The Lancashire County Rugby Football Union is the society responsible for

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

in the county of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, and is one of the constituent bodies of the national

Rugby Football Union The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the Sports governing body, national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby ...

having been formed in 1881. In addition it is the county that has won the

County Championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

on most occasions

History

Early years

The first match arranged for the county of Lancashire took place in 1870, at Leeds against Yorkshire. This match was immediately known as the "Battle of the Roses" and was considered the "

blue riband The Blue Riband () is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest Velocity, average speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing and was not widely used until ...

" of Northern rugby football. To be selected to represent the county was an honour bestowed long before the foundation of the Lancashire RFU and it was seen as "the high road to International honours".

Formation of a Football Union

From 1870 to 1881 the government and arrangement of county matches in Lancashire vested in Manchester Football Club. Though self-appointed, Manchester FC was recognised as the authority by the other great Lancashire club, Liverpool St. Helens.Francis Marshall, ''Football; the Rugby union game'', page 373, London A movement of emerging new clubs, headed by W. Bell, the honorary secretary of the Broughton FC, had an objective to secure a voice in the selection of county teams. Bell was supported by an informal committee consisting of: G. C. Lindsay (Manchester Rangers), A. M. Crook (Free Wanderers), F. C. Hignett ( Swinton), Hunter (Birch). Initial approaches to the Manchester Club were declined and in 1881 a general meeting of Lancashire clubs was called at which the following clubs were represented: Manchester Rangers; Free Wanderers; Broughton; Swinton; Walton; Rossendale;

Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...

; Manchester Athletic;

Rochdale Hornets The Rochdale Hornets are a professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, competing in the League 1, the third tier of European rugby league. The Rochdale Hornets are one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs tha ...

; Chorley Birch; and Cheetham. Notably, the Manchester Club did not take part, but a resolution to form the Lancashire Football Union was agreed. The initial committee had W. Bell as its honorary secretary and G. C. Lindsay as the honorary treasurer. Two county matches were arranged altogether versus the Midland Counties and Lanarkshire (Scotland). Manchester then decided to wrest control of the county back and on 22 December 1881 met with the new Union and a duly constituted and representative governing body, its club to be called The Lancashire County Football Club, was formed. It was agreed the president, a vice-president, the hon. secretary and treasurer should be elected from the Manchester Football Club, a vice-president and a member of committee from the

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Club, and the remaining eight names to be elected from clubs other than the Manchester and Liverpool clubs. Also, all Home County matches would be played on the ground of the Manchester Football Club. The first officers and clubs elected to represent the newly formed Lancashire County Football Club were: *PRESIDENT : James MacLaren, Esq. (

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

). *VICE-PRESIDENTS : W. Brierley, Esq. (

) ; E. Kewley, Esq. (

). *HON. SECRETARY AND TREASURER : W. Grave, Esq. (

). *COMMITTEE :

, Broughton, Cheetham, Preston, Manchester Rangers,

, Swinton, and Free Wanderers. Lancashire county rugby team 1887 cropped

The first match was versus the Midland Counties (the Lanarkshire match having been cancelled), played at Coventry on 26 March 1882. Albert Neilson Hornby became president after James MacLaren resigned the office on 1 October 1884. Lancashire was part of the Queen's Jubilee celebrations in 1887 when they were asked to play Middlesex at

Kennington Oval Kennington is a district in south London, England. It is mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, running along the boundary with the London Borough of Southwark, a boundary which can be discerned from the early medieval period between th ...

on 12 March as a representation of Rugby Football, whilst

Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians () is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author, Sosthenes, and is addressed to the Christian church in C ...

played

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...

as an exposition of Association rules. Lancashire, led by Edward Temple Gurdon, won by a try, gained by Vincent Slater (

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

). In February 1889 it was proposed that the county shall be divided out into five districts (Manchester, Liverpool, South-East Lancashire, West Lancashire, and North Lancashire) each with three representatives, removing club based representation on the committee.

1890–1900

Lancashire won the 1890-91 season of the County Championship, despite the

county championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

having been organised by arch-rivals,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

. Lancashire won all their games with "not a goal being scored against them in any of the county matches they played". They then played "the Rest of England", on 18 April 1891. In 1891-92 Lancashire were defeated by Yorkshire who therefore wrested the championship of England from Lancashire. At this time, Lancashire County Football Club was made up of a number of clubs, and two sub-unions, West Lancashire Union (formed in 1884) and South-East Lancashire Union (predating the county Rugby Union having been formed in 1877): * Aspull * Askam * Barrow-in- Furness * Blackley Rangers * Blackley * Boothstown * Broughton *

Broughton Rangers Broughton Rangers were one of the twenty-one rugby clubs which met at the George Hotel, Huddersfield, in 1895 to form the Northern Rugby Football Union. They were originally based in Broughton, Salford, but in 1933 moved to Gorton, Manchester ...

* Bury *

Broughton Park Broughton is a suburb and district of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. Located on the east bank of the River Irwell, it is northwest of Manchester and south of Prestwich. Historically in Lancashire, the former manor house, Broughton Hall ...

* Crompton * Eccles * Failsworth * Free Wanderers *

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...

* Liverpool Old Boys *

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

* Manchester Rangers *

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...

* Mossley *

* Owens College * Pendleton * Radcliffe *

* Rochdale St. Clements *

* Stalybridge * St. Helens *

St Helens Recs St Helens Recreation Rugby League Football Club, often known as St Helens Recs or just the Recs, is a former professional rugby league club from St. Helens, Lancashire, that played in the Rugby Football League during the inter-war years. The club ...

