Cornwall/Devon League

Cornwall/Devon League was an English level eight, rugby union league for clubs principally based in Cornwall and Devon. Following the reorganisation of the English rugby union leagues in 2022, the league was replaced by two level eight leagues based in Cornwall and Devon. The Pirates Amateurs won the last competition in season 2021–22 and were promoted to Counties 1 Western West

Format

The champions and runner-up were promoted to Western Counties West. The number of teams relegated depends on feedback following promotion and relegation in the leagues above, but was usually two or three to Cornwall 1 and/or Devon 1. The season ran from September to April and comprised twenty-six rounds of matches, with each club playing each of its rivals, home and away. The results of the matches contributed points to the league as follows:

4 points are awarded for a win
2 points are awarded for a draw
0 points are awarded for a loss, however
1 losing point is awarded to a team that loses a match by 7 points or fewer
1 additional point is awarded to a team scoring 4 tries or more in a match.

The top two teams are promoted to Western Counties West and the bottom three teams are relegated to either Cornwall 1 or Devon 1 depending on their location.

2021–22

The 2021–22 Cornwall/Devon League consisted of fourteen teams; eight from Devon and six from Cornwall. The season started on 4 September 2021 and the final matches were played on 23 April 2022. Nine of the fourteen teams participated in the previous, completed season ; which following the withdrawal of Lanner in February 2020 only had thirteen teams. Truro and Paignton were promoted to Western Counties West as champions and runner-up respectively while South Molton and Exeter Athletic were relegated to Devon 1.
Five of the fourteen teams from the 2021–22 competition were promoted to the level seven Counties 1 Western West for the 2022–23 season; Pirates Amateurs, Topsham, Cullompton, Bude and Plymstock Albion Oaks. Five teams were assigned to the level eight league Counties 2 Cornwall; Hayle, Liskead-Looe, Newquay Hornets, Saltash and Veor while four teams were assigned to the level eight league Counties 2 Devon; North Tawton, Tavistock, Torquay Athletic and Withycombe. No teams were relegated to level nine.

Participating teams and locations

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/City	Previous season
Bude	Bencoolen Meadow	750	Bude, Cornwall	4th
Cullompton	Stafford Park		Cullompton, Devon	Relegated from Western Counties West
Hayle	Memorial Park		Hayle, Cornwall	Promoted from Cornwall 1
Liskeard-Looe	Lux Park		Liskeard	9th
Newquay Hornets	Newquay Sports Ground		Newquay, Cornwall	Promoted from Cornwall 1
North Tawton	Taw Meadow		North Tawton	7th
Pirates Amateurs	Mennaye Field	4,000	Penzance, Cornwall	5th
Plymstock Albion Oaks	Horsham Playing Fields		Staddiscombe, Plymouth	3rd
Saltash	Moorlands Lane		Saltash, Cornwall	Relegated from Western Counties West
Tavistock	Sandy Park	500	Tavistock, Devon	11th
Topsham	Bonfire Field		Topsham, Exeter	6th
Torquay Athletic	Recreation Ground	3,000	Torquay, Devon	8th
Veor	Memorial Ground	500	Camborne	10th
Withycombe	Raleigh Park		Exmouth, Devon	Promoted from Devon 1

2020–21

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 season was cancelled.

2019–20

Participating teams and locations

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/City	Previous season
Bude	Bencoolen Meadow	750	Bude, Cornwall	3rd
Exeter Athletic	Bravelands		Clyst St Mary, Devon	Promoted from Devon 1
Lanner	St. Day Rugby Field		Lanner, Cornwall	9th
Liskeard-Looe	Lux Park		Liskeard	6th
North Tawton	Taw Meadow		North Tawton	Promoted from Devon 1
Paignton	Queen's Park	1,650	Paignton, Devon	Relegated from Western Counties West
Pirates Amateurs	Mennaye Field	4,000	Penzance, Cornwall	11th
Plymstock Albion Oaks	Horsham Playing Fields		Staddiscombe, Plymouth	4th
South Molton	Station Road		South Molton	7th
Tavistock	Sandy Park	500	Tavistock, Devon	10th
Topsham	Bonfire Field		Topsham, Exeter	8th
Torquay Athletic	Recreation Ground	3,000	Torquay, Devon	5th
Truro	St Clement's Hill	2,000	Truro, Cornwall	Relegated from Western Counties West
Veor	Memorial Ground	500	Camborne	Promoted from Cornwall 1

