Counties 1 Western North

Counties 1 Tribute Western North

Current season or competition: 2022–23 Counties 1 Tribute Western North
Sport	Rugby union
Instituted	1987; 37 years ago (1987)
Number of teams	13
Country	England
Holders	Matson (3rd title) (2021–22 promoted to Regional 2 Tribute Severn)
Most titles	Coney Hill (4 titles)
Website	Western Counties North

Counties 1 Western North (known as Counties 1 Tribute Western North for sponsorship purposes) is an

. Although 2nd XV rugby is part of the Somerset regional league system, only 1st XV teams are allowed in Tribute Western Counties North. Since 2021/22 2nd xv teams have been allowed in Counties 1 Tribute Western North but under current RFU Rules they are unable to be promoted beyond here.

The current champions are Matson and they are promoted to Regional 2 Tribute Severn. Due to the reorganisation of the leagues, Cheltenham, Chosen Hill Former Pupils, Gordano and Winscome are also promoted. There is no relegation and the eight remaining teams, along with four promoted teams form the new level 7 Counties 1 Tribute Western North.

Teams also participate in the RFU Intermediate Cup – a national competition for clubs at level 7 - with all clubs affiliated with the Gloucestershire RFU involved and a representative being sent from the Somerset RFU.

Format

The champions are promoted to either Regional 2 South West or Regional 2 Severn, depending on location. The teams finishing in the last two or three places are relegated to the appropriate Counties 2 leagues in Gloucester or Somerset (awaiting confirmation by the RFU) The season runs from September to March and comprises twenty-two rounds of matches, with each club playing each of its rivals, home and away. The results of the matches contribute points to the league as follows:

• 4 points are awarded for a win
• 2 points are awarded for a draw
• 0 points are awarded for a loss, however
• 1 losing (bonus) point is awarded to a team that loses a match by 7 points or fewer
• 1 additional (bonus) point is awarded to a team scoring 4 tries or more in a match.

2022–23

League table

2022–23 Counties 1 Western North League Table[1]
		Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Try bonus	Loss bonus	Points
1	Cinderford II	21	20	0	1	1024	301	723	17	1	98
2	Burnham-on-Sea (P)	22	17	0	5	814	473	341	15	2	85
3	Longlevens	22	17	0	5	905	410	495	15	1	84
4	Nailsea & Backwell	22	16	1	5	685	446	239	15	2	83
5	Midsomer Norton	22	12	1	9	666	590	76	11	5	66
6	Clevedon	22	13	0	9	473	555	−82	9	2	63
7	Barton Hill	22	11	0	11	452	642	−190	9	1	54
8	Cleve	21	7	0	14	501	501	0	8	7	43
9	Chipping Sodbury	22	8	0	14	440	779	−339	7	1	40
10	Old Bristolians	22	4	0	18	441	525	−84	8	10	20
11	Cheltenham North (R)	22	3	0	19	448	973	−525	8	0	20
12	Avonmouth Old Boys (R)	22	2	0	20	319	973	−654	2	5	15
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Number of matches won Difference between points for and against Total number of points for Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background is the promotion place Pink background are the relegation places Updated: 1 August 2023

2021–22

Participating teams

League table

2021–22 Tribute Western Counties North League Table[2]
		Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Try bonus	Loss bonus	Points	Pts adj
1	Matson	24	24	0	0	1019	192	827	22	0	119
2	Cheltenham	24	20	1	3	932	456	476	16	1	100
3	Chosen Hill Former Pupils	24	17	0	7	762	455	307	15	1	84
4	Gordano	24	15	1	8	653	544	109	13	2	77
5	Winscombe	24	14	2	8	631	526	105	14	1	75
6	Old Bristolians	24	13	1	10	690	518	172	14	4	72
7	Midsomer Norton	24	12	0	12	690	665	25	14	4	67
8	Chipping Sodbury	24	12	0	14	784	734	50	13	5	61
9	Cleve	24	9	1	14	485	561	−76	7	6	51
10	Barton Hill	24	8	0	16	462	680	−218	9	4	45
11	Clevedon	24	7	0	17	492	780	−288	6	3	37
12	Avonmouth Old Boys	24	2	0	22	373	826	−453	2	8	18
13	Cheltenham North	24	2	0	22	356	1126	−770	10	4	12	−10
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Number of matches won Difference between points for and against Total number of points for Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background are the promotion places to 2 Severn and 2 South West Pink background there was no relegation. Updated: 25 June 2022

2020–21

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic the season was cancelled.

