Counties 1 Cumbria


Counties 1 Cumbria is a competitive rugby union league at level 7 of the English rugby union system run by the English Rugby Football Union for club sides based in Cumbria. It was previously a tier 7 league but the creation of North 2 West demoted it to level 8. Promoted teams typically go up to North 2 West and since Cumbria 2 was cancelled at the end of the 2018–19 season there is no relegation. Each season a team from Cumbria 1 is picked to take part in the RFU Senior Vase - a national competition for clubs at level 8. The original Cumbria league was formed at the start of the 1992–93 season when the North-West North 1 division was cancelled.
Until the end of the 2017–18 season the Cumbria League was a single division involving 10 clubs and ranked at tier 8 of the English rugby union system. The champions were automatically promoted to the now discontinued North Lancashire/Cumbria league and until the 2016–17 season the second placed team faced the runner-up from Lancashire for the final promotion place until Lancashire was cancelled. There was no relegation due to it having been the lowest competitive league for Rugby Union in Cumbria. It ran alongside the Cumbria 2 North & West and Cumbria 2 South & East Merit Leagues.
This changed for the 2018–19 season due to RFU having to restructure the northern leagues after 19 Lancashire based clubs withdrew from the league system to form their own competition. The result was that the Cumbrian clubs based in North Lancashire/Cumbria joined the top 3 Cumbria League sides in Cumbria 1, while the rest of the Cumbrian League sides along with a handful of 2nd XV teams formed Cumbria 2.
Another change to the structure from the 2018–19 season was that the division would play two stages - the first involving all eight teams to decide who would be contesting promotion and relegation during the second stage when the division was divided into two mini leagues. In 2022 the RFU further restructured the adult community leagues and the Cumbria League was renamed Counties 1 Cumbria from the 2022–23 season.

Format

The first-placed team is promoted to Regional 2 North. There is no relegation.
The season runs from September to April and comprises twenty-two rounds of matches, with each club playing each of its rivals, home and away. The results of the matches contribute 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.

    2025–26

Participating teams and location

Departing were the champions Wigton, promoted to Regional 2 North.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season
AmblesideGalava ParkAmbleside, Cumbria12th
CarlisleRugby Ground, Warwick Road1,500 Carlisle, CumbriaRelegated from Regional 2 North
CockermouthGrassmoor Sports CentreCockermouth, Cumbria5th
CreightonSycamore LaneCarlisle, Cumbria10th
EgremontBleach GreenEgremont, Cumbria4th
Hawcoat ParkHawcoat ParkBarrow-in-Furness, Cumbria7th
Keswick IIDavidson ParkKeswick, Cumbria6th
Kirkby LonsdaleUnderley ParkKirkby Lonsdale, CumbriaRelegated from Regional 2 North
MillomWilson ParkHaverigg, Millom, Cumbria3rd
Penrith IIWinters ParkPenrith, Cumbria2nd
St. Benedict'sNewlands AvenueMirehouse, Whitehaven, Cumbria8th
WhitehavenRichmond TerraceWhitehaven, Cumbria9th
WindermereDawes MeadowBowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria13th
WorkingtonThe Ellis Sports Ground12,000 Workington, Cumbria11th

2024–25

Participating teams and location

Departing were Carlisle promoted to Regional 2 North, Cockermouth were relegated from Regional 2 North while Ambleside re-joined the Cumbria league after an absence of twenty years, last having competed in 2003–04.
Aspatria II – 11th in 2023–24 – started the season but withdrew in October leaving the league to be completed with 13 clubs.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season
AmblesideGalava ParkAmbleside, CumbriaRe-entry
CockermouthGrassmoor Sports CentreCockermouth, CumbriaRelegated from Regional 2 North
CreightonSycamore LaneCarlisle, Cumbria10th
EgremontBleach GreenEgremont, Cumbria3rd
Hawcoat ParkHawcoat ParkBarrow-in-Furness, Cumbria6th
Keswick IIDavidson ParkKeswick, Cumbria9th
MillomWilson ParkHaverigg, Millom, Cumbria8th
Penrith IIWinters ParkPenrith, Cumbria7th
St. Benedict'sNewlands AvenueMirehouse, Whitehaven, Cumbria4th
WhitehavenRichmond TerraceWhitehaven, Cumbria5th
WigtonLowmoor RoadWigton, Cumbria2nd
WindermereDawes MeadowBowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria12th
WorkingtonThe Ellis Sports Ground12,000 Workington, Cumbria13th

League table

2023–24

Participating teams and location

Departing were Upper Eden and Cockermouth, promoted to Regional 2 North. Silloth finished 9th in 2022–23 but did not return for the new season.
Joining were Windermere re-joining the Cumbria league having last competed in 2019–20 together with Aspatria II and Keswick II.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season
Aspatria IIBower Park3,000 Aspatria, CumbriaNew entry
CarlisleRugby Ground, Warwick Road1,500 Carlisle, CumbriaRelegated from Regional 2 North
CreightonSycamore LaneCarlisle, Cumbria11th
EgremontBleach GreenEgremont, Cumbria3rd
Hawcoat ParkHawcoat ParkBarrow-in-Furness, Cumbria8th
Keswick IIDavidson ParkKeswick, CumbriaNew entry
MillomWilson ParkHaverigg, Millom, Cumbria6th
Penrith IIWinters ParkPenrith, Cumbria10th
St. Benedict'sNewlands AvenueMirehouse, Whitehaven, Cumbria7th
WhitehavenRichmond TerraceWhitehaven, Cumbria5th
WigtonLowmoor RoadWigton, Cumbria4th
WindermereDawes MeadowBowness-on-Windermere, CumbriaRe-entry
WorkingtonThe Ellis Sports Ground12,000 Workington, Cumbria12th

League table

2022–23

Participating teams and location

This was the first season following the RFU Adult Competition Review. The 2022–23 Counties 1 Cumbria league consists of 12 teams. Eight of these competed in the 2021–22 Cumbria 1 competition; Creighton, Egremont, Hawcoat Park, Millon, Upper Eden, Whitehaven, Wigton and Workington. Cockermouth and St. Benedict's dropped down from North 2 West having finished 7th and 12th respectively. Penrith II joined the league as a new team and Silloth returned to league rugby after not taking part in any competition since the 2019–20 season. A ninth member of the 2021–22 Cumbria 1 league, Furness, had also been assigned to Counties 1 Cumbria but withdrew before the start of the season.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season
CockermouthGrassmoor Sports CentreCockermouth, Cumbria7th North 2 West
CreightonSycamore LaneCarlisle, Cumbria9th Cumbria 1
EgremontBleach GreenEgremont, Cumbria4th Cumbria 1
Hawcoat ParkHawcoat ParkBarrow-in-Furness, Cumbria5th Cumbria 1
MillomWilson ParkHaverigg, Millom, Cumbria6th Cumbria 1
Penrith IIWinters ParkPenrith, CumbriaNew entry
SillothThe Jim Brough Rugby ParkSilloth, CumbriaRe-entry
St. Benedict'sNewlands AvenueMirehouse, Whitehaven, Cumbria12th North 2 West
Upper EdenPennine ParkKirkby Stephen, Cumbria1st Cumbria 1
WhitehavenRichmond TerraceWhitehaven, Cumbria2nd Cumbria 1
WigtonLowmoor RoadWigton, Cumbria3rd Cumbria 1
WorkingtonThe Ellis Sports Ground12,000 Workington, Cumbria8th Cumbria 1