Kent Cup
The Kent Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organised by the Kent Rugby Football Union. It was first introduced during the 1890-91 season, with the inaugural winners being R.N.C., Greenwich. It was discontinued after the 1926-27 season[1], but reintroduced during the 1970–71 season, the winners in that year were Sidcup.
| Sport | Rugby Union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1890 |
| Number of teams | 21 |
| Country | England |
| Holders | Old Elthamians (1st title) (2018–19) |
| Most titles | Blackheath (16 titles) |
| Website | Kent RFU |
In 1952, during the period the competition had been discontinued, the Kent Rugby Football Union provided the Kent Challenge Cup to Gravesend Rugby Football Club, to be presented to the winners of the North Kent Seven-a-Side Tournament, an annual tournament that had been organised and run by the club from 1935 until 1972.
The Kent Challenge Cup competition is the most important rugby union cup competition in Kent, ahead of the Kent Shield, Kent Vase, Kent Plate and Kent Salver.
The Kent Challenge Cup is currently open to the first teams of club sides based in Kent that play in tier 5 (National League 3 London & SE) and tier 6 (London 1 South) of the English rugby union league system, along with the 2nd teams of local clubs that play in tier 3 (National League 1) and tier 4 (National League 2 South). The format is a knockout cup with a first round, second round, semi-finals and a final, typically to be held at a pre-determined ground at the end of April on the same date and venue as the Shield, Vase, Plate and Salver finals.[2] Teams that are knocked out of the first round join the teams knocked out of the first round of the Kent Shield to compete for the Kent Plate.
Kent Challenge Cup winners
| |||||||
| Season | Winner | Score | Runners–up | Venue | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890-91 | R.N.C., Greenwich | ||||||
| 1891-92 | Blackheath "A" | ||||||
| 1892-93 | Queen's | ||||||
| 1893-94 | Chatham Garrison | ||||||
| 1894-95 | Duke of Wellington's Regiment | ||||||
| 1895-96 | Royal Engineers | ||||||
| 1896-97 | Park House | ||||||
| 1897-98 | Park House | ||||||
| 1898-99 | Park House | ||||||
| 1899-1900 | Catford Bridge | ||||||
| 1900-01 | R.N.C., Greenwich | ||||||
| 1901-02 | R.N.C., Greenwich | ||||||
| 1902-03 | Catford Bridge | ||||||
| 1903-04 | R.N.C., Greenwich | ||||||
| 1904-05 | Catford Bridge | ||||||
| 1905-06 | R.N.C., Greenwich | ||||||
| 1906-07 | Catford Bridge | ||||||
| 1907-08 | R.N.C., Greenwich | ||||||
| 1908-09 | R.N.C., Greenwich | ||||||
| 1909-10 | Catford Bridge | ||||||
| 1910-11 | Catford Bridge | ||||||
| 1911-12 | Royal Engineers | ||||||
| 1912-13 | Royal Engineers | ||||||
| 1913-14 | Royal Engineers | ||||||
| 1914-18 | (War. No Competition) | ||||||
| 1919-20 | |||||||
| 1920-21 | (Competition unfinished) | ||||||
| 1921-22 | R.N.C., Greenwich | ||||||
| 1922-23 | Guy's Hospital "A" | ||||||
| 1923-24 | R.N.C., Greenwich | ||||||
| 1924-25 | |||||||
| 1925-26 | King's Own Regiment | ||||||
| 1926-27 | Guy's Hospital "A" | ||||||
| 1970–71 | Sidcup | ||||||
| 1971–72 | Blackheath | ||||||
| 1972–73 | Sidcup | ||||||
| 1973–74 | Maidstone | ||||||
| 1974–75 | Canterbury | ||||||
| 1975–76 | Sidcup | ||||||
| 1976–77[3] | Blackheath | 10–3 | Old Dunstonian | ||||
| 1977–78 | Blackheath | ||||||
| 1978–79 | Maidstone | ||||||
| 1979–80 | Blackheath | ||||||
| 1980–81 | Blackheath | ||||||
| 1981–82 | Blackheath | ||||||
| 1982–83 | Blackheath | ||||||
| 1983–84 | Blackheath | ||||||
| 1984–85 | Blackheath | ||||||
| 1985–86 | Blackheath | ||||||
| 1986–87 | Blackheath | ||||||
| 1987–88 | Maidstone | ||||||
| 1988–89 | Askeans | ||||||
| 1989–90[4] | Gravesend | 12–0 | Park House | ||||
| 1990–91 | Sidcup | ||||||
| 1991–92 | Old Colfeians | ||||||
| 1992–93 | Westcombe Park | ||||||
| 1993–94 | Old Colfeians | ||||||
| 1994–95 | Westcombe Park | ||||||
| 1995–96 | Blackheath | ||||||
| 1996–97[5] | Sevenoaks | 28–24 | Canterbury | ||||