2019–20

Participating teams

2018–19

Participating teams

Promotion play-off

In the play-off for promotion, Midsomer Norton played Crediton from

for promotion to South West 1 West. Midsomer Norton had the best playing record and hosted the match, losing 15 – 19. This was the first time either team had participated in the play-offs, at this level, and Crediton's win was the sixth time the away team had won match. Teams from Western Counties North lead 10–9 in the nineteen play-off matches played since 2001.

	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Try bonus	Loss bonus	Points
Midsomer Norton	26	20	0	6	750	595	155	20	2	102
Crediton (P)	26	21	2	3	643	423	220	12	1	101

^[3]

2017–18

The season started on 2 September and the final league matches were due to be completed by 21 April 2018, with the promotion play-off the following week.

Participating teams

Promotion play-off

Each season, the runners-up in Western Counties West and Western Counties North, participate in a play-off for promotion to South West 1 West. The team with the best playing record, in this case Chew Valley, host the match, and for the second successive season they lost, this time to Devonport Services 12 – 22. It is the first time Devonport Services are promoted to a level six league.^[4] This match was the eighteenth play-off for promotion; the northern sides lead with ten victories to the west's eight and the home teams are leading thirteen to five.

	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Try bonus	Loss bonus	Points
Chew Valley	26	18	0	8	798	458	340	15	5	92
Devonport Services (P)	26	17	1	8	719	456	263	14	6	90

2016–17

Participating teams

Team	Ground	Town/City	Previous season
Avon	Ashley Lane	Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire	11th
Avonmouth Old Boys	Barracks Lane	Shirehampton, Bristol	relegated from Tribute South West 1 West (13th)
Bristol Saracens	Bakewell Memorial Ground	Cribbs Causeway, Bristol	promoted from Gloucester Premier (champions)
Cheltenham	Newlands Park Sports & Social Venue	Southam, Cheltenham	8th
Chew Valley	Chew Lane	Chew Magna, Somerset	3rd
Chosen Hill Former Pupils	Brookfield Road	Churchdown, Gloucestershire	9th
Cirencester	The Whiteway	Cirencester, Wiltshire	promoted from Gloucester Premier (via play-off)
Coney Hill	Metz Hill	Gloucester	relegated from Tribute South West 1 West (14th)
Keynsham	Bristol Road	Keynsham, Somerset
Old Bristolians	Memorial Playing Fields	Failand, Somerset	4th
Stroud	Fromehall Park	Stroud, Gloucestershire	5th
Wells	Charter Way	Wells, Somerset	relegated from Tribute South West 1 West (12th)
Whitehall	Foundry Lane	Whitehall, Bristol	7th
Yatton	The Park	Yatton, Somerset	promoted from Tribute Somerset Premier (champions)

League table

2016–17 Tribute Western Counties North League Table[5]
		Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Try bonus	Loss bonus	Points
1	Keynsham (P)	26	23	0	3	718	316	402	15	1	109
2	Chew Valley	26	22	0	4	822	493	329	18	0	106
3	Chosen Hill Former Pupils	26	19	0	7	728	423	305	15	5	96
4	Avonmouth Old Boys	26	18	0	8	718	472	246	12	4	88
5	Stroud	26	15	0	11	846	534	312	15	4	79
6	Old Bristolians	26	15	0	11	621	499	122	11	6	77
7	Bristol Saracens	26	13	0	13	596	592	4	10	5	67
8	Yatton	26	12	0	14	784	734	50	13	5	61
9	Wells	26	11	0	15	442	687	−245	10	3	57
10	Cheltenham	26	10	0	16	588	806	−218	11	4	55
11	Coney Hill	26	12	0	14	547	558	−11	8	7	53
12	Cirencester	26	6	0	20	356	817	−461	4	5	33
13	Whitehall	26	3	0	23	433	923	−490	7	6	25
14	Avon	26	3	0	23	439	784	−345	3	7	22
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Number of matches won Difference between points for and against Total number of points for Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background is the promotion place. Blue background is the play-off place. Pink background are relegation places. Updated: 24 May 2017

Promotion play-off

Each season, the runners-up in Western Counties North and Western Counties West, participate in a play-off for promotion to South West 1 West. The team with the best playing record, in this case Chew Valley, host the match and they lost to their opponents Cullompton 12 – 29.

	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Try bonus	Loss bonus	Points
Chew Valley	26	22	0	4	822	493	329	18	0	106
Cullompton (P)	26	22	0	4	659	311	348	11	2	101

2015–16

The 2015–16 Tribute Western Counties North consists of fourteen teams; six from Somerset, four from Gloucestershire, three from Bristol and one from Wiltshire. The season started on 5 September 2015 and is finishes on 30 April 2016.

Participating teams and location

Nine of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition. The 2014–15 champions

.