1895–96 Rugby Union County Championship

1895–96 County Championship
Countries	England
Champions	Yorkshire (7th title)
Runners-up	Surrey

The 1895–96 Rugby Union County Championship was the eighth edition of England's premier rugby union club competition at that time.^[1] The competition was reorganised with a reduction of groups from four to three, and the winners of the south-east and south-west groups competing in a play-off for the right to play the northern group winners in the final. This was the third format of the competition.^[2]

Yorkshire won the competition for the seventh time defeating Surrey in the final.^[3][4]

Group stage

Northern group

Northern group	P	W	D	L	Pts
Yorkshire	6	6	0	0	12
Lancashire	6	5	0	1	10
Cumberland	6	3	1	2	7
Durham	6	3	1	2	7
Northumberland	6	2	0	4	4
Westmorland	6	1	0	5	2
Cheshire	6	0	0	6	0

16 November 1895

Lancashire	7–5	Cumberland

16 November 1895

Yorkshire	11–0	Northumberland

^[5]

South-eastern group

South-eastern group	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Surrey	4	3	1	0	46	12	7
Midland Counties	4	2	1	1	40	22	5
Kent	3	1	0	2	14	36	2
Middlesex	3	0	0	3	13	43	0

South-western group

South-western group	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Devon	3	3	0	0	43	8	6
Somerset	3	2	0	1	28	6	4
Gloucestershire	3	1	0	2	18	41	2
Cornwall	3	0	0	3	3	37	0

16 November 1895

Devon	22–3	Cornwall
		Pen: Salter

Plymouth

30 November 1895

Devon	3 goals, 1 try – 1 goal	Gloucestershire

^[6]

30 November 1895

Somerset	5–0	Cornwall

Wellington

14 December 1895

Cornwall	0–10	Gloucestershire

Falmouth

^[2]

Southern Play Off match

Date	Venue	Team One	Team Two	Score
30 Jan	Richmond	Surrey	Devon	16-0[7][8]

Final

20 February 1896

Surrey	4–16	Yorkshire
Drop: Ashford		Try: Barron, Mosley, Murgatroyd, Couley Con: Duke (2)

Athletic Ground, Richmond Referee: A J Davies (Glamorgan)

K B Alexander Guy's Hospital Clifford Wells Harlequins H N Clarke Harlequins & Guy's Hospital William Henry Thorman Richmond H T Wallis Cambridge University & Blackheath Cyril Wells Harlequins J H Curtis RIE College S B Peech (capt) Harlequins William Ashford Richmond H W Dudgeon Richmond J H Kipling Thornton Heath D H Helps Croydon Frederick Lohden Blackheath R W Hunt Harlequins F H Todd RIE College

C E Dixon Alverthorpe Ernest Fookes Sowerby Bridge S Murritt Kingston Rovers W Murgatroyd Idle A Hambrecht Bramley Harry Myers Bramley George Mosley Leeds Parish Church Tom Broadley (capt) Bingley Jack Rhodes Castleford Anthony Starks Castleford Harry Speed Castleford J W Ward Castleford J Conley Leeds Parish Church W Duke Holbeck H E Barrington Bingley

See also

• English rugby union system
• Rugby union in England

References

1. Jenkins, Vivian (1976) [1975]. Rothmans Rugby Yearbook. Brickfield Publications Ltd. pp. 130–131. ISBN 0362-00221-5.
2. Salmon, Tom (1983). The First Hundred Years. The Story of Rugby Football in Cornwall. Illogan: Cornwall RFU. pp. 113–5. ISBN 0 946664 01 3.
3. ""FOOTBALL." Daily News, 21 Feb. 1896". British Newspaper Archives.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
4. ""FOOTBALL." York Herald, 18 Feb. 1896, p. 7". British Newspaper Archives.
5. Impartial (21 November 1895). "Football". The Cornishman. No. 907. pp. 3 & 5.
6. Impartial (5 December 1895). "Football". The Cornishman. No. 909. p. 7.
7. ""THE RUGBY COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP." York Herald, 30 Jan. 1896, p. 9". British Library Newspaper Archives.
8. ""FOOTBALL." Standard, 31 Jan. 1896, p. 8". British Library Newspaper Archives.