Counties 1 Southern South

Counties 1 Southern South is a level 7 league in the Rugby Football Union South West Division, the rugby union governing body for South West England, part of the Rugby Football Union. When league rugby first began in 1987 it was a single league known as Southern Counties but in 1996 the division was split into two regional leagues: Southern Counties North and Southern Counties South. Counties 1 Southern South currently sits at the seventh tier of club rugby union in England and primarily features teams based in Dorset and Wiltshire.
The league champions at the end of the season are promoted to Regional 2 South Central while the runners up face the runners up from Southern Counties North for their place. Relegated teams tend to drop to either Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts North, Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts South or Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts Central depending on geographic placement. As of the 2022–23 season, with the RFU league restructuring, lower XVs are able to play in Counties 1 Southern South.

2025–26

Departing were Royal Wootton Bassett II, promoted to Regional 2 Severn while Combe Down were relegated to Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts North together with Dorchester, relegated to Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts South.

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/Area	Previous season
Alfred's Nomads	The Common		Marlborough, Wiltshire	Promoted from Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts North
Chippenham II	Allington Fields	500	Chippenham, Wiltshire	10th
Corsham	Lacock Road		Corsham, Wiltshire	8th
Devizes	The Sports Club		Devizes, Wiltshire	Runners-up
Frome	Gypsy Lane		Frome, Somerset	7th
Melksham	The Conigre	1,000	Melksham, Wiltshire	9th
Salisbury	Castle Road	1,500	Salisbury, Wiltshire	5th
Sherborne	Gainsborough Park		Sherborne, Dorset	3rd
Swanage & Wareham	Bestwall Road		Wareham, Dorset	6th
Swindon	Greenbridge Road		Swindon, Wiltshire	Relegated from Regional 2 Severn
Trowbridge II	Doric Park		Hilperton, Trowbridge, Wiltshire	Promoted from Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts Central
Walcot	Albert Field		Lansdown, Bath, Somerset	4th

2024–25

Departing were North Dorset, promoted to Regional 2 South Central whilst Weymouth & Portland were relegated to Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts South together with Avondale and Yeovil, both relegated to Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts Central.

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/Area	Previous season
Combe Down	Holly's Corner		Combe Down, Bath, Somerset	7th
Chippenham II	Allington Fields	500	Chippenham, Wiltshire	Promoted from Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts North
Corsham	Lacock Road		Corsham, Wiltshire	9th
Devizes	The Sports Club		Devizes, Wiltshire	Relegated from Regional 2 Severn
Dorchester	Coburg Road		Dorchester, Dorset	8th
Frome	Gypsy Lane		Frome, Somerset	4th
Melksham	The Conigre	1,000	Melksham, Wiltshire	Promoted from Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts Central
Royal Wootton Bassett II	Ballards Ash	5,000	Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire	6th
Salisbury	Castle Road	1,500	Salisbury, Wiltshire	Relegated from Regional 2 South Central
Sherborne	Gainsborough Park		Sherborne, Dorset	3rd
Swanage & Wareham	Bestwall Road		Wareham, Dorset	2nd
Walcot	Albert Field		Lansdown, Bath, Somerset	5th

2023–24

Departing were Wimborne, promoted to Regional 2 South Central whilst Blandford were relegated to Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts South together with Trowbridge II and Frome II, both relegated to Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts Central.

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/Area	Previous season
Avonvale	Bathford Playing Fields		Bathford, Bath, Somerset	9th
Combe Down	Holly's Corner		Combe Down, Bath, Somerset	4th
Corsham	Lacock Road		Corsham, Wiltshire	Promoted from Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts Central
Dorchester	Coburg Road		Dorchester, Dorset	5th
Frome	Gypsy Lane		Frome, Somerset	Relegated from Regional 2 Severn
North Dorset	Slaughtergate	1,000	Gillingham, Dorset	8th
Royal Wootton Bassett II	Ballards Ash	5,000	Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire	7th
Sherborne	Gainsborough Park		Sherborne, Dorset	Relegated from Regional 2 South West
Swanage & Wareham	Bestwall Road		Wareham, Dorset	6th
Walcot	Albert Field		Lansdown, Bath, Somerset	2nd
Weymouth & Portland	Monmouth Avenue		Weymouth, Dorset	Promoted from Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts South
Yeovil	Yeovil Showground		Yeovil, Somerset	3rd

2022–23

This was the first season following the RFU Adult Competition Review. Seven of the teams who competed in the final season of Southern Counties South returned.

