bowes

There’s a Newcastle Lightning team in the Yorkshire Men’s League premier division this year, but I would guess most are lost to the game as there’s nowhere for them to play.

Yes, there had been a North East League since the 1980s, predating summer rugby league. It got up to two divisions in the not too decent past as well. But then collapsed quite quickly after Coronavirus. It only collapsed at open age though, there are still junior leagues.

Two different teams pulled out of the final. It’s not the SRL’s fault.

They played in the North East League in 2022 before the North East League folded and the Scottish League restarted. Cumbria probably wouldn’t be practical though.

Thank you. I reset my login recently as I'd forgotten my password. I don't post much but saw an interesting thread recently on southern amateur clubs from the past that I wanted to contribute to.

More teams would get relegated from the Yorkshire Conference/fewer teams promoted into it. And the opposite for Cumbria (and in theory South, but that division is already two teams short and so would depend who is able and willing to step up, if anyone). The champions of the Regional Leagues* are guaranteed promotion to the regional conferences of the National Leagues, but the runners-up only get promoted if there's enough league places available. Page 17 here explains this in more detail with examples: NCRL Open Age (Male) 2026 Structure.pdf In the specific example given it would mean 3 teams relegated from the Yorkshire Conferences to the Yorkshire Men's League and 1 promoted from the Yorkshire Men's League. 2 teams promoted from the Cumbria Men's League to the Cumbria Conference and 1 relegated to it. *I'm unsure whether this includes the Midlands Men's League and London and East Men's League.

It meant Yorkshire clubs could mainly play other Yorkshire clubs and Lancashire clubs mainly play other Lancashire clubs. The odd team like Keighley might have found themselves on the wrong side of that though.

The NCL doesn't exist anymore. But the Premier, Division 1 and 5 regional conferences are listed as the national leagues and then there are 5 regional leagues as part of the same structure (with 2 additional regional leagues that only exist on paper, at least at open age level: there is no West & South West Men's League nor a North East Men's League). There is supposed to be promotion and relegation between the 'national' regional conferences and the regional leagues, but not sure the full details of how this will work. It's likely to be roughly 2-up 2-down but vary to preserve the geographical split of the different regional conferences. But there will be 16 team playoffs for promotion from the regional conferences to division 1. 16 teams in 4 groups then quarterfinals, semifinals and final. 4 teams from the NW Conference, 7 from the Yorkshire Conferences*, 3 from Cumbria and 2 from the South. The playoff finalists get promoted to replace the bottom 2 of division 1. *I don't know if the 4th place team with the best playing record qualifies or one of the two conferences is seeded to get an extra team in the playoffs. https://www.rugby-league.com/uploads/docs/NCRL Open Age (Male) 2026 Structure.pdf

Apparently Teesside Steelers entered Yorkshire League division 5 in 1998-99. I don’t know if they finished the season though. I’m not sure about Gateshead Panthers though but they won the North East League that season (which also had Whitley Bay Barbarians in). I do remember the Rugby League Conference well, I went to a few finals because they tended to be in the midlands. One final I was talking to someone I met at the match and didn’t realise until he said that I was talking to Harry Jepson who the Trophy was named after. It was quite nice to see teams playing each other from different leagues. I believe the Harry Jepson Trophy still exists but it’s just a single match between the Midlands Men’s League and London & East Men’s League winners now.

It would have been the Yorkshire League likely in the late 1990s. Possibly the early 2000s at the very latest. I’ll check my book to see what it says as I believe that is where I heard this. It gives a little background to the new Rugby League Conference clubs in the early days (though Gateshead Panthers never actually made it to the starting line in the RLC)

Gateshead Panthers and Teesside Steelers did go on to play in Yorkshire for a bit though.

I do actually have something on the EMARLA and London League in 1998-99 (but not the North East League). It was in a book I have ‘Beyond the Heartlands’ about the early Rugby League Conference. Final season for both leagues: EMARLA Derby City Garibaldi A Nottingham Crusaders A Birmingham Toyota-Ilkeston Derby City were champions but I don’t have the other teams. London League London Colonials (champions) South London Saints (runners-up) Metropolitan Police London Skolars A I’m not sure which way round the last 2 teams were. South London Saints became South London Storm when they joined the Rugby League Conference.

Portobello Playboys was another good game in the Scottish League

Thank you. Only a few years left of the expansion area winter leagues now. I wasn’t aware of Glasgow in the North East League. Basingstoke Beasts is a great club name, shame they didn’t last.

Between these twin clubs and Highfield, it did get very complicated tracking who was who from season to season. Constant relocations.