Dorset & Wilts 3 West

Dorset & Wilts 3 West

Sport	Rugby Union
Instituted	1988; 37 years ago (1988) (as Berks/Dorset/Wilts 3 West)
Ceased	2009; 16 years ago (2009)
Number of teams	8
Country	England
Holders	Bradford-on-Avon II (1st title) (2008–09) (promoted to Dorset & Wilts 2 North)

Dorset & Wilts 3 West was English Rugby Union league, forming part of the South West Division, for clubs based in western Dorset. Promoted teams tended to move up to Dorset & Wilts 2 North or Dorset & Wilts 2 South depending on geographical location and there was no relegation. The league was originally created as Berks/Dorset/Wilts 3 West in 1988 and ran until 1992 until it merged with Berks/Dorset/Wilts 3 East to form Berks/Dorset/Wilts 3. The division would return as Dorset & Wilts 3 West in 2006. By the end of the 2008–09 season, the league was disbanded and clubs were transferred to Dorset & Wilts 3 North or Dorset & Wilts 3 South.

Original teams

When this division was introduced in 1988 as Berks/Dorset/Wilts 3 West, it contained the following teams from Dorset and Wiltshire^[a]:

• Blandford
• Bridport
• Plessey Christ^[b]
• D.I.H.E.^[c]
• Portcastrians^[d]
• Warminster
• Westbury

Dorset & Wilts 3 West honours

Berks/Dorset/Wilts 3 West (1988–1992)

Originally known as Berks/Dorset/Wilts 3 West and involved involving clubs based in Berkshire^[e], Dorset and Wiltshire. It was a tier 10 league with promotion to Berks/Dorset/Wilts 2 and there was no relegation. At the end of the 1991–92 season Berks/Dorset/Wilts 3 West and counterpart Berks/Dorset/Wilts 3 East would merge into a single division known as Berks/Dorset/Wilts 3 (currently Dorset & Wilts 3 North and Dorset & Wilts 3 South).

Berks/Dorset/Wilts 3 West
Season	No of Teams	Champions	Runners–up	Relegated Team(s)	Ref
1988–89	7	Westbury	Warminster	No relegation	[2]
1989–90	7	D.I.H.E.	Warminster	No relegation	[3]
1990–91	7	Warminster	Bridport	No relegation	[4]
1991–92	7	Blandford	Trowbridge[f]	No relegation	[5]
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

Dorset & Wilts 3 West (2006–2009)

Berks/Dorset/Wilts 3 West would return as Dorset & Wilts 3 West for the 2006–07 season, this time only involving clubs based in Dorset and Wiltshire. It was a tier 10 league with promotion to Dorset & Wilts 2 North or Dorset & Wilts 2 South and there was no relegation. After just three seasons the division was cancelled and all clubs transferred into either Dorset & Wilts 3 North or Dorset & Wilts 3 South.

Dorset & Wilts 3 West
Season	No of Teams	Champions	Runners–up	Relegated Team(s)	Ref
2006–07	10	Corsham II	Bath Saracens	No relegation	[6]
2007–08	10	Avonvale	Combe Down II	No relegation	[7]
2008–09	8	Bradford-on-Avon II	South Wilts	No relegation	[8]
Green backgrounds are promotion places

Number of league titles

• Avonvale (1)
• Blandford (1)
• Bradford-on-Avon II (1)
• Corsham II (1)
• D.I.H.E. (1)
• Warminster (1)
• Westbury (1)

Notes

1. Despite the name for the first season of Berks/Dorset/Wilts 3 West there were no actual Berkshire based clubs.
2. Plessey Christ would be renamed as Christchurch RFC for the 1993–94 season onward.
3. Dorset Institute of Higher Education would become known as Bournemouth University in 1992.
4. In Portcastrians would be renamed as East Dorset RFC in 2003^[1].
5. Since 2000, Berkshire clubs have played in the Berks/Bucks & Oxon leagues.
6. 3rd place Bridport were also promoted.

See also

• Dorset & Wilts RFU
• English Rugby Union Leagues
• English rugby union system
• Rugby union in England

References

1. "PORTCASTRIAN VETS". East Dorset RFC. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
2. Johns, Stephen; Griffiths, John (1989). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1989–90 (18th ed.). London: Rothmans Publications Ltd. pp. 133–136. ISBN 0 356 17862 5.
3. Johns, Stephen; Griffiths, John (1990). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1990–91 (19th ed.). London: Rothmans Publications Ltd. pp. 143–146. ISBN 0 356 19162 1.
4. Johns, Stephen; Griffiths, John (1991). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1991–92 (20th ed.). London: Rothmans Publications Ltd. pp. 164–167. ISBN 0 356 20249 6.
5. Johns, Stephen; Griffiths, John (1992). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1992–93 (21st ed.). London: Rothmans Publications Ltd. pp. 176–179. ISBN 0 7472 7907 1.
6. "2011–2012 South-West Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
7. "2012–2013 South-West Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
8. "2013–2014 South-West Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 21 January 2015.