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/Area	Previous season
Avonvale	Bathford Playing Fields		Bathford, Bath, Somerset	11th Southern Counties South
Blandford	Larksmead Recreation Ground		Blandford, Dorset	Promoted Dorset & Wilts 1 South
Combe Down	Holly's Corner		Combe Down, Bath, Somerset	6th Southern Counties South
Dorchester	Coburg Road		Dorchester, Dorset	8th Southern Counties South
Frome II	Gypsy Lane		Frome, Somerset	Promoted Dorset & Wilts 1 North
North Dorset	Slaughtergate	1,000	Gillingham, Dorset	Promoted Dorset & Wilts 1 South
Royal Wootton Bassett II	Ballards Ash	5,000	Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire	Promoted Dorset & Wilts 1 North
Swanage & Wareham	Bestwall Road		Wareham, Dorset	5th Southern Counties South
Trowbridge II	Doric Park		Hilperton, Trowbridge, Wiltshire	Promoted Dorset & Wilts 1 North
Walcot	Albert Field		Lansdown, Bath, Somerset	9th Southern Counties South
Wimborne	Leigh Park		Wimborne, Dorset	4th Southern Counties South
Yeovil	Yeovil Showground		Yeovil, Somerset	7th Southern Counties South

2021–22

Thatcham finished 11th in 2019–20 but were level transferred to Southern Counties North for the current season.

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/Area	Previous season
Avonvale	Bathford Playing Fields		Bathford, Bath, Somerset	Promoted from Dorset & Wilts 1 North
Combe Down	Holly's Corner		Combe Down, Bath, Somerset	6th
Corsham	Lacock Road		Corsham, Wiltshire	10th
Devizes	The Sports Club		Devizes, Wiltshire	4th
Dorchester	Coburg Road		Dorchester, Dorset	Promoted from Dorset & Wilts 1 South
Salisbury	Castle Road	1,500	Salisbury, Wiltshire	Relegated from South West 1 East
Swindon	Greenbridge Road		Swindon, Wiltshire	3rd
Swindon College Old Boys	Nationwide Sports Pavilion		Swindon, Wiltshire	8th
Swanage & Wareham	Bestwall Road		Wareham, Dorset	5th
Walcot	Albert Field		Lansdown, Bath, Somerset	9th
Wimborne	Leigh Park		Wimborne, Dorset	Relegated from South West 1 East
Yeovil	Yeovil Showground		Yeovil, Somerset	7th

2020–21

Due to the coronavirus pandemic the season was cancelled.

2019–20

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/Area	Previous season
Combe Down	Holly's Corner		Combe Down, Bath, Somerset	Promoted from Dorset & Wilts 1 North
Corsham	Lacock Road		Corsham, Wiltshire	9th
Devizes	The Sports Club		Devizes, Wiltshire	8th
Frome	Gypsy Lane		Frome, Somerset	Runners up
Grove	Cane Lane		Grove, Oxfordshire	4th
North Dorset	Slaughtergate	1,000	Gillingham, Dorset	7th
Swindon	Greenbridge Road		Swindon, Wiltshire	Relegated from South West 1 East
Swindon College Old Boys	Nationwide Sports Pavilion		Swindon, Wiltshire	6th
Thatcham	Henwicky Worthy Sports Field		Thatcham, Berkshire	10th
Swanage & Wareham	Bestwall Road		Wareham, Dorset	Promoted from Dorset & Wilts 1 South
Walcot	Albert Field		Lansdown, Bath, Somerset	5th
Yeovil	Yeovil Showground		Yeovil, Somerset	3rd

