County Championship (rugby Union)
The County Championship is an annual rugby union competition in England between teams representing English counties. After restructuring in 2007 the top tier of the Championship has been known as the Bill Beaumont Cup, after the trophy awarded to the competition winners was named in honour of Bill Beaumont, a former England and British & Irish Lions captain. Teams also compete for the County Championship Shield and County Championship Plate.
The English County Championship has a long history, being first officially recognised by the Rugby Football Union in 1889. The 2011 Championship was the 111th competition. The most successful county, Lancashire, has won the competition 21 times, followed by Gloucestershire (17) and Yorkshire (15). Gloucestershire (33) and Lancashire (30) have made the most appearances in contested finals.
On four occasions the tournament final has been tied at full time and a second leg rematch has been played. Two of these rematches were also tied and on these occasions (1907 and 1967) the finalists were declared joint winners. In 1991 the final match between Cornwall and Yorkshire was tied at full time and extra time was played, with Cornwall winning 29-20. In 2001 the Championship did not take place due to foot and mouth. Instead Yorkshire and Cornwall were invited to play at Twickenham.
Read more about County Championship (rugby Union): Structure, Past Winners, Championships By County
Famous quotes containing the word county:
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