NSWRL Jim Beam Cup

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Jim Beam Cup

General Information
First Season	2003
Website	Jim Beam Cup
2006 Season
Premiers	Sydney Bulls
Runners-Up	Newtown Jets
Minor Premiers	Sydney Bulls
Wooden spoon	Asquith Magpies
2007 Season
Premiers	unknown
Runners-Up	unknown
Minor Premiers	unknown
Wooden spoon	unknown

The Jim Beam Cup is a semi-professional development level rugby league competition in New South Wales (NSW), Australia run jointly by the NSW Rugby League (NSWRL) and the New South Wales Country Rugby League (CRL). The competition is run concurrently with the National Rugby League (NRL) and comprises 12 teams drawn from both the Sydney metropolitan area and the NSW Central Coast, north of Sydney. In 2007, new teams from Sydney and the south coast of NSW enter the competition. The competition is named after its major sponsor, Jim Beam.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Inter-District/Second Division (1963 - 1976) 1.2 The Metropolitan League (1974 - 1976) 1.3 The Metropolitan Cup (1990 - 2002) 1.4 Jim Beam Cup (2003-present) 2 Teams 2.1 Former Jim Beam Cup Teams 3 Footnotes 4 External links

[edit] History

The Jim Beam Cup is the latest in a succession Sydney-based second tier, semi-professional Rugby League competitions.

[edit] Inter-District/Second Division (1963 - 1976)

The a second tier senior Rugby League competition in Sydney was the Inter-District Competition established in 1963 by the NSWRL. It was renamed the Second Division in 1964. Like succeeding competitions the Second Division had a high turnover of participating clubs. The 'promotion' of two of the two biggest clubs Penrith Panthers (1966 champions) and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, at the conclusion of the 1966 season did not help the long-term stability of the competition.

During this period Wentworthville ("The Magpies") was the most successful club, competing in every grand final of the Second Division, winning a total of 8 premierships (including 5 in a row between 1967 - 1971). Due to their domination of the competition 'Wenty' was widely considered the best candidate for promotion to the NSWRL Premiership when two positions were made available for the 1967 competition. Due to their proximity to Parramatta, where a Premiership club was established in 1947, the Magpies were overlooked.

Year	Premiers
1963	Kingsford
1964	Wentworthville
1965	Wentworthville
1966	Penrith
1967	Wentworthville
1968	Wentworthville
1969	Wentworthville
1970	Wentworthville
1971	Wentworthville
1972	Ryde-Eastwood
1973	Wentworthville

[edit] The Metropolitan League (1974 - 1976)

The Second Division was reorganised in 1974 and renamed the Metropolitan League. It was dominated by the Ryde-Eastwood club. In the absence of Wentworthville, who competed in the Illawarra Rugby League competition, Ryde-Eastwood won all three Metropolitan League titles. The Metropolitan League was dismantled in 1976 and with it the idea of a second tier competition.

Year	Premiers
1974	Ryde-Eastwood
1975	Ryde-Eastwood
1976	Ryde-Eastwood

[edit] The Metropolitan Cup (1990 - 2002)

The concept of the second tier competition was resurrected in 1990 with the establishment of the Metropolitan Cup. Many teams that were involved in the former Second Division and Metropolitan League were included in the new competition, including Ryde-Eastwood and Wentworthville. Other teams in the new competition included Guildford Owls, Mt.Pritchard, Bankstown and Hills District Bulls. The Newtown Jets, who had been exiled from the New South Wales Rugby League premiership at the close of the 1983 season, were also granted admission into the competition and became a successful club in their second life, winning 4 premierships (including 3 in a row between 1995 - 1997).

The final Metropolitan Cup was contested in 2002 and was won by a newly formed club, the Sydney Bulls, defeating Ryde-Eastwood in the last grand final of the Metropolitan Cup.

