The Northumberland Senior Cup is an annual rugby union competition held between the clubs of the Northumberland RFU which was first played in 1882. It is the senior county cup for the Northumberland Rugby Union, which includes Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, and Northumberland. The current holders are Alnwick who defeated Northern 29-0 in the 2026 cup final. All finals were held at the Northumberland County Ground from 1912 up until 1988; before and after the County Ground's existence Senior Cup Finals have been played at various venues in the county.

The Senior Cup is currently the premier county cup competition for club sides affiliated to the Northumberland Rugby Football Union typically based at level 5 (North Premier) and level 6 (North 1 East) of the English rugby union system, although the 2nd XV of Tynedale (who play in level 4 National League 2 North), Berwick (who play in the Scottish Regional League) and the two university's in Newcastle (who play in the BUCS) have taken part in the competition. The format is as a knock-out cup with a quarter-final, semi-final and final, which is to be played at a neutral ground in April on Easter Saturday.

Past winners Year Winners Score Runners Up 1882 Northern 5-0 Northumberland Club ± 1883 Tynemouth ± 2-0 Tynedale 1884 Northern 1-0 Tynedale 1885 Tynemouth ± 6-3 Northern 1886 Percy Park 4-3 North Elswick ± 1887 Tynedale 4-1 Northern 1888 Northern 7-0 Percy Park 1889 Northern 7-0 Percy Park 1890 Rockcliff 10-0 North Elswick ± 1891 Northern 18-0 Gosforth 1892 Rockcliff 13-0 Percy Park 1893 Rockcliff 13-3 Percy Park 1894 Rockcliff 0-0 Percy Park 1894 (R) Rockcliff 29-3 Percy Park 1895 Rockcliff 28-5 Brighton ± 1896 Rockcliff 10-0 Percy Park 1897 Percy Park 6-3 Rockcliff 1898 Rockcliff 5-3 Percy Park 1899 Percy Park 19-0 Wallsend 1900 Rockcliff 8-5 Percy Park 1901 Rockcliff 13-0 Northern 1902 Rockcliff 9-0 Percy Park 1903 Northern 6-4 Percy Park 1904 Northern 8-0 Rockcliff 1905 Rockcliff 10-0 Percy Park 1906 Tynedale 11-3 Percy Park 1907 Percy Park 6-3 Tynedale 1908 Percy Park 23-0 Tynedale 1909 Rockcliff 0-0 Northern 1909 (R) Rockcliff 22-3 Northern 1910 Percy Park 3-0 Northern 1911 Tynedale 7-6 Percy Park 1912 Northern 12-10 Percy Park 1913 Percy Park 19-3 Old Novocastrians 1914 Tynedale 0-0 Percy Park 1914 (R) Tynedale 9-3 Percy Park 1915-19 Competition suspended for World War I 1920 Rockcliff 9-0 Northern 1921 Percy Park 10-0 Medicals 1922 Medicals 30-0 Northern 1923 Medicals 12-3 Northern 1924 Percy Park 4-3 Northern 1925 Seghill 0-0 Medicals 1926 Northern 3-0 Rockcliff 1927 Tynedale 5-3 Northern 1928 Gosforth 5-3 Percy Park 1929 Seghill 5-5 Percy Park 1929 (R) Seghill 4-3 Percy Park 1930 Seghill 15-11 Percy Park 1931 Northern 11-3 Armstrong College 1932 Seghill 19-8 Gosforth 1933 Tynedale 17-0 Old Novocastrians 1934 Tynedale 3-3 Old Novocastrians 1934 (R) Tynedale 9-6 Old Novocastrians 1935 Tynedale 13-11 Northern 1936 Tynedale 23-21 Gosforth 1937 Northern 21-4 Percy Park 1938 Percy Park 9-3 Old Novocastrians 1939 Percy Park 8-3 Northern 1940-46 Competition suspended for World War II 1947 Percy Park 13-0 Medicals 1948 Tynedale 15-13 Northern 1949 Percy Park 10-3 Medicals 1950 Percy Park 9-3 Gosforth 1951 Percy Park 9-0 Gosforth 1952 Medicals 5-3 Northern 1953 Medicals 14-0 Percy Park 1954 Percy Park 6-0 Medicals 1955 Northern 11-5 Percy Park 1956 Gosforth 3-3 Northern 1956 (R) Gosforth 6-3 Northern 1957 Percy Park 9-3 Gosforth 1958 Percy Park 9-3 Morpeth 1959 Northern 11-3 Percy Park 1960 Gosforth 22-6 King's College 1961 Northern 17-6 Gosforth 1962 Gosforth 3-3 Northern 1962 (R) Gosforth 6-3 Northern 1963 Gosforth 16-0 Morpeth 1964 Gosforth 3-3 Northern 1964 (R) Gosforth 9-3 Northern 1965 Newcastle University 12-3 Rockcliff 1966 Gosforth 17-6 Morpeth 1967 Gosforth 10-6 Northern 1968 Gosforth 46-0 Seghill 1969 Gosforth 18-3 Percy Park 1970 Northern 3-0 Gosforth 1971 Gosforth 19-6 Tynedale 1972 Gosforth 22-6 Northern 1973 Gosforth 21-9 Alnwick 1974 Gosforth 25-3 Morpeth 1975 Gosforth 22-3 Tynedale 1976 Gosforth 36-0 Northern 1977 Gosforth 37-0 Morpeth 1978 Gosforth 38-3 Alnwick 1979 Gosforth 9-3 Northern 1980 Gosforth 21-9 Alnwick 1981 Gosforth 19-0 Morpeth 1982 Gosforth 32-6 Morpeth 1983 Gosforth 24-6 Alnwick 1984 Alnwick 6-4 Gosforth 1985 Gosforth 17-12 Tynedale 1986 Gosforth 9-7 Tynedale 1987 Gosforth 18-9 Tynedale 1988 Tynedale 13-6 Gosforth 1989 Northern 24-16 Tynedale 1990 Gosforth 16-3 Northern 1991 Newcastle Gosforth 6-3 Tynedale 1992 Tynedale 15-3 Novocastrians 1993 Tynedale 6-6 (AET) Trophy Shared Newcastle Gosforth 1994 Newcastle Gosforth 14-8 Tynedale 1995 Northern 6-3 Tynedale 1996 Tynedale 22-12 Berwick 1997 Berwick 51-3 Northern 1998 Morpeth 21-13 Tynedale 1999 Tynedale 24-10 Alnwick 2000 Tynedale 33-10 Morpeth 2001 Not Completed due to Foot and Mouth Outbreak 2002 Morpeth 35-16 Northern 2003 Tynedale 7-6 Morpeth 2004 Tynedale 20-6 Morpeth 2005 Tynedale 41-13 Berwick 2006 Tynedale 64-8 Percy Park 2007 Morpeth 39-13 Tynedale 2008 Tynedale 40-7 Morpeth 2009 Tynedale 74-3 Gosforth 2010 Tynedale 24-9 Morpeth 2011 Percy Park 31-25 Tynedale 2012 Percy Park 12-6 Tynedale 2013 Percy Park 25-11 Morpeth 2014 Tynedale 32-0 Morpeth 2015 Northumbria University 25-13 Percy Park 2016 Morpeth 21-3 Percy Park 2017 Alnwick 11-7 Morpeth 2018 Percy Park 21-16 Alnwick 2019 Alnwick 39-3 Morpeth 2020 Morpeth 11-10 Alnwick 2021 No Competition due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom 2022 Alnwick 61-14 Novocastrians 2023 Northern 47-19 Tynedale 2024 Alnwick 31-8 Northern 2025 Alnwick 28-23 Northern 2026 Alnwick 29-0 Northern

