Counties 2 Eastern Counties (formerly London 3 Eastern Counties) is an English rugby union league that is at the eighth level of the English rugby union system and is available to club sides based in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk (Eastern Counties) along with clubs in Essex which are members of Eastern Counties Rugby Union.
The division was created for the 2017–18 as part of an RFU reorganization of the London & South East regional league. Originally there had been a London 3 North East league which had involved teams from the Eastern Counties as well as Essex and parts of north-east London. Due to the distances involved for teams travelling potentially from London to Norfolk and vice versa, at the end of the 2016–17 season, this league was discontinued. Teams in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk who had played in London 3 North East were transferred into the new look London 3 Eastern Counties along with additional promoted teams from Eastern Counties 1, while the Essex and London sides went into another new division called London 3 Essex. Following the RFU's Adult Competition Review, from season 2022-23 it adopted its current name Counties 2 Eastern Counties.
Promoted teams move up to Counties 1 Eastern Counties, while demoted teams drop down to their local merit leagues.
Participating teams 2026-27
Departing were Cantabrigian and Woodbridge both promoted to Counties 1 Eastern Counties while Thurston (10th) and Thorney (11th) were relegated back to merit league competition. Mersea Island (9th) left on a level transfer to Counties 2 Essex.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Diss Mackenders Roydon, South Norfolk 4th Ely Cambridge Commodities Park Ely, Cambridgeshire Relegated from Counties 1EC Fakenham Eckersley Drive Fakenham, Norfolk 6th Hadleigh Layham Road Sports Ground Hadleigh, Suffolk New entry Ipswich Y.M. The Street Ipswich, Suffolk Relegated from Counties 1EC Lowestoft & Yarmouth Gunton Park Lowestoft , Norfolk New entry March Bears Elm Road March, Cambridgeshire Re-entry Mistley Furze Hill Playing Fields Mistley, Essex 3rd North Walsham II Norwich Road 1,600 Scottow, Norfolk Relegated from Counties 1EC Sudbury II Whittome Field Great Cornard, Sudbury, Suffolk 5th Wisbech Chapel Road Wisbech, Cambridgeshire 7th Wymondham II The Foster Harrison Memorial Ground Wymondham, Norfolk 8th
Participating teams 2025–26
Departing were West Norfolk and Ipswich Y.M., both promoted to Counties 1 Eastern Counties while Bedford Athletic II (7th) were relegated to Counties 3 Midlands East (South South). March Bears (11th) did not return for the new season.
Joining the league were Lakenham Union, a club formed in 2023 by the merger of Lakenham Hewett and Norwich Union. In December the club withdrew from the league leaving eleven sides to contest the remaining fixtures
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Cantabrigian Sedley Taylor Road Cambridge, Cambridgeshire Relegated from Counties 1EC (12th) Diss Mackenders Roydon, South Norfolk Relegated from Counties 1EC (11th) Fakenham Eckersley Drive Fakenham, Norfolk 5th Lakenham Union Norwich Sports Ground Norwich, Norfolk New entry Mersea Island Glebe Pavilion West Mersea, Essex 8th Mistley Furze Hill Playing Fields Mistley, Essex 3rd Sudbury II Whittome Field Great Cornard, Sudbury, Suffolk New entry Thorney Ron Jacobs Playing Fields Thorney, Cambridgeshire New entry Thurston Robinson Field Thurston, Suffolk 10th Wisbech Chapel Road Wisbech, Cambridgeshire 6th Woodbridge Hatchley Barn Woodbridge, Suffolk 4th Wymondham II The Foster Harrison Memorial Ground Wymondham, Norfolk 9th
Participating teams 2024–25
Departing were Colchester II and Newmarket, both promoted to Counties 1 Eastern Counties. Sudbury II (9th), Shelford III (10th) Cotttenham Renegades (11th) were relegated.
Joining were Wisbech, West Norfolk and Ipswich Y.M., all relegated from Counties 1 Eastern Counties, together with Wyndonham II, Mistley and March Bears.
