Midlands 4 East (North) Explained

Counties 3 Midlands East (North East) / (North West) (formerly Midlands 4 East (North)) are level 9 English Rugby Union leagues and level 4 of the Midlands League, made up of teams from the northern part of the East Midlands region including clubs from Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the occasional team from Leicestershire, with home and away matches played throughout the season. Each year some of the clubs in this division also take part in the RFU Junior Vase - a level 9-12 national competition.

Formed for the 2006–07 season, the division was originally known as Midlands 5 East (North) but changed to its present name for the 2008–09 season due to league restructuring. Promoted teams tend to move up to Midlands 3 East (North). Up until the 2017–18 season, relegated teams dropped down to Midlands 5 East (North), but since that division has been abolished there is currently no relegation.

The division was split across two geographic areas (East & West) for the 2021–22 season as part of an RFU reorganisation of the Midlands regional league. Further restructuring followed in the wake of the RFU's Adult Competition Review, with the league(s) initially known as Counties 3 Midlands East (North) East / West. From season 2023-24 a Counties 3 Midlands East (Central) was introduced before in 2024-25 the East (North) league was split North East and North West.

2024-25

North East

Departing were Mosborough promoted to Counties 2 Midlands (East) North.

Joining were Grimsby, Lincoln II, Market Rasen & Louth II, North Hykeham, Skegness and Sleaford.

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
	KGV Playing Fields			8th
East Retford	Ordsall Road			9th
	Springfield			Relegated from Counties 2 Midlands (East) North
Lincoln II	Longdales Park			New entry
Market Rasen & Louth II	Willingham Road			New entry
Meden Vale	Elkesley Road			4th
North Hykeham	Ruston Sports and Bar			Level transfer from Counties 3 Midlands East (Central) (8th)
Ollerton	Boughton Sports Field			7th
Skegness	Wainfleet Road			Re-entry
Sleaford	David Williams Pavilion			Level transfer from Counties 3 Midlands East (Central) (3rd)
Worksop	Stubbing Lane			11th

North West

Joining were Ashbourne II, Belper, Paviors II and Rolls-Royce

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Amber Valley	Lower Somercotes			12th
Ashbourne II	Recreation Ground			Level transfer from Counties 3 Midlands East (Central) (10th)
Bakewell Mannerians	Lady Manners School			3rd
Belper	Strutts Playing Field			Relegated from Counties 2 Midlands (East) North
	Dunston Road	2,000		5th
Dronfield II	Gosforth Fields			10th
	Eakring Road	1,000		New entry
Matlock II	Cromford Meadows			6th
	The Ron Rossin Ground			Level transfer from Counties 3 Midlands East (Central) (5th)
	Moor Lane			Level transfer from Counties 3 Midlands East (Central) (7th)
Tupton	North Side			2nd

2023-24

Departing from the East league were Newark II and from the West, Departing were Derby II, both promoted to Counties 2 Midlands (East) North. Nottingham Medics (3rd) withdrew from the league.

Moving on a level transfer to the newly formed Counties 3 Midlands East (Central) from the East league were North Hykeham, Nottinghamians, Paviors II, Sleaford and Southwell II; and from the West were Ashbourne II, Keyworth, Long Eaton II, Melbourne II, Rolls-Royce and West Bridgford II.

Joining were Mosborough, Bakewell Mannerians and East Retford.

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Amber Valley	Lower Somercotes			12th (West)
Bakewell Mannerians	Lady Manners School			Relegated from Counties 2 Midlands (East) North
	Dunston Road	2,000		4th (West)
	KGV Playing Fields			11th (East)
Dronfield II	Gosforth Fields			9th (West)
East Retford	Ordsall Road			Relegated from Counties 2 Midlands (East) North
Matlock II	Cromford Meadows			6th (West)
Meden Vale	Elkesley Road			2nd (East)
Mosborough	Mosborough Miners Welfare Club			Level transfer from Counties 4 Yorkshire (4th)
Ollerton	Boughton Sports Field			9th (East)
Tupton	North Side			3rd (West)
Worksop	Stubbing Lane			10th (East)

2022-23

This was the first season following the RFU Adult Competition Review^[1] with the league adopting its new name(s) of Counties 3 Midlands West (North) East / West.

