Lancs/Cheshire Division One

Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire
Current season or competition:
2024-25 Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire
SportRugby union
Instituted1987; 37 years ago (1987)
Country England,  Isle of Man
Most titlesAltrincham Kersal, Warrington (3 titles)
WebsiteEngland RFU

Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire (formerly Lancs/Cheshire Division 1) is a regional English Rugby Union league for teams from Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and Greater Manchester, ranked at tier 8 of the English league system.

The division was initially known as North-West West 1 when it was created in 1987, and had a number of different names with South Lancs/Cheshire 1 being the longest running. The division switched to its final name for the 2018–19 season due to the restructuring of the northern leagues by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) as a result of 19 Lancashire clubs withdrawing from RFU competitions across the leagues to form their own competitions. This would see the North Lancashire/Cumbria division abolished, with Lancashire-based sides from that league being transferred into Lancs/Cheshire 1, while the Cumbria sides were transferred into Cumbria 1.[1]

The introduction of North 2 West for the 2019–20 season at tier 7 of the north west leagues, meant that Lancs/Cheshire Division 1 dropped down to being a tier 8 league. Then after the cancellation of Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season[2] due to the coronavirus pandemic, the league was disbanded with teams transferred into the Lancashire Merit Table competitions or ADM Lancashire leagues.

After a hiatus for season 2021-22 the league returned in its new guise following the restructuring of the English rugby union system ahead of the 2022–23 season, with the league renamed to Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire.

Promotion is to Counties 1 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire and relegation to Counties 3 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire.

  1. ^ "North West league restructuring (June 14 2018)". RFU North. 14 June 2018.
  2. ^ "RFU Cancels Adult Competitive Leagues for the 2020/21 Season". RFU. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.