Year	Premiers
1990	Ryde-Eastwood Hawks
1991	Guildford Owls
1992	Newtown Jets
1993	St Mary's Saints
1994	St Mary's Saints
1995	Newtown Jets
1996	Newtown Jets
1997	Newtown Jets
1998	Wentworthville Magpies
1999	Wentworthville Magpies
2000	Ryde-Eastwood Hawks
2001	St Mary's Saints
2002	Sydney Bulls

[edit] Jim Beam Cup (2003-present)

The Jim Beam Cup was established in 2003 as part of another overall restructure of the NSWRL competitions operating in the levels below the NRL. The Jim Beam Cup was intended to lay the foundations of a semi-professional 'State League' competition (similar to the Queensland Cup (rugby league competition)) and included four non-Sydney teams from the Central Coast (Erina Eagles, The Entrance Tigers, Ourimbah Magpies, and Woy Woy Roosters.) With the inclusion of these clubs (who field teams in the Central Coast Division of the CRL) the Jim Beam Cup became a cooperative effort between the NSWRL and the CRL.

Radio Coverage can be heard on Hawkesbury Radio 89.9FM with Peter Jolly and Shane Skeen.

Year	Premiers	Runners-up
2003	The Entrance Tigers	Wentworthville Magpies
2004	Sydney Bulls	The Entrance Tigers
2005	Windsor Wolves	Sydney Bulls
2006	Sydney Bulls	Newtown Jets

[edit] Teams

Since its establishment in 2003 the competition has both expanded and contracted in terms of numbers of side competing. Aside from the original expansion of the Sydney-based competition into the Central Coast, the Jim Beam Cup has continued to expand throughout Sydney, moving away from its Western Sydney base in 2005 with the inclusion of two Northern Sydney sides: the Asquith Magpies and Belrose Eagles.

In 2007, 12 clubs will compete for the Jim Beam Cup. New clubs Shellharbour, Chester Hill, Seven Hills and Mount Pritchard will compete for the first time. Newtown Jets have dropped out of the competition for 2007 to concentrate on their club's 2007 NSWRL Premier League campaign.

• Asquith Magpies
• Belrose Eagles
• Cabramatta Two-Blues
• Chester Hill Rhinos
• Erina Eagles
• Mt Pritchard Mounties
• Seven Hills Demons
• Shellharbour City Marlins
• Sydney Bulls
• The Entrance Tigers
• Wentworthville Magpies
• Windsor Wolves

In terms of geographical spread four clubs will be based in the Parramatta District (Wentworthville, Seven Hills, Cabramatta and Mount Pritchard), two on the Central Coast of NSW (Erina and The Entrance) and Canterbury-Bankstown (Chester Hill and Sydney Bulls) and one each in Penrith (Windsor Wolves), Manly-Warringah (Belrose), Illawarra (Shellharbour) and North Sydney (Asquith).

• In 2008, for the first time, an interstate team will enter the competition, with a Western Australia Rugby League representative side known as the WA Reds set to enter, with a view to developing the game in the state in order to secure a future NRL franchise in 2011 - 2012.^[1]

[edit] Former Jim Beam Cup Teams

• Ryde-Eastwood Hawks (Now Balmain - Ryde Eastwood Tigers in the NSWRL Premier League)
• Souths Juniors
• St Mary’s (formed now defunct joint-venture with Penrith Panthers, playing in the NSWRL Premier League)
• Guildford Owls
• Ourimbah Magpies (withdrew from the competition in Round 12 of the 2005 season)
• Woy Woy Roosters (withdrew at end of 2005 season)
• Newtown Jets (withdrew for 2007 season)

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• Sydney Bulls Official Site
• Cabramatta Two-Blues Official Site
• Erina Eagles Official Site
• Belrose Eagles Official Site
• New South Wales Rugby League
• Seven Hills Demons Official Site
• Mount Pritchard Official Site
• Windsor Wolves Official Site
• Shellharbour City Marlins Unofficial Site
• Offical Radio Broadcaster of Jim Beam Cup Hawkesbury Radio