East

Departing were Gainsborough, promoted to Counties 2 Midlands (East) North.

Joining were Meden Vale, Newark II, Nottinghamians, Nottingham Medics, Paviors II and Southwell II .

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
	KGV Playing Fields			3rd
Meden Vale	Elkesley Road			Level transfer from Midlands 4 East (North) West (runners-up)
Newark II	The Rugby Ground	1,000 (60 seats)		New entry
North Hykeham	Ruston Sports and Bar			4th
	Adbolton Lane			Level transfer from Midlands 4 East (North) West (5th)
Nottingham Medics	Weir Field Recreation Ground
Ollerton	Boughton Sports Field			5th
	The Ron Rossin Ground			New entry
Sleaford	David Williams Pavilion			2nd
Southwell II	Pentelowes			New entry
Worksop	Stubbing Lane			6th

West

Departing were Nottingham Moderns, promoted to Counties 2 Midlands (East) North.

Joining were Ashbourne II, Derby II, Dronfield II, Keyworth, Long Eaton II, Matlock II, Melbourne II and West Bridgford II.

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Amber Valley	Lower Somercotes			6th
Ashbourne II	Recreation Ground			New entry
	Dunston Road	2,000		3rd
	Haslams Lane			New entry
Dronfield II	Gosforth Fields			New entry
Keyworth	Willoughby Road			Re-entry
	West Park	1,000		New entry
Matlock II	Cromford Meadows			New entry
	Cockshut Lane	2,000		New entry
	Moor Lane			7th
Tupton	North Side			4th
	The Memorial Ground			New entry

2021–22

Skegness, who finished 12th in 2019–20, were placed in the East division for the current season but were unable to fulfil their fixtures and subsequently withdrew from the league.

The teams competing in 2021–22 achieved their places in the league based on performances in 2019–20, the positions in brackets refer to that season not 2020–21.

East

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
	KGV Playing Fields			3rd
Gainsborough	Roses Sports Fields			6th
North Hykeham	Ruston Sports and Bar			10th
Ollerton	Boughton Sports Field			9th
Sleaford	David Williams Pavilion			4th
Worksop	Stubbing Lane			14th

West

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Amber Valley	Lower Somercotes			13th
	Dunston Road	2,000		7th
Meden Vale	Elkesley Road			5th
	Adbolton Lane			11th
	Ferryfields			Relegated from Midlands 3 EN (11th)
	Moor Lane			Relegated from Midlands 3 EN (12th)
Tupton	North Side			8th

2020–21

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

2019–20

Participating teams & locations

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Amber Valley	Lower Somercotes			14th
	Princess Royal Sports Arena	2,000		5th
	Dunston Road	2,000		8th
	KGV Playing Fields			3rd
East Retford	Ordsall Road			4th
Gainsborough	Roses Sports Fields			13th
Meden Vale	Elkesley Road			11th
North Hykeham	Ruston Sports and Bar			6th
	Adbolton Lane			12th
Ollerton	Boughton Sports Field			7th
Skegness	Wainfleet Road			10th
Sleaford	David Williams Pavilion			Relegated from Midlands 3 EN (11th)
Tupton	North Side			Relegated from Midlands 3 EN (12th)
Worksop	Stubbing Lane			9th

2018–19

Participating teams & locations

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Amber Valley	Lower Somercotes			Promoted from Midlands 5 East (North) (3rd)
	Princess Royal Sports Arena	2,000		9th
	Dunston Road	2,000		4th
	KGV Playing Fields			Promoted from Midlands 5 East (North) (champions)
East Retford	Ordsall Road			3rd
Gainsborough	Roses Sports Fields			Promoted from Midlands 5 East (North) (5th)
	Springfield			Relegated from Midlands 3 East (North) (12th)
Meden Vale	Elkesley Road			Promoted from Midlands 5 East (North) (4th)
Mellish	War Memorial Ground			6th
North Hykeham	One NK			Promoted from Midlands 5 East (North) (runners up)
	Adbolton Lane			Promoted from Midlands 5 East (North) (6th)
Ollerton	Boughton Sports Field			7th
Skegness	Wainfleet Road			8th
Worksop	Stubbing Lane			5th

