The idea for a Durham Senior Cup came from the success of the Yorkshire Cup which had been introduced in 1877 and despite reservations by the R.F.U. it had proven very popular both on and off the field.

At a meeting held at the Three Tuns Hotel in Durham City in September of 1880, it was decided to introduce a Cup Competition among the Clubs which at that time comprised Sunderland, North Durham, Westoe, Houghton, Darlington, Durham [City], Bishop Auckland, Hartlepool and DurhamUniversity.

A sum of 50 guineas was agreed as the purchase price for the Cup, which is the one still being competed for among the Clubs, and Hartlepool Football Club holds the honour of being the first local club to play in the draw. They were drawn away to Sunderland Rovers in the preliminary Round on the 8^th January 1881 and were defeated by one goal and one try to Nil! The balance has been redressed on many occasions since then. The draw in the first season ran as follows : -

The introduction of Leagues into Rugby had a profound effect on the Knockout Competitions within the County, resulting in smaller Club Groups based on current League status. This in turn created a demand for another Competition between the former “Senior” and “Junior” Cups.  In consequence, the County introduced the “Immediate Cup for Competition in 2001-02 season, which also happened to be the 125^th Anniversary of the founding of the County Union in 1876.

The Junior Cup was first put up for Competition in 1887 – 1888 season and after over a 130 years of service, the original Cup has been replaced in 2021 with a new trophy.  It was played for initially by the 1^st XVs of clubs which had not at any time been members of the County Union.  A condition of winning the Cup was that the winners must apply for admission to the Union and would not be classed as “Junior”.  The arrival of the Competition was welcomed by the then Junior Clubs who generally were in a lethargic state but pressing for change in the Rugby Union locally.

The first decade of the competition matches were not settled by points but by Goals, tries and Minors and it were not until 1897 that a point’s only decision would be agreed on. The rule to enforce cup winners becoming Senior Clubs,was counterproductive and amended in 1895 to allow winners to enter in the 2nd Teams Cup and apply for Senior Status if they won. 

Some information is missing although research is ongoing to complete the record, any information you may have would be appreciated, please email to chrismcl@btinternet.com  with details.

Geographic and History note.

The Game has been played in many areas of Durham by many now largely forgotten clubs/teams, and the only evidence of their existence is on the cup plinth or faded photographs and in newspaper files. Readers will like to know the whereabouts or background to some of the clubs as follows:-

Blackhill: part of Consett District and a fore runner of the present Consett & District club.

Bensham: a Gateshead club and fore runner of the present Gateshead club, there was a earlier Bensham founded in 1876 which was absorbed into the North Durham RFC (1876-1998).

Chopwell: from N W Durham,formed in 1909 by City & England player Harry Imrie & N C Nielson from                       Sunderland RFC. The club restarted in 1925 but ceased around 1927.

Empress Rovers: a Pyman League club from Hartlepool named after a theatre in Northgate!

Furness Athletic: based in Haverton Hill on the Furness shipyard.

Greenside : A colliery based club from near Ryton

Henderson’s Creelers: a factory side that played on Factory Field, Durham City,on what is now the Swimming Baths at Elvet Bridge. Hendersons was a carpet factory taken over as Hugh Mackay in 1905. They went defunct in 1894, presumably not wanting to be a Senior Club.

Heortensians: a Pyman League side from Hartlepool, name taken from one of a number of  ancient spelling of the name of the District around Hartlepool.

Houghton Nomads. Formed in 1895 and played at Copt Hill, Houghton,  they won the Cup in 1900 and reported defunct by June 1901.

Mount Pleasant: one of several clubs in the Gateshead area, folded in 1894 as they had no ground to play on, probably did not want to be a Senior CLub

Old Bedans: the former pupils of Bede G.S. Sunderland, folded in 1964

Seamen's Institute: from Hartlepool, based at the Mission Hall on the Town Wall,which still stands as a                       private dwelling.

Sherburn House: a colliery side, east of Durham City, based on Sherburn Colliery.

Sleetburn: a colliery side, west of Durham City, based on New Brancepeth, played at Pringle House.

South Shields St Pauls - One of the many junior clubs based in Shields and Jarrow. They joined the original Rugby League in 1901, one of only two Durham clubs to do so. 

South Shields 4^th Durham Howitzer Battery (played on the toughest pitch, probably, in the country – at Trow Rocks, which had minimal top soil cover – if any!)