2018–19

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/Area	Previous season
Bradford-on-Avon	Broom Ground		Winsley, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire	Promoted from Dorset & Wilts 1 North
Corsham	Lacock Road		Corsham, Wiltshire	4th
Devizes	The Sports Club		Devizes, Wiltshire	8th
Dorchester	Coburg Road		Dorchester, Dorset	Promoted from Dorset & Wilts 1 South
Frome	Gypsy Lane		Frome, Somerset	6th
Grove	Cane Lane		Grove, Oxfordshire	Relegated from South West 1 East
North Dorset	Slaughtergate	1,000	Gillingham, Dorset	5th
Sherborne	Gainsborough Park		Sherborne, Dorset	3rd
Swindon College Old Boys	Nationwide Sports Pavilion		Swindon, Wiltshire	9th
Thatcham	Henwicky Worthy Sports Field		Thatcham, Berkshire	Level transfer from Southern Counties North
Walcot	Albert Field		Lansdown, Bath, Somerset	10th
Yeovil	Yeovil Showground		Yeovil, Somerset	7th

2017–18

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/Area	Previous season
Blandford	Larksmead Recreation Ground		Blandford, Dorset	10th
Corsham	Lacock Road		Corsham, Wiltshire	Promoted from Dorset & Wilts 1 North
Devizes	The Sports Club		Devizes, Wiltshire	6th
Frome	Gypsy Lane		Frome, Somerset	8th
Marlborough	The Common		Marlborough, Wiltshire	5th
North Dorset	Slaughtergate	1,000	Gillingham, Dorset	7th
Sherborne	Gainsborough Park		Sherborne, Dorset	3rd
Swanage & Wareham	Bestwall Road		Wareham, Dorset	4th
Swindon College Old Boys	Nationwide Sports Pavilion		Swindon, Wiltshire	Promoted from Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier
Trowbridge	Doric Park		Hilperton, Trowbridge, Wiltshire	2nd
Walcot	Albert Field		Lansdown, Bath, Somerset	9th
Yeovil	Yeovil Showground		Yeovil, Somerset	Promoted from Dorset & Wilts 1 South

2016–17

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Blandford	Larksmead Recreation Ground		Blandford, Dorset	Promoted from Dorset & Wilts 1 South
Combe Down	Holly's Corner		Combe Down, Bath, Somerset	Promoted from Dorset & Wilts 1 North
Devizes	The Sports Club		Devizes, Wiltshire	4th
Dorset Dockers	Potterne Park		Verwood, Dorset	7th
Frome	Gypsy Lane		Frome, Somerset	10th
Marlborough	The Common		Marlborough, Wiltshire	6th
North Dorset	Slaughtergate	1,000	Gillingham, Dorset	3rd
Sherborne	Gainsborough Park		Sherborne, Dorset	5th
Swanage & Wareham	Bestwall Road		Wareham, Dorset	Relegated from South West 1 East
Trowbridge	Doric Park		Hilperton, Trowbridge, Wiltshire	Relegated from South West 1 East
Walcot	Albert Field		Lansdown, Bath, Somerset	8th
Wimborne	Leigh Park		Wimborne, Dorset	9th

Season 2015–16

The 2015–16 Southern Counties South consists of twelve teams; four each from Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire. The season started on 12 September 2015 and ended on 23 April 2016.

Participating teams

Eight of the twelve teams participated in last season's competition. The 2014–15 champions Swanage & Wareham and runners up Salisbury were promoted to the South West 1 East while Supermarine and Corsham were both relegated to Dorset & Wilts 1 North. Royal Wootton Bassett were level transferred from Southern Counties North.

Team	Ground	Capacity	Town/Village	Previous season
Bradford-on-Avon	Broom Ground		Winsley, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire	10th
Devizes	The Sports Club		Devizes, Wiltshire	Relegated from South West 1 East
Dorchester	Coburg Road		Dorchester, Dorset	9th
Dorset Dockers	Potterne Park		Verwood, Dorset	Promoted from Dorset & Wilts 1 South
Frome	Gypsy Lane		Frome, Somerset	6th
Marlborough	The Common		Marlborough, Wiltshire	Promoted from Dorset & Wilts 1 North
Midsomer Norton	Norton Down Playing Fields		Midsomer Norton, Somerset	7th
North Dorset	Slaughtergate	1,000	Gillingham, Dorset	4th
Royal Wootton Bassett	Ballard's Ash Sports Ground	5,000	Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire	Transferred from Southern Counties North
Sherborne	Gainsborough Park		Sherborne, Dorset	3rd
Walcot	Albert Field		Lansdown, Bath, Somerset	5th
Wimborne	Leigh Park		Wimborne, Dorset	8th