2017–18

Participating teams & locations

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Ashfield	Polly Bowls Sports Ground			Relegated from Midlands 3 East (North) (11th)
	Princess Royal Sports Arena	2,000		8th
	Dunston Road	2,000		Relegated from Midlands 3 East (North) (12th)
East Retford	Ordsall Road			4th
Mellish	War Memorial Ground			3rd
Ollerton	Boughton Sports Field			6th
Skegness	Wainfleet Road			Promoted from Midlands 5 East (North) (champions)
Tupton	North Side			5th
Worksop	Stubbing Lane			7th

Teams 2016–17

• Amber Valley
• Boston (relegated from Midlands 3 East (North))
• East Retford
  • Long Eaton Mellish
• Meden Vale (promoted from Midlands 5 East (North))
• Nottingham Moderns (relegated from Midlands 3 East (North))
• Ollerton (promoted from Midlands 5 East (North))
• Tupton
• Worksop

Teams 2015–16

• Amber Valley (relegated from Midlands 3 East (North))
• Bingham
• Birstall (promoted from Midlands 5 East (North))
• Buxton
• Cleethorpes
• East Retford
  • Long Eaton Mellish (relegated from Midlands 3 East (North))
• North Hykeham (promoted from Midlands 5 East (North))
  • Rolls-Royce Tupton
• Worksop

Teams 2014–15

• Ashfield
• Belper
• Bingham
• Buxton
• Cleethorpes
• East Retford (relegated from Midlands 3 East (North))
• Keyworth
  • Long Eaton Rolls-Royce (promoted from Midlands 5 East (North))
• Skegness (relegated from Midlands 3 East (North))
• Tupton
• Worksop

Teams 2013–14

• Amber Valley (relegated from Midlands 3 East (North))
• Ashfield
• Belper (relegated from Midlands 3 East (North))
• Bingham (promoted from Midlands 5 East (North))
• Chesterfield Panthers
• Cleethorpes
• Keyworth
• Leesbrook (promoted from Midlands 5 East (North))
• Long Eaton
• Nottinghamians
• Tupton
• Worksop

Teams 2012–13

• Ashfield
• Boston
• Chesterfield Panthers
• Cleethorpes
• Horncastle
• Keyworth
• Long Eaton
• Nottinghamians
• Nottingham Corsairs
• Skegness
• Tupton
• Worksop

Teams 2009–10

• Belper (promoted from Midlands 5 East (North))
• Castle Donington (promoted from Midlands 5 East (North))
• Chesterfield Panthers
• Cleethorpes
• Dronfield
• East Leake
• East Retford
  • Leesbrook Nottinghamians
• Rolls-Royce (promoted from Midlands 5 East (North))
• Skegness Panthers
• Uttoxeter

Teams 2008–09

• Amber Valley
• Ashby
• Ashfield
• Barton & District (promoted from Midlands 5 East (North))
• Belgrave
  • Boston Kesteven
• Market Rasen & Louth
• Mellish
• Nottingham Casuals (promoted from Midlands 5 East (North))
• Oakham
• Southwell

Original teams

When this division was introduced in 2006 as Midlands 5 East (North), it contained the following teams:

• Bakewell Mannerians - promoted from Derbyshire/North Leicestershire (champions)
• Boston - transferred from Notts, Lincs, Derbyshire/North Leicestershire (3rd)
• Dronfield - transferred from Notts, Lincs, Derbyshire/North Leicestershire (9th)
• East Leake - transferred from Notts, Lincs, Derbyshire/North Leicestershire (6th)
• Keyworth - transferred from Notts, Lincs, Derbyshire/North Leicestershire (7th)
• Long Eaton - transferred from Notts, Lincs, Derbyshire/North Leicestershire (8th)
• Nottingham Casuals - transferred from Notts, Lincs, Derbyshire/North Leicestershire (4th)
• Nottinghamians - promoted from Nottinghamshire/Lincolnshire (champions)
• University of Derby - promoted from Derbyshire/North Leicestershire (runners up)
• Worksop - transferred from Notts, Lincs, Derbyshire/North Leicestershire (5th)

Midlands 4 East (North) honours

Midlands 5 West (North) (2006–2009)

League restructuring ahead of the 2006–07 season saw the introduction of Midlands 5 East (North) and its counterpart Midlands 5 East (South) at tier 9 to replace the discontinued East Midlands/South Leicestershire 1 and Notts, Lincs, Derbyshire/North Leicestershire leagues. Promotion was to Midlands 4 East (North) and relegation to either Midlands 6 East (North-East) or Midlands 6 East (North-West).