Southwick Rangers: a Sunderland Club.

Stargate (Rovers) : a colliery side in Ryton/Blaydon.played at Holly Bush.

Stranton Vulcans: a Pyman League side from West Hartlepool played at Foggy Furze, probably New Stranton Celtic under a new name, they lasted only two seasons.

Throston Wanderers: a "Old"  Hartlepool side, one of several Throston Township Clubs

* G.T.M. in the list below refers to goals, tries and Minors. A goal was when the ball went over the bar between the posts, Try for a touchdown, you were allowed to try for goal! and a minor occurred when for instance, your opposition conceded a five metre scrum on your own line, similar to conceding a corner in soccer!

With the adoption of the League system in 1986/87 and the abandonment of the two-tier membership system in Durham County, the Junior Cup was used as the Challenge Trophy until the beginning of the new century but reverted to the Junior Cup after a few seasons.

Researched and written by Chris McLoughlin, Hon. Sec. of the Hartlepool & District R.F.U. and Past President & Sec. of Durham County R.F.U.,and Mr John Davison, Gateshead RFC - Durham County R.F.U. 

The County Plate : Records and History. The newest of the Adult Competitions, first put up in 2006/07

Following on from the runaway success of the Senior Cup,  a competition for the 2^nd XVs was set up in the season of 1887/88, this was the same season that the County Junior Cup was inaugurated, that being for the 1^st XV of Clubs that had not held membership of the Union.

Durham County Rugby Union Third Teams Cup winners and runners-up.

This Competition was started back in 1926/27 season and is always popular with the Veterans end of the game in Durham County.

Although dating officially from 1876, the Durham County Rugby Union, like many of its Clubs, has a pre-history stretching back to at least 1873.  That year a group of enthusiasts in the County received an invite from Yorkshire RFU (formed in 1870) suggesting “you give us contest at Rugby” After a champagne luncheon the invite was accepted, and Durham played Yorkshire in Leeds.

This gallery has a selection of images concerning the clashes between Durham County & the Counties in the Northern Championship, leading to 1892 which year can be seen as the Zenith for Rugby Union popularity in the North. The years following this period brought on the spilt with the Rugby League and the rise in popularity for Association Football. 

The Yorkshire, Lancs and Cheshire Unions were then at the peak of their powers but 1892 was a fateful year for their clubs, and were on the cusp of a disastrous split with the R.F.U. over broken time payments.

It is easy to look back at the past with a rosy hue, these images show that even in the great eras, travel chaos, disappointing results, new law changes and violence (on and off the field) were not uncommon.

Images from the earliest days of the Durham County Junior Cup Competitions; which brought success to local clubs from the outset of the Competition in 1887/88 season.

W. L. Oakes, (1859-1920) was prominent is promoting the Cup, along with Arthur Hill who was County Secretary and is a reminder of some of the small clubs and colliery villages and churches that supported Football played in the Rugby Code at this time. By the early 90s there were approx. 40 County Junior Clubs with as many as 25 of them playing in the Competition.

Will Oakes was the older brother of Bob Oakes and moved with his parents to Hartlepool as a small child on his father’s appointment to the Heugh Battery. He played for Durham on 10 occasions, skippering the side for a season, and for five years between 1882 and 1888 he Captained the Rovers XV when he led them to their first Senior Cup win in 1884 and again in 1887.

On retiring as a player, he became a Vice President of the County Union until 1894 as well as being Rovers secretary and Treasurer from 1892-1895. He did not serve as County President, resigning his County post in 1894 but continued to support Rovers until his death in 1920.

Over the years, Durham Rugby has produced ten Match Officials who have gone on to Referee at International level, with the latest being Nikki O’Donnell in the Women’s game in 2021.

The first person to gain the honour was from West Hartlepool when William Humphreys, a West member, officiated at the Scotland v Wales game in Edinburgh and shortly afterwards the Wales v Ireland match at Llanelli, both in Spring of 1893.

Born in Hartlepool in 1859, his father, also William, was a watchmaker who had moved from Barnard Castle and his father Thomas Humphreys, also ran a Watchmakers business in that town and was the inspiration for Charles Dickens to name his story collection “Master Humphrey’s Clock”, which were to introduce “Old Curiosity Shop”,” Barnaby Rudge” and “Pickwick Papers” to English Literature.