Crusaders (8th in 2023–24) withdrew from the league.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Bedford Athletic II Putnoe Woods 500 Bedford, Bedfordshire 3rd Fakenham Eckersley Drive Fakenham, Norfolk 6th Ipswich Y.M. The Street Ipswich, Suffolk Relegated from Counties 1 EC (10th) March Bears Elm Road March, Cambridgeshire Mersea Island Glebe Pavilion West Mersea, Essex 5th Mistley Furze Hill Playing Fields Mistley, Essex Thurston Robinson Field Thurston, Suffolk 7th West Norfolk Gatehouse Lane North Wootton, King's Lynn, Norfolk Relegated from Counties 1EC (11th) Wisbech Chapel Road Wisbech, Cambridgeshire Relegated from Counties 1 EC (12th) Woodbridge Hatchley Barn Woodbridge, Suffolk 4th Wymondham II The Foster Harrison Memorial Ground Wymondham, Norfolk
Participating teams 2023–24
Departing were Wisbech and North Walsham II, both promoted to Counties 1 Eastern Counties. Norwich Union (9th), Cambridge III (10th) Ipswich II (11th) were relegated.
Joining were Thurston (relegated from Counties 1 Eastern Counties) together with Bedford Athletic II, Crusaders, Shelford III and Mersea Island.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Bedford Athletic II Putnoe Woods 500 Bedford, Bedfordshire Colchester II Raven Park Colchester, Essex 5th Cotttenham Renegades High Street Cottenham, Cambridgeshire 8th Crusaders Little Melton Road Hethersett, Norfolk Fakenham Eckersley Drive Fakenham, Norfolk 3rd Mersea Island Glebe Pavilion West Mersea, Essex Newmarket NSDA Pavilion Newmarket, Suffolk 4th Shelford III The Davey Field 2,000 (150 seats) Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire Sudbury II Whittome Field Great Cornard, Sudbury, Suffolk 7th Thurston Robinson Field Thurston, Suffolk Relegated from Counties 1 EC Woodbridge Hatchley Barn Woodbridge, Suffolk 6th
Participating teams 2022–23
This was the first season following the RFU Adult Competition Review with the league adopting its new name of Counties 2 Eastern Counties.
Departing were Holt, Ely, Ipswich Y.M. and Thurston, all promoted to Counties 1 Eastern Counties. Thetford, 9th the previous season, did not return.
Joining were lower teams from Cambridge III, Sudbury II, Colchester II, North Walsham II and Ipswich II together with Cottenham Renegades.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Cambridge III Grantchester Road Cambridge, Cambridgeshire New entry Colchester II Raven Park Colchester, Essex New entry Cotttenham Renegades High Street Cottenham, Cambridgeshire New entry Fakenham Eckersley Drive Fakenham, Norfolk 7th Ipswich II Humber Doucy Lane Ipswich, Suffolk New entry Newmarket NSDA Pavilion Newmarket, Suffolk 6th North Walsham II Norwich Road 1,600 Scottow, Norfolk New entry Norwich Union Barkers Lane Norwich, Norfolk 8th Sudbury II Whittome Field Great Cornard, Sudbury, Suffolk New entry Wisbech Chapel Road Wisbech, Cambridgeshire 5th Woodbridge Hatchley Barn Woodbridge, Suffolk 10th
Participating teams 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.
Ahead of the new season Crusaders, who finished 6th in 2019-20 withdrew from the league (and will instead participate in Eastern Counties Greene King Division Two North) meaning London 3 EC will run with 10 teams for this season.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Ely Cambridge Commodities Park Ely, Cambridgeshire 3rd Fakenham Eckersley Drive Fakenham, Norfolk 7th Holt Bridge Road Holt, Norfolk Relegated from London 2NE (11th) Ipswich Y.M. The Street Ipswich, Suffolk 5th Newmarket NSDA Pavilion Newmarket, Suffolk Promoted via EC Shield (3rd) from Eastern Counties 1 (West) (2nd) Norwich Union Barkers Lane Norwich, Norfolk Promoted via EC Shield (1st) from Eastern Counties 1 (North) (1st) Thetford Mundford Road Thetford, Norfolk 10th Thurston Robinson Field Thurston, Suffolk 8th Wisbech Chapel Road Wisbech, Cambridgeshire 9th Woodbridge Hatchley Barn Woodbridge, Suffolk 4th
Season 2020–21
On 30 October the RFU announced that a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning London 3 Eastern Counties was not contested.