Midlands 5 East (North)
Season	No of teams	Champions	Runners-up	Relegated teams	Reference
2006–07	10	Bakewell Mannerians			[2]
2007–08	10	Barton & District			[3]
2008–09	10	Worksop		No relegation	[4]
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

Midlands 4 East (North) (2009–present)

Further league restructuring by the RFU meant that Midlands 5 East (North) and Midlands 5 East (South) were renamed as Midlands 4 East (North) and Midlands 4 East (South), with both leagues remaining at tier 9. Promotion was now to Midlands 3 East (North) (formerly Midlands 4 East (North)) and relegation to Midlands 5 East (North) (formerly Midlands 6 East (North)) until that league was discontinued at the end of the 2017–18 season.

Midlands 4 East (North)
Season	No. of teams	Champions	Runners-up	Relegated teams	Reference
2009–10	12	Uttoxeter			[5]
2010–11	11	Belper			[6]
2011–12	12	Southwell			[7]
2012–13	12	Boston			[8]
2013–14	12	Chesterfield Panthers			[9]
2014–15	12	Belper			[10]
2015–16	10	Buxton			[11]
2016–17	10	Long Eaton			[12]
2017–18	9	Ashfield		No relegation	[13]
2018–19	14	Grimsby		No relegation	[14]
2019–20	14	Boston		No relegation	[15]
2020–21	14			No relegation
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

Number of league titles

• Belper (2)
• Boston (2)
• Ashfield (1)
• Bakewell Mannerians (1)
• Barton & District (1)
• Buxton (1)
• Chesterfield Panthers (1)
• Grimsby (1)
• Long Eaton (1)
• Southwell (1)
• Uttoxeter (1)
• Worksop (1)

See also

• Midlands RFU
• Leicestershire RU
• Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire RFU
• English rugby union system
• Rugby union in England

References

• Web site: English RFU . 2008 . Rugby First . RFU . 21 July 2008 . refStaffordshire . 28 April 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090428021201/http://clubs.rfu.com/clubs/portals/webmasters . dead .
• Rugby First: To view previous seasons in the league, search for any club within that league then click on to club details followed by fixtures and then select the appropriate season.

Notes and References

1. Web site: RFU announce new men's community structure . RFU . 2022-06-13.
2. Web site: 2006–2007 Midlands Division. England Rugby. RFU. 7 March 2015.
3. Web site: 2007–2008 Midlands Division. England Rugby. RFU. 7 March 2015.
4. Web site: 2008–2009 Midlands Division. England Rugby. RFU. 7 March 2015.
5. Web site: 2009–2010 Midlands Division. England Rugby. RFU. 7 March 2015.
6. Web site: 2010–2011 Midlands Division. England Rugby. RFU. 7 March 2015.
7. Web site: 2011–2012 Midlands Division. England Rugby. RFU. 7 March 2015.
8. Web site: RFU . England Rugby. RFU. 7 March 2015.
9. Web site: 2013–2014 Midlands Division. England Rugby. RFU. 7 March 2015.
10. Web site: 2014–2015 Midlands Division. England Rugby. RFU. 2 May 2015.
11. Web site: RFU . England Rugby. RFU. 2 May 2016.
12. News: 2016–2017 Midlands Division. England Rugby. RFU. 22 April 2017.
13. Web site: 2017–2018 Midlands Division. England Rugby. 28 April 2018.
14. Web site: 2018–19 Midlands Division. England Rugby. RFU. 13 April 2019.
15. Web site: Men's Midlands Level 8 and below leagues 2019–20. England Rugby. 25 April 2020.