William Henry Humphreys captained the West Hartlepool Wanderers 2^nd XV., in 1881 and West 1^st XV in 1884/1885 season. By 1893 he had become a proficient Referee, in addition to his two Internationals that season, he officiated in the Yorkshire v Middlesex County Championship Final at Richmond and ended his season taking the Yorkshire Cup Final, Halifax v Batley at Headingley.

It was the following year that Wm Humphreys came to the fore in the County Union, when in January 1894, he took over as County Sec in place of Arthur Hill from Rovers. This season of 93 into 94 was a time of upheaval both at national and local level. At the 1893 AGM of the RFU, the rules on Amateurism had been defined, locally clubs were demanding Leagues to counter the popularity of Soccer, the Junior Clubs (around 40 of them at the time in the County) had been agitating for representation on the Union, the County Championship had ceased, and a new system initiated, the Referees Society had been formed (both Humphrey’s and Albert Boddy from West being at the forefront in that initiative). In addition, there were complaints of the domination of the County XV system by Rovers and Sunderland.

Against this background, Humphreys oversaw a major response by Durham County to the challenges, the system introduced under Humphrey’s tutelage saw the end of the Ashbrooke/Friarage fiefdom with the County matches and Trials and Cup Finals being staged throughout the County and not just at the Big Two.  The 1897 2^nd Teams Cup Final being a good example of the policy, the Final was at Hetton, the replay at Sherburn House. Likewise, County Championship games came to the Victoria Ground, Spennymoor, South Shields, and Low Fell Gateshead, Trials at Tyne Dock and South Shields. The Junior clubs did get the representation they sought, the Referees became part of the Union, and went from strength to strength. Eventually Leagues were introduced in 1902 but by then Humphrey’s had left the town and County.

He had been employed by the Hartlepool Gas & Water Company from around 1880 and in 1899 was one of 50 applicants for the post of Secretary to the York Water Company in that City, he was successful with his application, to end a successful decade both in Rugby and his professional life. He served in the 5th DLI rising to Captain and died in York in 1934.

Images from the upheavals within the Game from 1893 to the end of the decade.  At the 1893 AGM of the RFU, the rules on Amateurism had been defined, locally clubs were demanding Leagues to provide better competition than the Knockout Cups, the Junior Clubs (around 40 of them at the time in the County)) had been agitating for representation on the Union, the County Championship had ceased, and a new system initiated, the Referees Society had been formed. In addition, there were complaints of the domination of the County XV system by Rovers and Sunderland.

Against this background, a major response was made by Durham County Union to the challenges from 1894, which saw the end of the Ashbrooke/Friarage fiefdom with the County matches, Trials and Cup Finals being staged throughout the County and not just at the Big Two.  The County Championship games came to the Victoria Ground, Spennymoor, South Shields, and Low Fell Gateshead, Trials at Tyne Dock and South Shields, the Junior Cup Finals being staged at Sherburn, Boldon and Jarrow, among others. The County Junior clubs were given representation on the County, the Referees Society became part of the Union, and went from strength to strength. Eventually Leagues were introduced in 1902 but in 1894 Greatham were part of a Cleveland League that included Middlesbrough. 

The period from 1900 – 1914 was a remarkable period for Rugby in the area for during that time the Durham County XV, underpinned with a strong Hartlepool Club’s Player element, reigned as County Champion of England on 5 occasions, shared the Championship once and runners up on 5 occasions.

There is though, a background story to the era, for in the wake of the disastrous break of 1895 when not only the well-known North Country clubs, many of which are still prominent in the Rugby League today, departed from the RFU, but many other clubs also left the RFU Northern County Unions to join the new Northern Rugby Union.  Lancashire was reduced to 13 Clubs in 1897 whilst Yorkshire had just 11 clubs in the Yorkshire Cup by 1901 (at its zenith, the Yorkshire Cup could attract 132 entries), and had just 20 clubs in membership in 1907. The exodus was similar in places such as West Cumberland and Westmoreland. Durham did not escape lightly for numbers as by 1909, the County had only 8 Senior Clubs - (Rovers were the only one running in the South of the County).

