Berks, Bucks and Oxon Championship was a division at level 9 of the English rugby union system featuring teams from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Promoted teams moved up to the Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier and there was no relegation. Each year three teams (one each from the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire unions) were picked to take part in the RFU Junior Vase (a national cup competition for clubs at levels 9–12).
Originally the league was set up as Bucks & Oxon 2 and then Berks/Bucks & Oxon 2 before being disbanded in 2003–04 as the league was restructured to cater for the joining of many second, third and fourth teams and was split into regional divisions. The league returned in 2011–12 to contain only first teams (along with Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier) while the second, third and fourth teams were transferred to newly created regional leagues with Berks/Bucks & Oxon 1 at the pinnacle and no possibility of promotion to the championship or the league system above it.
At the end of the 2018–19 the league was discontinued. Teams that were not promoted into the Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier were transferred into regional Berks/Bucks & Oxon leagues.
Teams 2019–20
TeamGroundCapacityTown/VillagePrevious season Aldermaston AWE Recreation Society Aldermaston, Berkshire 3rd Berkshire Shire Hall Berkshire County Sports Club Sonning, Reading, Berkshire 6th Bletchley Manor Fields Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire Relegated from BBO Premier (10th) Faringdon Folly Sports Park Faringdon, Oxfordshire 5th Harwell AEA Sports Ground Harwell, Oxfordshire 7th Phoenix The Sports Ground Taplow, Buckinghamshire 4th Risborough Princes Risborough School Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire Relegated from BBO Premier (11th)
Teams 2018–19
TeamGroundCapacityTown/VillagePrevious season Abingdon Southern Sports Park Abingdon, Oxfordshire Relegated from Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier (10th) Aldermaston AWE Recreation Society Aldermaston, Berkshire 3rd Berkshire Shire Hall Berkshire County Sports Club Sonning, Reading, Berkshire 6th Chipping Norton Greystones Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire 4th Faringdon Folly Sports Park Faringdon, Oxfordshire 8th Harwell AEA Sports Ground Harwell, Oxfordshire 7th Phoenix The Sports Ground Taplow, Buckinghamshire 5th
Teams 2017–18
TeamGroundCapacityTown/VillagePrevious season Aldermaston AWE Recreation Society Aldermaston, Berkshire 8th Berkshire Shire Hall Berkshire County Sports Club Sonning, Reading, Berkshire 3rd Chipping Norton Greystones Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire 4th Faringdon Folly Sports Park Faringdon, Oxfordshire 7th Farnham Royal Farnham Park Farnham Royal, Buckinghamshire 9th Harwell AEA Sports Ground Harwell, Oxfordshire 6th Oxford St. Peter's Recreation Ground North Hinksey, Oxford, Oxfordshire 5th Phoenix The Sports Ground Taplow, Buckinghamshire Relegated from Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier (10th) Risborough Princes Risborough School Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire Relegated from Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier (11th)
Participating clubs
2016–17 Aldermaston Berkshire Shire Hall Chipping Norton (relegated from Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier) Faringdon Farnham Harwell Littlemore Oxford Wheatley (relegated from Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier)
2015–16 The 2015–16 Berks/Bucks & Oxon Championship consisted of nine teams; five from Oxfordshire and two each from Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. The season started on 12 September 2015 and was due to end on 23 April 2016.
Participating teams and location Six of the twelve teams participated in last season's competition. The 2014–15 champions Risborough were promoted to the Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier along with runners up, Crowthorne while Oxford are new to the league having previously been playing friendly matches over the past season. As the basement league in Berks/Bucks & Oxon there was no relegation - although there are a number of leagues below it, mainly for second teams.