2018–19

Participating teams and locations

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/City	Previous season
Bude	Bencoolen Meadow	750	Bude, Cornwall	5th
Hayle	Memorial Park		Hayle, Cornwall	11th
Honiton	Allhallows Playing Field		Honiton, Devon	4th
Lanner	St. Day Rugby Field		Lanner, Cornwall	6th
Liskeard-Looe	Lux Park		Liskeard	Promoted from Cornwall 1
Penryn	Memorial Ground	4,000	Penryn, Cornwall	3rd
Pirates Amateurs	Mennaye Field	4,000	Penzance, Cornwall	12th
Plymouth Argaum	Bickleigh Down		Plymouth, Devon	9th
Plymstock Albion Oaks	Horsham Playing Fields		Staddiscombe, Plymouth	8th
South Molton	Station Road		South Molton	Promoted from Devon 1
Tavistock	Sandy Park	500	Tavistock, Devon	10th
Topsham	Bonfire Field		Topsham, Exeter	Promoted from Devon 1
Torquay Athletic	Recreation Ground	3,000	Torquay, Devon	Relegated from Western Counties West
Withycombe	Raleigh Park		Exmouth, Devon	7th

2017–18

The season started on 2 September 2017 and finished on 21 April 2018. Fourteen teams contested the Cornwall/Devon league, seven from Devon, six from Cornwall and one from Somerset. Nine of the sides played in the league last season and are joined by Bude and Wellington, both relegated from Western Counties West, and three sides promoted from Devon 1 and Cornwall 1. Wessex and Hayle are champions of their respective leagues and Torrington were also promoted after Newquay Hornets declined to contest a play-off for the third promotion match.

Participating teams and locations

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/City	Previous season
Bude	Bencoolen Meadow	750	Bude, Cornwall	Relegated from Western Counties West
Hayle	Memorial Park		Hayle, Cornwall	Promoted from Cornwall 1
Honiton	Allhallows Playing Field		Honiton, Devon	11th
Lanner	St. Day Rugby Field		Lanner, Cornwall	7th
Penryn	Memorial Ground	4,000	Penryn, Cornwall	5th
Pirates Amateurs	Mennaye Field	4,000	Penzance, Cornwall	8th
Plymouth Argaum	Bickleigh Down		Plymouth, Devon	10th
Plymstock Albion Oaks	Horsham Playing Fields		Staddiscombe, Plymouth	6th
Saltash	Moorlands Lane		Saltash, Cornwall	3rd
Tavistock	Sandy Park	500	Tavistock, Devon	9th
Torrington	Donnacroft		Great Torrington, Devon	Promoted from Devon 1
Wellington	Athletic Ground		Wellington, Somerset	Relegated from Western Counties West
Wessex	Flowerpot Playing Fields		Exeter	Promoted from Devon 1
Withycombe	Raleigh Park		Exmouth, Devon	4th

2016–17

A total of fourteen teams contested the Cornwall/Devon league, eight from Devon and six from Cornwall. Nine of the sides played in the league last season and were joined by two relegated from Western Counties West, two promoted from Devon 1 and one promoted from Cornwall 1. The relegated teams were Penryn and Saltash and the incoming teams are Tamar Saracens and Topsham and Lanner. The season started on 3 September 2016 and ended on 22 April 2017.
Falmouth won the league for the first time and along with the runner-up, Paignton are promoted to Western Counties West. The bottom three teams are relegated; Bodmin to Cornwall 1 and Topsham and Tamar Saracens to Devon 1.

Participating teams and locations

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/Village	Previous season
Bodmin	Clifden Park		Bodmin, Cornwall	9th
Falmouth	Recreation Ground	3,000	Falmouth, Cornwall	6th
Honiton	Allhallows Playing Field		Honiton, Devon	10th
Lanner	St. Day Rugby Field		Lanner, Cornwall	Promoted from Cornwall 1
Paignton	Queen's Park	1,650	Paignton, Devon	8th
Penryn	Memorial Ground	4,000	Penryn, Cornwall	Relegated from Western Counties West
Pirates Amateurs	Mennaye Field	4,000	Penzance, Cornwall	5th
Plymouth Argaum	Bickleigh Down		Plymouth, Devon	7th
Plymstock Albion Oaks	Horsham Playing Fields		Staddiscombe, Plymouth	4th
Saltash	Moorlands Lane		Saltash, Cornwall	relegated from Western Counties West
Tamar Saracens	The Parkway		Ernesettle, Plymouth	Promoted from Devon 1
Tavistock	Sandy Park	500	Tavistock, Devon	11th
Topsham	Bonfire Field		Topsham, Exeter	Promoted from Devon 1
Withycombe	Raleigh Park		Withycombe, Exmouth, Devon	3rd

2015–16

Participating teams and locations

A total of fourteen teams contested the Cornwall/Devon league, seven each from Cornwall and Devon. Nine of the sides played in the league last season and were joined by two relegated from Western Counties West, two promoted from Devon 1 and one promoted from Cornwall 1. The relegated teams are Tavistock and St Ives, and the incoming teams are Plymouth Argaum and Plymstock Albion Oaks and Newquay Hornets. The season started on 5 September 2015 and ended on 30 April 2016 with three matches still to play; the RFU deciding that the matches need not be played.
Bude, won the league for the first time and along with the runner-up, St Ives are promoted to Western Counties West. The bottom three teams are relegated; Newquay Hornets and Hayle to Cornwall 1 and Exeter Saracens to Devon 1.