Internally, Durham had its own decline to attend to as soccer became popular and Rugby support dwindled away. Several clubs disappeared, South Shields went to the new Northern Union, Tudhoe, Old Boys, Sherburn House, Tyne Dock and West Hartlepool folded, Even Sunderland RFC at one stage contemplated turning to Soccer. Locally, West Hartlepool Amateur F.C. won the F.A. Amateur Cup in 1905 beating Clapton FC at Shepherds Bush by 3 - 2,  to reinvigorate the call from a professional Soccer club in town, they were to get their wish when West RFC folded a few seasons later.

Equally remarkable was that in the period 1900/1909, no less than 9 local players appeared for England, in Frank Boylen, Tom Hogarth, John Jewitt, and Bernard Oughtred, all from Rovers, of which Bernard Oughtred also captained the England XV. From West Hartlepool, Bob Bradley, Jimmy Duthie and Jack Taylor all played for England, Taylor too, captained the National XV whilst Dr Leonard West from West, played for and Captained the Scotland XV. Another to play in this era was Bob Poole from Old Boys & Rovers, who had played for England in 1896, Harry Havelock played for Old Boys, West and England (in 1908).

Although the winning run faltered from 1910, the County could also call on the services of England & Rovers players, Dr. Fred.E. Chapman and A.Jimmy Dingle who were part of the 1914 Runners up XV and Scotland players Eric Young and Dr Robert Stevenson during the 1910/11 series of matches.

 A glimpse of the Inter County League structure that was introduced in 1901/02 season, though clubs in our area had been pressing the RFU for permission to run a “League” Competition since 1890.  Leagues had been part of the Yorkshire & Lancashire Unions since 1892 and Durham and Northumberland eventually went ahead with their own Club Championship, feeling the RFU had become “fossilized” in its attitude to Leagues. The word “League” was used as a sort of shorthand by the Clubs, the organizers and RFU were at pains to ensure that the word was not used officially, as it was perceived to smack of “professionalism”, hence "Inter-County Club Championship"

 Though initially successful in producing punctuality, enthusiasm and larger gates, clubs and players eventually lost their enthusiasm for the Competition (which was dominated by West initially and then Rovers predominately), Rovers and Sunderland withdrew in 1910.  The Inter-County structure coninued with West rejoining after their restart until 1914. Earlier, the League founded the Tyneside District League comprising initially a Durham Division and a Nothumberland Division for Junior Clubs and Senior Club lower sides. The two Divisions played each other annually as well as games against the Pyman League here in the Hartlepools. 

Born in Cleadon in 1888,  Freddie Chapman, studied medicine at the College of Medicine, Durham University and played Rugby for his home club of Westoe.  He played for his Club on that wing and with Durham County and England and was on 1908 British Lions tour in Australia and New Zealand. 

That year he also played for an Anglo-Welsh XV against the touring Australians. He played for England whilst a Westoe player in all four 1910 Internationals, one of which, England v Wales marked the opening of the stadium at Twickenham, Chapman has the distinction of being the first player to score a try, conversion and penalty on this famed ground, the win over Wales being the first win by England against the Welsh for 14 seasons.

Joining Rovers in 1911 his career was dogged initially by injury but whilst with Rovers he went on to play a further 3 games for England and resumed his County career, but like all of his generation the Great War brought his Rugby to close but remarkably the last of his 31 appearance for Durham was against Yorkshire in the 1919 campaign.

Having served in the Royal Navy and R A M C during the War Freddie Chapman continued as a Doctor in town and as an Honorary Surgeon at Hartlepools Hospital.  He died at his home in Cliff Terrace aged just 50 in 1938.

 Like the pre-Great War years, few images appear to have survived on the County XVs from the restart in 1919 even into the post War period. One highlight was the appearance of the County XV in the 1932 Final.

The 1931 Five Nations Championship featured a remarkable couple of events when two local players Carl D Aarvold (West) and Cliff Harrison (Rovers) featured in the Ireland and Scotland games that spring. Cliff Harrison made his debut in the Irish match having been named on the wing in place of Aarvold. A month later they were both named in the centre and wing respectively in the Calcutta match, Aarvold also being named as England Captain.

Carl Aarvold, who was born in West Hartlepool  and attended Durham School and Emmanuel College Cambridge where he gained a Blue.  His early career saw him play in the centre with West, Headingley, and Blackheath. With Durham County he played 22 times in all, which included the Captaincy. His England career saw him win 16 caps, six of the matches he played as Captain, and in addition he was a Barbarian, and toured Argentina in 1927 and Australia in 1930 with the British Lions.