| 1997–98 | Westcombe Park | ||||||
| 1998–99 | Westcombe Park | ||||||
| 1999-00[6] | Westcombe Park | Maidstone | |||||
| 2000–01 | Thanet Wanderers | ||||||
| 2001–02[7] | Westcombe Park | 41–21 | Thanet Wanderers | Rectory Field, Blackheath, London | |||
| 2002–03 | Blackheath | Old Colfeians | |||||
| 2003–04[8] | Westcombe Park | 36–0 | Blackheath | Merton Lane, Canterbury, Kent | |||
| 2004–05 | Canterbury | Westcombe Park | |||||
| 2005–06 | Canterbury | Blackheath | Knole Paddock, Sevenoaks, Kent[9] | ||||
| 2006–07[10] | Canterbury | 41–27 | Blackheath | William Davey Memorial Ground, Maidstone, Kent | |||
| 2007–08[11] | Canterbury | 28–18 | Blackheath | Tomlin Ground, Cranbrook, Kent | |||
| 2008–09 | Blackheath | Gravesend | The Jack Williams Memorial Ground, Aylesford, Kent | ||||
| 2009–10[12] | Gravesend | 24–23 | Old Elthamians | Foxbury Avenue, Chislehurst, London | |||
| 2010–11[13] | Gravesend | 34–32 | Tonbridge Juddians | Merton Lane, Canterbury, Kent[14] | |||
| 2011–12[15] | Canterbury | 22–14 | Westcombe Park | Priestfields, Rochester, Kent | |||
| 2012–13[16] | Blackheath II | 43–25 | Old Elthamians | Canterbury Road, Ashford, Kent | |||
| 2013–14[17] | Gravesend | 27–24 | Blackheath II | Footscray Road, New Eltham, London | |||
| 2014–15[18] | Tonbridge Juddians | 34–17 | Old Elthamians II | Tomlin Ground, Cranbrook, Kent | |||
| 2015–16[19] | Westcombe Park | 16–12 | Blackheath II | The Jack Williams Memorial Ground, Aylesford, Kent | |||
| 2016–17[20] | Tonbridge Juddians | 62–3 | Sidcup | Merton Lane, Canterbury, Kent | |||
| 2017–18[21] | Sidcup | 33–27 | Old Elthamians II | Footscray Road, New Eltham, London | |||
| 2018–19 | Old Elthamians | 55-29 | Sidcup | 60a Broad Walk, Kidbrooke, London, SE3 8NB | |||
| 2019-20 | |||||||
Number of wins
- Blackheath (16)[a 1]
- R.N.C., Greenwich (9)
- Westcombe Park (8)
- Canterbury (6)
- Catford Bridge (6)
- Sidcup (5)
- Gravesend (4)
- Royal Engineers (4)
- Askeans (2)
- Maidstone (3)
- Park House (3)
- Guy's Hospital "A" (2)
- Old Colfeians (2)
- Old Elthamians (1)
- Tonbridge Juddians (2)
- Chatham Garrison (1)
- Duke of Wellington's Regiment (1)
- King's Own Regiment (1)
- Queen's (1)
- Sevenoaks (1)
- Thanet Wanderers (1)
Notes
- Blackheath's Kent Cup victories include wins by both the 1st and 2nd teams.
See also
References
- Jordan, J. P. (1949). History of Kent Rugby Football. London: Parnell. pp. 93–95.
- "Kent Cup (Men)". Kent RFU. Archived from the original on 19 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- "Club History". Old Dunstonian RFC. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
- "Answers to the Rugby Quiz". Gravesend RFC. 10 February 2014.
- "Recent history". Sevenoaks Rugby. 21 June 2017.
- "Club History". Maidstone Rugby. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- "Super Combe are Kent champions!". Bucks Free Press. 28 March 2002.
- "Blackheath booted out of Kent semis". Croydon Guardian. 22 February 2005.
- "City slickers make rugger history". Kent Online. 12 April 2006.
- "Kent Cup 2007 Match Report". Canterbury RFC. 4 April 2007.
- "Fourth straight Kent Cup win for Canterbury". Kent Online. 28 April 2008.
- "Gs clinch Kent Cup and Lordswood win Vase". Kent News. 27 April 2010.
- "TJs pay the penalty as double dream fades". Kent Online. 6 May 2011.
- "Tonbridge Juddians v Gravesend". Sports Images. 1 May 2011.
- "Canterbury add Kent Cup to National League 3 London & South East success with win over Westcombe Park". Kent Online. 30 April 2012.
- "Blackheath 43 Old Elthamians 25". Old Elthamians RFC (Pitchero). 28 April 2013.
- "Gravesend triumph in Kent Cup final". Gravesend RFC (Pitchero). 27 April 2014.
- "Tonbridge Juddians beat Old Ethalmians to the Kent Cup". Kent Live. 28 April 2015.
- "Combe triumph in Kent Cup Final clash with 'Club'". Westcombe Park RFC. 1 May 2016.
- "Rugby: Tonbridge Juddians cruise past Sidcup to win double". Times of Tunbridge Wells. 3 May 2017.
- "Cup woe as Extras fall at the final hurdle". Old Elthamians RFC (Pitchero). 29 April 2018.