Midlands Rugby League Division Two

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Midlands Rugby League Division Two
Sport Rugby league football
Formerly known as Midlands Merit League, RL Merit League, Midlands Rugby League
Inaugural season 2009
Chair Tim Fellows
Number of teams 9
Country  England
Champions Leamington Royals (2013)
Website midlandsrugbyleague.co.uk
Related competition Midlands Rugby League Premier Division, Midlands Rugby League Division One, Midlands Junior League

The Midlands Rugby League Division Two is a summer rugby league tournament in the Midlands region of England. It was previously known as the Midlands Rugby League and the Midlands Merit League. Its season runs from April to August.

History

See also: History of the Midlands Merit League

The Midlands Merit League was founded in late 2005 to support the growth of rugby league in non-heartland areas. The 2007 season saw the introduction of an informal under-15 league Midlands Junior League based on Merit League principles. In 2008 the junior competition featured under-14 and under-16 divisions.

The league was renamed RL Merit League (RLML) for the 2008 season due to its increased geographical spread with teams from the North of England taking part. 2009 saw the largest ever entry, with over 30 teams split into two Northern pools; "Yorkshire and Humber" and "North West" and the stand-alone Midlands Rugby League.

In 2012, the Rugby League Conference was replaced by regional leagues and the Midlands Rugby League took control of the RLC Midlands Premier Division and the RLC Midlands regional division. The old Midlands Rugby League continued as Division Two of the new Midlands pyramid.

Community game pyramid

See also: British rugby league system

Participating clubs

The participating clubs in 2012 were:

Midlands Rugby League Division Two
Bridgenorth Bulls
Coventry Warriors
Derby City
Dronfield Drifters
Hope Valley Hawks
Leamington Royals A
North Derbyshire Chargers
Telford Raiders A

Participating teams by season

For information prior to the split see: History of the RL Merit League
  • 2009: Birmingham Bulldogs A, Burntwood Barbarians, Coventry Bears A, Leamington Royals, Leicester Phoenix A, Northampton Casuals A, North Derbyshire Chargers, Nottingham Outlaws, Redditch Ravens, Telford Raiders A, Wolverhampton Warlords, Wolverhampton Wizards
  • 2010: Birmingham Bulldogs B, Dronfield Drifters, Leicester Storm A, North Derbyshire Chargers, Northampton Casuals A, North Staffordshire RLFC, Nottingham Outlaws B, Telford Raiders A, Wolverhampton RLFC
  • 2011: Coventry Dragons, Coventry Warriors, Dronfield Drifters, Hope Valley Hawks, Leamington Royals A, Leicester Storm A, NEW Ravens, Nottingham Outlaws B, Sleaford Spartans, Telford Raiders A, Wolverhampton RLFC
  • 2012: Bridgnorth Bulls, Coventry Warriors, Derby City, Dronfield Drifters, Hope Valley Hawks, Leamington Royals A, North Derbyshire Chargers, Telford Raiders A
  • 2013: Coventry Bears, Coventry Dragons A, Derby City, Leamington Royals, Telford Raiders A, Wolverhampton RLFC

Teams joining the Rugby League Conference

See also: History of the Rugby League Conference

Format

The scoring system for 2010 for the Midlands Rugby League men's competition was as follows:

Win: 3 points

Draw: 2 points

Defeat not conceded: 1 point

Default on game within three days of fixture: 0 points, with 24-0 score-line awarded to the opposition.

The average number of points scored per game, rather than the total, determines positions in the league table. Teams who have played 6 or more games will be placed higher in the table than those who haven't. If the average is the same, total games played followed by points difference will determine the placings.

Inter-league games between members of the Midlands Rugby League and the London League or RL Merit League can be counted as competitive matches, whilst both leagues are in season. These fixtures will need to be confirmed a week in advance to be guaranteed inclusion as regular season games.

Past winners

For the sake of completeness, previous Midlands competitions are included.

Midlands Merit League Championship

2006South Humber Rabbitohs42-18Nottingham Outlaws Academy
2007St Helens Wild Boars46-22German Exiles
2008Moorends-Thorne Marauders ML28-18Wigan Riversiders

Midlands Merit League Shield

2007East Riding RLC32-26Nottingham Outlaws Academy
2008Nottingham Outlaws Academy34-32Sheffield Forgers

Midlands Rugby League

2009Birmingham Bulldogs A26-12North Derbyshire Chargers
2010Leicester Storm A24-22North Derbyshire Chargers
2011Hope Valley Hawks72-32Sleaford Spartans

Midlands Rugby League Division Two

See also

External links

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