TeamGroundCapacityTown/VillagePrevious season Aldermaston AWE Recreation Society Aldermaston, Berkshire 7th Berkshire Shire Hall Berkshire County Sports Club Sonning, Reading, Berkshire 5th Didcot Edmunds Park Didcot, Oxfordshire 4th Faringdon Folly Sports Park Faringdon, Oxfordshire 8th Farnham Royal Farnham Park Farnham Royal, Buckinghamshire 6th Harwell AEA Sports Ground Harwell, Oxfordshire 3rd Littlemore Oxford Academy Playing Fields Oxford, Oxfordshire Relegated from Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier (11th) Oxford St. Peter's Recreation Ground North Hinksey, Oxford, Oxfordshire N/A - joined league Phoenix The Sports Ground Taplow, Buckinghamshire Relegated from Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier (10th)
2014–15 Aldermaston Berkshire Shire Hall Crowthorne Didcot Faringdon Farnham Royal (relegated from Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier) Harwell Risborough
2013–14 Abingdon Aldermaston Berkshire Shire Hall Crowthorne Didcot Faringdon Harwell (relegated from Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier) Kingsclere Risborough (relegated from Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier) Wheatley Winslow
2012–13 Rugby First Abingdon Aldermaston Berkshire Shire Hall Chesham Crowthorne Didcot Farnham Royal Faringdon Kingsclere Wheatley Winslow
Original teams When league rugby began in 1987 this division (known as Bucks/Oxon 2) contained the following teams from Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire:
Chesham Chipping Norton Cholsey Drifters Gosford All Blacks Harwell Milton Keynes Olney Phoenix Wheatley
Berks/Bucks & Oxon Championship honours
Bucks/Oxon 2 (1987–1993)
Originally known as Bucks/Oxon 2, it was a level 9 league for clubs based in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Promotion was to Bucks/Oxon 1 and there was no relegation. Bucks/Oxon 2SeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated team(s)Ref 1987–88 10 Drifters Milton Keynes No relegation 1988–89 10 Cholsey Olney No relegation 1989–90 10 Wheatley Didcot No relegation 1990–91 10 Bicester Witney No relegation 1991–92 12 Drifters Chesham No relegation 1992–93 9 Littlemore Chipping Norton No relegation Green backgrounds are promotion places.
Bucks/Oxon 2 (1993–1996)
The creation of National League 5 South for the 1993–94 season meant that Bucks/Oxon 2 dropped to become a tier 10 league. Promotion continued to Bucks/Oxon 1 and there was no relegation. The division would be cancelled after the 1995–96 due to the merging of the two Bucks/Oxon divisions into a single league known as Bucks/Oxon.
Bucks/Oxon 2SeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated team(s)Ref 1993–94 9 Phoenix Buckingham No relegation 1994–95 8 Wheatley Chipping Norton No relegation 1995–96 9 Drifters Littlemore No relegation Green backgrounds are promotion places.
Bucks/Oxon 2 (1997–1999)
The resplitting of Bucks/Oxon into two divisions ahead of the 1997–98 season, saw the return of Bucks/Oxon 2 after a single season - this time as a tier 9 league. Promotion continued to Bucks/Oxon 1 and there was no relegation. After two seasons the division was cancelled again due to the remerging of Bucks/Oxon 1 and Bucks/Oxon 2 into a single Bucks/Oxon division.
Bucks/Oxon 2SeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated team(s)Ref 1997–98 6 Chesham Abingdon No relegation 1998–99 6 Wheatley Didcot No relegation Green backgrounds are promotion places.
Berks/Bucks & Oxon 2 (2000–2004)
Restructuring ahead of the 2000–01 season would see Berkshire based clubs join the Bucks & Oxon leagues. This also saw the reintroduction of Bucks/Oxon 2, remaining a tier 9 league, but this time called Berks/Bucks & Oxon 2. Promotion was to Berks/Bucks & Oxon 1 (formerly Bucks/Oxon 1) and there was no relegation. At the end of the 2003–04 season, the renaming of Berks/Bucks & Oxon 1 to Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier, meant that Berks/Bucks & Oxon 2 would be cancelled and all clubs transferred to the new regionalised Berks/Bucks & Oxon 1 (replacing Berks/Bucks & Oxon 2).
Berks/Bucks & Oxon 2SeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated team(s)Ref 2000–01 8 Wheatley Henley Wanderers No relegation 2001–02 7 Littlemore Aldermaston No relegation 2002–03 8 Bletchley Chesham No relegation 2003–04 9 Drifters Harwell Multiple teams Green backgrounds are promotion places.
Berks/Bucks & Oxon Championship (2011–2019)
The Berks/Bucks & Oxon Championship was introduced as a tier 9 league ahead of the 2011–12 season, replacing Berks/Bucks & Oxon 1 as the second division Berks/Bucks & Oxon league. Promotion was to the Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier and there was no relegation.
Berks/Bucks & Oxon Championship HonoursSeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated team(s)Ref 2011–12 12 Harwell Aylesbury Athletic No relegation 2012–13 11 Farnham Royal Chesham No relegation 2013–14 10 Abingdon Wheatley No relegation 2014–15 8 Risborough Crowthorne No relegation 2015–16 9 Phoenix Didcot No relegation 2016–17 9 Littlemore Wheatley No relegation 2017–18 9 Risborough Oxford No relegation 2018–19 7 Chipping Norton Abingdon No relegation Green backgrounds are promotion places.
Number of league titles
Drifters (4) Wheatley (4) Littlemore (3) Phoenix (2) Risborough (2) Abingdon (1) Bicester (1) Bletchley (1) Chesham (1) Chipping Norton (1) Cholsey (1) Farnham Royal (1) Harwell (1)
See also South West Division RFU Berkshire RFU Buckinghamshire RFU Oxfordshire RFU English rugby union system Rugby union in England
Notes
References