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/Village	Previous season
Bodmin	Clifden Park		Bodmin, Cornwall	8th
Bude	Bencoolen Meadow	750	Bude, Cornwall	7th
Exeter Saracens	Exhibition Fields, Summer Lane		Whipton, Exeter, Devon	11th
Falmouth	Recreation Ground	3,000	Falmouth, Cornwall	6th
Hayle	Memorial Park		Hayle, Cornwall	9th
Honiton	Allhallows Playing Field		Honiton, Devon	10th
Newquay Hornets	Newquay Sports Ground		Newquay, Cornwall	Promoted from Cornwall 1
Paignton	Queen's Park	1,650	Paignton, Devon	5th
Pirates Amateurs	Mennaye Field	4,000	Penzance, Cornwall	4th
Plymouth Argaum	Bickleigh Down		Plymouth, Devon	Promoted from Devon 1
Plymstock Albion Oaks	Horsham Playing Fields		Staddiscombe, Plymouth	Promoted from Devon 1
St Ives	Recreation Ground	3,000	St Ives, Cornwall	Relegated from Western Counties West
Tavistock	Sandy Park	500	Tavistock, Devon	Relegated from Western Counties West
Withycombe	Raleigh Park		Withycombe, Exmouth, Devon	3rd

2014–15

Participating teams and locations

The 2014–15 Cornwall/Devon League consisted of fourteen teams; seven from Cornwall and seven from Devon. The season started on 6 September 2014 and the final matches were played on 18 April 2015. Crediton beat the runner-up Saltash on the final day of the season to claim first place and both teams were promoted to Western Counties West. The bottom three teams were relegated; Old Plymothian & Mannamedian and South Molton to Devon 1, and Liskeard-Looe to Cornwall 1.

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/Village	Previous season
Bodmin	Clifden Park		Bodmin, Cornwall	Promoted from Cornwall 1
Bude	Bencoolen Meadow	750	Bude, Cornwall	Relegated from Western Counties West
Crediton	Blagdon		Crediton, Devon	4th
Exeter Saracens	Exhibition Fields, Summer Lane		Whipton, Exeter, Devon	11th
Falmouth	Recreation Ground	3,000	Falmouth, Cornwall	6th
Hayle	Memorial Park		Hayle, Cornwall	8th
Honiton	Allhallows Playing Field		Honiton, Devon	5th
Liskeard-Looe	Lux Park		Liskeard, Cornwall	Promoted from Cornwall 1
Old Plymothian & Mannamedian	King George V Playing Field		Elburton, Plymouth, Devon	9th
Paignton	Queen's Park	1,650	Paignton, Devon	Relegated from Western Counties West
Pirates Amateurs	Mennaye Field	4,000	Penzance, Cornwall	10th
Saltash	Moorlands Lane		Saltash, Cornwall	7th
South Molton	Station Road		South Molton, Devon	Promoted from Devon 1
Withycombe	Raleigh Park		Withycombe, Exmouth, Devon	3rd

2013–14

Exeter University, the champions, lost only one match and finished in their highest ever league placing. Tiverton came second and both teams were promoted to Western Counties West for 2014–15 season. Newquay Hornets, and Veor who won only two matches and promoted the previous season, are both relegated to Cornwall 1.

2012–13

In 2012–13 the Cornwall/Devon League consisted of thirteen teams; seven from Cornwall and six from Devon. The season started on 8 September 2012 and ended on 20 April 2013. Plymouth Barbarians were originally included in the fixtures but dropped out of the league during the season.

1988–89

Original teams

When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams:

Cornwall/Devon honours

Cornwall/Devon League (1987–1993)

The original Cornwall/Devon League was a tier 8 league with promotion up to Western Counties and relegation down to either Cornwall 1 or Devon 1.

Cornwall/Devon League (1993–96)

The creation of National 5 South for the 1993–94 season meant that the Cornwall/Devon League dropped to a tier 9 league. Promotion continued to Western Counties and relegation to either Cornwall 1 or Devon 1. The league continued to be sponsored by Courage.

Cornwall/Devon League (1996–2009)

The cancellation of National 5 South at the end of the 1995–96 season saw the Cornwall/Devon League return to being a tier 8 division. Further restructuring meant that promotion was now to Western Counties West while relegation continued to either Cornwall 1 or Devon 1. From the 2008–09 season onward the league sponsor would be Tribute.

Cornwall/Devon League (2009–2022)

Despite widespread league restructuring by the RFU, the Cornwall/Devon League continued as a tier 8 division, with promotion to Western Counties West and relegation to either Cornwall 1 or Devon 1. Tribute continued to sponsor the league.

Summary of champions and runners-up

Place	Champions	Year	Runners-up	Year
Devon	21	1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015	24	1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022
Cornwall	11	1989, 1990, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022	10	1996, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018
Somerset	2	2010, 2018

Sponsorship

The Cornwall/Devon League was part of the Courage Clubs Championship and sponsored by Courage Brewery from the first season, 1987–88 to season 1996–97. The league was unsponsored until season 2007–08 when St Austell Brewery sponsored South-west based leagues under the Tribute Ale label.