# Counties 2 Durham & Northumberland

Counties 2 Durham & Northumberland, formerly known as Durham/Northumberland 2, is an English rugby union league at the eighth tier of the domestic competition for teams from North East England. The champions and runner-up are promoted to Counties 1 Durham & Northumberland and the bottom two clubs are relegated to Counties 3 Durham & Northumberland. Each season two teams from Durham/Northumberland 2 are picked to take part in the RFU Senior Vase (a national competition for clubs at level 8) - one affiliated with the Durham County RFU, the other with the Northumberland RFU. Ponteland won their fourth title in 2020 with Sunderland also promoted.

## Participating clubs 2021–22

The teams competing in 2021-22 achieved their places in the league based on performances in 2019-20, the 'previous season' column in the table below refers to that season not 2020-21.

## Season 2020–21

On 30 October 2020 the RFU announced that due to the coronavirus pandemic a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning DN2 was not contested.

## Original teams

When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams:
* Bishop Auckland
* Consett
* Hartlepool
* Hartlepool B.B.O.B.
* Houghton
* North Durham
* Medicals
* Mowden Park
* Seaham
* Sunderland
* Wallsend

## Durham/Northumberland 2 honours
### Durham/Northumberland 2 (1987–1993)

The original Durham/Northumberland 2 was a tier 10 league with promotion up to Durham/Northumberland 1 and relegation down to Durham/Northumberland 3.
Durham/Northumberland 2 :
| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams |
| 1987–88 | 11 | Mowden Park | Hartlepool | Houghton |
| 1988–89 | 11 | Whitby | Sunderland | Hartlepool B.B.O.B. |
| 1989–90 | 11 | Bishop Auckland | Darlington Railway Athletic | North Shields, Wallsend |
| 1990–91 | 11 | Consett | Hartlepool | Billingham |
| 1991–92 | 11 | Percy Park | Guisborough | No relegation |
| 1992–93 | 13 | North Durham | North Shields | Barnard Castle, Billingham |
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. |||||||||||

### Durham/Northumberland 2 (1993–2000)

The creation of National 5 North for the 1993–94 season meant that Durham/Northumberland 2 dropped to being a tier 11 league. A further restructure at the end of the 1995–96 season saw Durham/Northumberland 2 remain at tier 11.
Durham/Northumberland 2 :
| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams |
| 1993–94 | 12 | Ponteland | Wallsend | Newton Aycliffe, Seaton Carew |
| 1994–95 | 13 | Winlaton Vulcans | Medicals | Seaton Carew, Seghill |
| 1995–96 | 13 | Hartlepool | Guisborough | Multiple teams |
| 1996–97 | 10 | Consett | North Durham | Wensleydale, Darlington Railway Athletic |
| 1997–98 | 10 | Billingham | Novocastrians | Seaton Carew |
| 1998–99 | 9 | Houghton | Seghill | Guisborough |
| 1999–00 | 10 | Gosforth | Hartlepool | Richmondshire, Chester-Le-Street, Barnard Castle |
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. |||||||||||

### Durham/Northumberland 2 (2000–present)

Northern league restructuring by the RFU at the end of the 1999–2000 season saw the cancellation of North East 1, North East 2 and North East 3 (tiers 7–9). This meant that Durham/Northumberland 2 became a tier 8 league.
Durham/Northumberland 2 :
| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams |
| 2000–01 | 12 | Gosforth | Billingham | Novocastrians |
| 2001–02 | 12 | Acklam | Hartlepool | Whitley Bay Rockcliff, Medicals |
| 2002–03 | 12 | Consett | Houghton | Blyth, Whitby |
| 2003–04 | 12 | Ryton | Ponteland | Sunderland, Barnard Castle |
| 2004–05 | 12 | Gateshead | North Shields | Richmondshire, Yarm |
| 2005–06 | 12 | Sunderland | Gosforth | Whitby, Hartlepool |
| 2006–07 | 12 | Wallsend | West Hartlepool T.D.S.O.B. | Seaton Carew, Blyth |
| 2007–08 | 12 | Ashington | Consett | Yarm, Guisborough |
| 2008–09 | 12 | Team Northumbria | Hartlepool | No relegation |
| 2009–10 | 12 | Ponteland | Medicals | Houghton, North Shields |
| 2010–11 | 12 | Guisborough | Acklam | Prudhoe & Stocksfield |
| 2011–12 | 13 | Blyth | Consett | Yarm, Whitby |
| 2012–13 | 13 | Bishop Auckland | Novocastrians | Winlaton Vulcans, Seaham |
| 2013–14 | 13 | Ryton | Sunderland | Prudhoe & Stocksfield, Whitby |
| 2014–15 | 14 | Ponteland | Acklam | Hartlepool B.B.O.B., South Tyneside College |
| 2015–16 | 14 | Barnard Castle | Hartlepool | Houghton, Wallsend |
| 2016–17 | 14 | Redcar | Ponteland | Seaton Carew, South Shields, Blyth |
| 2017–18 | 14 | Acklam | Whitby | Richmondshire, Newton Aycliffe |
| 2018–19 | 14 | Whitley Bay Rockcliff | North Shields | South Shields, Houghton |
| 2019–20 | 14 | Ponteland | Sunderland | Blyth, Seaton Carew, Gosforth |
| 2020–21 | 14 | |
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. |||||||||||

## Number of league titles

* Ponteland (4)
* Consett (3)
* Acklam (2)
* Bishop Auckland (2)
* Gosforth (2)
* Ryton (2)
* Ashington (1)
* Barnard Castle (1)
* Billingham (1)
* Blyth (1)
* Gateshead (1)
* Guisborough (1)
* Hartlepool (1)
* Houghton (1)
* Mowden Park (1)
* North Durham (1)
* Percy Park (1)
* Redcar (1)
* Sunderland (1)
* Team Northumbria (1)
* Wallsend (1)
* Winlaton Vulcans (1)
* Whitley Bay Rockcliff (1)
* Whitby (1)