± Denotes club now defunct

By number of wins (clubs)

Team Wins (outright wins/shared titles) Years (* title was shared) Gosforth (Newcastle Falcons)30 (29/1)1928, 1956, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993*, 1994 Tynedale24 (23/1)1887, 1906, 1911, 1914, 1927, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1948, 1988, 1992, 1993*, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014 Percy Park221886, 1897, 1899, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1913, 1921, 1924, 1938, 1939, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1954, 1957, 1958, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018 Northern181882, 1884, 1888, 1889, 1891, 1903, 1904, 1912, 1926, 1931, 1937, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1970, 1989, 1995, 2023 Rockcliff131890, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1898, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1905, 1909, 1920 Alnwick71984, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026 Morpeth51998, 2002, 2007, 2016, 2020 Medicals41922, 1923, 1952, 1953 Seghill41925, 1929, 1930, 1932 Tynemouth21883, 1885 Berwick11997 Newcastle University11965 Northumbria University12015

Northumberland Senior Plate

With the advent of professionalism, the gap between some clubs became too great in the county. In the 2001-2002 season the Northumberland Senior Plate was inaugurated as a competition for clubs knocked out of the first round of the Northumberland Senior Cup. Since then the competition has undergone various changes. The Plate is now competed for by all clubs, who are not in the top eight of Northumberland clubs, every season.

See also Northumberland RFU English rugby union system Rugby union in England

References