Participating teams 2019–20
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Beccles Beef Meadow Beccles, Suffolk Promoted from Eastern Counties 1 (champions) Cantabrigian Sedley Taylor Road Cambridge, Cambridgeshire Relegated from London 2 North East (10th) Crusaders Beck Hythe Little Melton, Norwich, Norfolk 8th Ely Downham Road Ely, Cambridgeshire 3rd Fakenham Eckersley Drive Fakenham, Norfolk 5th Ipswich Y.M. The Street Ipswich, Suffolk 11th (not relegated) Thetford Mundford Road Thetford, Norfolk 6th Thurston Robinson Field Thurston, Suffolk 10th West Norfolk Gatehouse Lane North Wootton, King's Lynn, Norfolk 4th Wisbech Chapel Road Wisbech, Cambridgeshire 7th Woodbridge Hatchley Barn Woodbridge, Suffolk 9th
Participating teams 2018–19
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Crusaders Beck Hythe Little Melton, Norwich, Norfolk 9th Ely Downham Road Ely, Cambridgeshire 3rd Fakenham Eckersley Drive Fakenham, Norfolk Promoted from Eastern Counties 1 (champions) Holt Bridge Road Holt, Norfolk 5th Ipswich Y.M. The Street Ipswich, Suffolk Promoted from Eastern Counties 1 (runners up) Thetford Mundford Road Thetford, Norfolk 4th Thurston Robinson Field Thurston, Suffolk Promoted from Eastern Counties 1 (3rd) West Norfolk Gatehouse Lane North Wootton, King's Lynn, Norfolk 8th Wisbech Chapel Road Wisbech, Cambridgeshire 10th Woodbridge Heatherlands Woodbridge, Suffolk 7th Wymondham The Foster Harrison Memorial Ground Wymondham, Norfolk 6th
Participating teams 2017–18
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Crusaders Beck Hythe Little Melton, Norwich, Norfolk Promoted from Eastern Counties 1 (3rd) Ely Downham Road Ely, Cambridgeshire 5th (London 3 North East) Holt Bridge Road Holt, Norfolk Relegated from London 2 North East (11th) Newmarket NSDA Pavilion Newmarket, Suffolk Promoted from Eastern Counties 1 (4th) Southwold The Common Southwold, Suffolk 4th (London 3 North East) Stowmarket Chilton Fields Stowmarket, Suffolk 6th (London 3 North East) Thetford Mundford Road Thetford, Norfolk Promoted from Eastern Counties 1 (champions) West Norfolk Gatehouse Lane North Wootton, King's Lynn, Norfolk 9th (London 3 North East) Wisbech Chapel Road Wisbech, Cambridgeshire Promoted from Eastern Counties 1 (6th) Woodbridge Heatherlands Woodbridge, Suffolk Promoted from Eastern Counties 1 (5th) Wymondham The Foster Harrison Memorial Ground Wymondham, Norfolk Promoted from Eastern Counties 1 (runners up)
London 3 Eastern Counties honours
London 3 Eastern Counties is a tier 8 league with promotion up to London 2 North East and relegation down to Eastern Counties 1.
London 3 Eastern CountiesSeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated Teams 2017–18 11 Stowmarket Southwold Newmarket 2018–19 11 Wymondham Holt No relegation 2019–20 11 West Norfolk Cantabrigian Beccles 2020–21 11 Green backgrounds are promotion places.
Promotion play-offs Since the 2017–18 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of London 3 Eastern Counties and London 3 Essex for the third and final promotion place to London 2 North East. The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the London 3 Eastern Counties have been the most successful with two wins to the London 3 Essex teams none; and the home team has won promotion on two occasions compared to the away teams none.