League Table 2015–16

	Team	P	W	D	L	Points For	Points Against	+/−	Try Bonus Points	Losing Bonus Points	League Points
1	Royal Wootton Bassett	22	19	0	3	640	223	417	13	3	92
2	Midsomer Norton	22	16	1	5	643	297	346	14	3	83
3	North Dorset	22	15	1	6	712	365	347	13	5	80
4	Devizes	22	14	0	8	462	322	140	10	4	71
5	Sherborne	22	14	1	7	619	392	227	9	3	70
6	Marlborough	22	14	0	8	491	391	100	7	5	68
7	Dorset Dockers	22	10	1	11	506	555	−49	9	2	54
8	Walcot	22	7	1	14	467	561	−94	6	2	38
9	Wimborne	22	6	2	14	406	577	−171	7	3	38
10	Frome	22	7	0	15	324	664	−340	4	4	31
11	Bradford-on-Avon	22	3	1	18	255	691	−436	3	3	20
12	Dorchester	22	3	0	19	284	771	−487	4	0	11

Teams 2014–15

Bradford-on-Avon
Corsham
Dorchester
Frome
Midsomer Norton
North Dorset
Salisbury
Sherborne
Supermarine
Swanage & Wareham
Walcot
Wimborne

Teams 2013–14

Corsham
Dorchester
Frome
Ivel Barbarians
North Dorset
Sherborne
Swanage & Wareham
Trowbridge
Walcot
Wells
Wimborne

Teams 2012–13

Corsham
Devizes
Dorchester
Frome
Oakmeadians
Sherborne
Supermarine
Trowbridge
Walcott
Weymouth
Wimborne
Wootton Bassett

Teams 2009–10

Bradford-on-Avon
Corsham
Devizes
Dorchester
Frome
Ivel Barbarians
Minety
North Dorset
Oldfield Old Boys
Sherborne
Tadley
Wimborne

Original teams

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

Southern Counties South honours

Southern Counties (1987–1993)

Originally Southern Counties North and Southern Counties South were combined in a single division called Southern Counties. It was a tier 7 league with promotion up to South West 2 and relegation down to either Berks/Dorset/Wilts 1 or Bucks/Oxon 1.

Southern Counties (1993–1996)

At the end of the 1992–93 season the top six teams from London Division 1 and the top six from South West Division 1 were combined to create National 5 South. This meant that Southern Counties dropped from a tier 7 league to a tier 8 league for the years that National 5 South was active. Promotion continued to South West 2 and relegation down to either Berks/Dorset/Wilts 1 or Bucks/Oxon 1.

Southern Counties South (1996–2000)

Restructuring by the RFU at the end of the 1995–96 season saw Southern Counties split into two separate leagues, Southern Counties North and Southern Counties South, which reverted to tier 7 leagues due to the cancellation of National 5 South. Promotion from Southern Counties South was now to the new South West 2 East while relegation was now only to Berks/Dorset/Wilts 1.

Southern Counties South (2000–2004)

Southern Counties South remained a tier 7 league, with promotion continuing to South West 2 East. However, the transfer of Berkshire clubs from the Dorset/Wilts leagues to the Bucks/Oxon leagues, meant that relegation was now to Dorset & Wilts 1.

Southern Counties South (2005–2009)

Southern Counties South remained a tier 7 league, with promotion continuing to South West 2 East, while a further restructuring of the Dorset/Wilts leagues meant that relegation was now to either Dorset & Wilts 1 North or Dorset & Wilts 1 South.

Southern Counties North (2009–present)

Despite widespread league restructuring by the RFU, Southern Counties South continued as a tier 7 league, with promotion to South West 1 East and relegation to either Dorset & Wilts 1 North or Dorset & Wilts 1 South.

Promotion play-offs

Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of Southern Counties North and Southern Counties South for the third and final promotion place to South West 1 East. The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season Southern Counties North teams have been the most successful with twelve wins to the Southern Counties South teams seven; and the home team has won promotion on thirteen occasions compared to the away teams six.