 Burnage (W) Preston Avenue, North Shields, Tyne and Wear 1200 2011–12 Percy Park (E) 18-12 Liverpool St Helens (W) Preston Avenue, North Shields, Tyne and Wear 800 2012–13 Liverpool St Helens (W) 17-28 Morley (E) Moss Lane, St Helens, Merseyside 2013–14 Birkenhead Park (W) 19-29 Huddersfield Y.M.C.A. (E) Upper Park, Birkenhead, Merseyside 2014–15 Kirkby Lonsdale (W) 29-35 Sheffield (E) Underley Park, Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria 1,000 2015–16 Kirkby Lonsdale (W) 33-38 (aet) Morley (E) Underley Park, Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria 2016–17 Birkenhead Park (W) 29-21 Penrith (E) Upper Park, Birkenhead, Merseyside 2017–18 Driffield (E) 21-24 Wilmslow (W) Show Ground, Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire 2018–19 Blackburn (W) 17-7 Scarborough (E) Ramsgreave Drive, Blackburn, Lancashire 2019–20 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Best ranked runner up - Northwich (W) - promoted instead. 2020–21 Green background is the promoted team. E = North 1 East (formerly North 2 East) and W = North 1 West (formerly North 2 West)
Number of league titles
Bradford & Bingley (3) Billingham (2) Cleckheaton (2) Ilkley (2) Penrith (2) West Hartlepool (2) Alnwick (1) Aspatria (1) Beverley (1) Darlington Mowden Park (1) Doncaster (1) Doncaster Phoenix (1) Halifax (1) Hull (1) Macclesfield (1) Manchester (1) Middlesbrough (1) Morpeth (1) New Brighton (1) Northern (1) Pocklington (1) Rotherham (1) Stockton (1) Westoe (1) Wharfedale (1) York (1)
See also Durham RFU Northumberland RFU Yorkshire RFU English rugby union system Rugby union in England
Notes
References