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Counties 2 Eastern Counties
Current season or competition:
2024-25 Counties 2 Eastern Counties
SportRugby union
Instituted2017; 7 years ago (2017)
Number of teams11
Country England
Most titlesStowmarket, West Norfolk, Wymondham (1 title)
Websiteenglandrugby.com

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 and Suffolk (Eastern Counties).

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 2024-25

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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 West Norfolk and Ipswich Y.M. (both relegated from Counties 1 Eastern Counties) together with Wyndonham II, Mistley and March Bears.

Participating teams 2023-24

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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.

Participating teams 2022-23

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This was the first season following the RFU Adult Competition Review[1] 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.

Participating teams 2021-22

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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.

Season 2020–21

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On 30 October the RFU announced [2] 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

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Participating teams 2018-19

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Participating teams 2017-18

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London 3 Eastern Counties honours

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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 Counties
Season No of teams Champions Runners–up Relegated Teams
2017–18[3] 11 Stowmarket Southwold Newmarket
2018–19[4] 11 Wymondham Holt No relegation
2019–20[5] 11 West Norfolk Cantabrigian Beccles
2020–21 11
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

Promotion play-offs

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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.

London 3 (Eastern Counties v Essex) promotion play-off results
Season Home team Score Away team Venue Attendance
2017–18[6] Southwold (EC) 49-3 Millwall (EX) The Common, Southwold, Suffolk 300[7]
2018–-19[8] Holt (EC) 31-22 East London (EX) Bridge Road, Holt, Norfolk
2019–20 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Best ranked runner up - Cantabrigian (EC) - promoted instead.
2020–21
Green background is the promoted team. EC = London 3 Eastern Counties and EX = London 3 Essex

Number of league titles

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See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "RFU announce new men's community structure". RFU. 13 June 2022.
  2. ^ "RFU Cancels Adult Competitive Leagues for the 2020/21 Season". RFU. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  3. ^ "2017–18 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  4. ^ "2018-2019 London & South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Men's London & South East Level 8 and below leagues 2019–20" (PDF). England Rugby. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  6. ^ "Wold Simply Blow Their London Rivals Away To Gain Promotion". Southwold RFC (Pitchero). Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  7. ^ "Rare smiles indeed from Buster and Fossett - it must have been a special day!". Southwold RFC (Pitchero). Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Holt earn promotion to London 2NE". Holt RFC (Pitchero). Retrieved 21 April 2018.
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