Cliff Harrison was born in Hartlepool ,joining for Rovers from Brigade, he made 58 appearances for Durham County. He played in no less than 7 England trials and played in the Irish and Scots games of 1931, selected also against France he had to withdraw due to injury.                                                                                                                       

Images from the restart of County Rugby involving local players from the restart in 1945, like the restart after the Great War, few images have been traced from these restart seasons and would be welcomed on the site.

For almost a decade in the 1960’s Durham County XV revived memories of the Halcyon Era at the beginning of the 20^th., Century when firstly under West player, Jim Collard's Captaincy (then with Headingley) later  Mike Weston’s Captaincy,  the County appeared in 4 National County Semi Finals and two Finals, sharing the Championship once.

The County XV finals record for the era reads:

1958/1959 – Semi Finalists lost to Gloucestershire at Gloucester

1959/1960 – Semi Finalists lost to Warwickshire at Coventry

1961/1962 – Semi Finalists lost to Hampshire at Bournemouth

1964/1965 – Finalists lost to Warwickshire at Hartlepool

1966/1967 – Shared Championship with Surrey a draw at Twickenham then a draw at Hartlepool.

1967/1968 - Semi Finalists lost to Middlesex at Richmond

The County XV were also North Division Champions in seasons 1958-59, 59-60, 61-62, 64-65, 66 – 67 and 67 – 68.

Unlike the “Halcyon” era, it was not all plane sailing for Weston’s XV, in season 60/61 they came home in Fourth, whilst in 63/64 and 65/66 they ended up in Fifth spot from the six placings!

In addition, a number of town players achieved higher playing honours with Tony Peart and John Dee from Rovers playing for England, John Dee also toured with the 1962 Lions and Terry Arthur from West also turning out for England.  Terry Arthur also gained a Blue at Cambridge whilst Denny Jesson from Rovers achieved a similar honour with Oxford. 

As with the previous era, games against the Southern Hemisphere sides also saw local players pitting their talents against the tourists for N E Counties with Wilf Woodward playing against the Australians in 1958 at Gosforth,   Denny Jesson against the 1960 South Africans again at Gosforth, Tony Peart met up with the 1964 All Blacks at Harrogate and John Dee also played for N E Counties against the 1966 Australians.  Plus John Dee and Tony Peart also toured with the Barbarians.

Another remarkable feature of the Durham players in this era was the number that played away from the County due to their careers but travelled to play for the side. Among the clubs listed in the various programmes are City of Derry, Bedford, Richmond, Blackheath, Coventry, Edinburgh Wanderers, Metropolitan Police, Rosslyn Park, Moseley, Fylde and Headingley.

The season of 1976 into 77, saw Durham County mark 100 years since its inception and over those years many Hartlepool people both on and off the field have served the game within the County.  The Union was formed at Walton’s Hotel, in Sunderland but our only known town Club at that time did not attend but since then there has been a constant stream of players, administrators, referees, coaches, schoolteachers and supporters who have given outstanding service to the Durham County Union.

Images from just a few of the many Age Grade XVs fielded seasonally by the County Union as part of the Development programme.

Images from the period 1989-1994 which saw Durham County carry off the National County Championship in 89 and then runners up in 1994, both games taking place on Twickenham as the modern wrap around Stadium was being developed.

An image from the upheavals in the game following the 1995 decision to go open. Durham took on Cumbria at the New Friarage and came off second best to the tune of 66 points to 26. It is no surprise to recall that Cumbria came to the game as reigning County Champions.

The rugby changes since the 1990s heralded a new phase for the Durham County XV which has witnessed them still bringing success to the County albeit at Plate and Division II levels of the Championship.

The victorious Durham Under 15 squad which defeated Northumberland 29-19 on Sunday 28^th February, 2012. at West Hartlepool TDSOB under Ben Wainwright’s coaching. If anyone can supply names/schools, please contact the website

The growth of Women and Girls Rugby in recent seasons has been phenomenal, this season saw the Durham County XV play North Midlands (which covers Greater Birmingham, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire) on the New Friarage with the Durham side home by 45 points to 12.

Images frm the 2019 Under 20s Championship matches with games against Staffordshirew, Northumberland, Oxfordshire and then Surrey at Blaydon.