* South-East Lancashire and Border Towns * Southport * Swinton * Tottington * Tuebrook *

Tyldesley Tyldesley () is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. Within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Lancashire, it is north of Chat Moss near the foothills of the Wes ...

* Ulverston * Walkden *

Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...

* Werneth * West Lancashire *

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census had a population of 62,400. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, ...

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia * Waterloo, New South Wale ...

It was postulated that the comparatively small membership compared to

had its roots in the fact that Yorkshire had a

Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...

, the eligibility for which was based on membership of the county union, whereas in Lancashire there was no equivalent.

Affiliated clubs

There are currently 83 clubs affiliated with the Lancashire RFU, most of which have teams at both senior and junior level. The majority of teams are based in

, parts of

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

and

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...

, but there are also occasionally sides from

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

and even

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

that are members. * Aldwinians *

Anti-Assassins The Anti-Assassins Rugby Union Football team (A-As) was an invitation team that selected players from the northern counties of England to play friendly charitable matches locally and to go on tour. The team was remodelled in 2004, teaming up with ...

Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 48,604 at the 2021 census. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, Greater Manchester, ...

Aspull Aspull is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Lancashire, Aspull, along with Haigh, is surrounded by greenbelt and agricultural land, separated from Westhoughton, on its southeast side ...

Bay Horse Bay is a hair coat color of horses, characterized by a reddish-brown or brown body color with a black point coloration on the mane, tail, ear edges, and lower legs. Bay is one of the most common coat colors in many horse breeds. The black a ...

* Birchfield *

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...

* Broughton *

Burnage Burnage is an area of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England, south of the city centre and bisected by Kingsway. The population at the 2011 census was 15,227. It lies within the Greater Manchester Metropolitan area, in the historic count ...

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

* Bury *

Carnforth Carnforth is a market town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England, situated at the north-east end of Morecambe Bay. The parish of Carnforth had a population of 5,560 in the 2011 census, an increase from the 5,350 reco ...

Chorley Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton, south of Preston and north west of Manchester. The town's wealth ca ...

Clitheroe Clitheroe () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Ribble Valley, Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for to ...

* Colne & Nelson * Crosby St Marys * De la Salle * Didsbury Toc H *

Eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

* East City Saints * Eccles *

Edge Hill University Edge Hill University is a campus-based public university in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England. The university, which originally opened in 1885 as Edge Hill College, was the first non-denominational teacher training college for women in England, befo ...

* England Fire Service * Firwood Waterloo *

Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830 ...

* Fylde *

Garstang Garstang is an ancient market town and civil parish within the Wyre borough of Lancashire, England. It is north of the city of Preston and the same distance south of Lancaster. In 2011, the parish had a total resident population of 4,26 ...

* Greater Manchester Fire Brigade *

Greater Manchester Police Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England. , Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 memb ...

Heaton Moor Heaton Moor is a suburb of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It is one of the Four Heatons and borders Heaton Chapel, Heaton Norris and Heaton Mersey. Heaton Moor has Victorian housing, built between 1852 and 1892, along affluent tree ...

HM Prison Hindley HM Prison Hindley is an adult male prison located in the village of Bickershaw (near Wigan) in Greater Manchester, England and operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History In 1961, Hindley Prison opened as a Borstal. In 1983 it was re-cl ...

Lancashire Constabulary Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Lancashire in North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, Lancashire, Hutton, near the cit ...

* Lancashire Ladies *

Lancaster University Lancaster University (officially The University of Lancaster) is a collegiate public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several new univer ...

* Leyland Warriors * Littleborough * Liverpool Collegiate *

Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool John Moores University (abbreviated LJMU) is a public university, public research university in the city of Liverpool, England. The university can trace its origins to the Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts, established in 1823. This ...

* Liverpool Medical School * Lostock *

* Manchester Medicals *

Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Education ...

* Manchester YMCA * Mancunians *

Merseyside Police Merseyside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Merseyside in North West England. The service area is 647 square kilometres with a population of around 1.5 million. As of September 2017 the service has 3,484 police o ...

Mossley Hill Mossley Hill is a suburb of Liverpool and ward of Liverpool City Council. Located 3.5 miles southeast of the city centre, it is bordered by the suburbs of Aigburth, Allerton, Childwall, Garston, and Wavertree. At the 2001 Census, the popul ...

Myerscough College Myerscough College (pronounced as ''Myers-coe'') is a Higher and Further Education college near Bilsborrow on the Fylde in Lancashire, England. Origins Myerscough College was founded on 15 March 1894 as the ''Lancashire County Institute of ...

Newton Le Willows Newton-le-Willows, often shortened informally to Newton, is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England. The population at the 2021 census was 24,642. Newton-le-Willows is on the eastern edge of St Helens, so ...

North Manchester North Manchester was, from 1896 to 1916 a civil parish within the Poor Law Union of Manchester, in Lancashire, (now Greater Manchester) England. North Manchester was a local government sub-district used for the administration of Poor Law legisl ...

* Old Bedians * Old Boltonians *

Ormskirk Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. It is located north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, Merseyside, St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. Ormski ...

* Orrell * Orrell St James *

Preston Grasshoppers Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club is an England, English rugby union team from Preston, Lancashire. The men's senior team play in the RFU National League 2 North, a level 4 league in the RFU league pyramid. History The club was founde ...

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...

Rossendale Rossendale may refer to several places and organizations in Lancashire, England: Places *Rossendale Valley, a river valley *Borough of Rossendale, a local government district *Rossendale (UK Parliament constituency) Rossendale was a United King ...

Ruskin Park Ruskin Park is a park in the London Borough of Lambeth, London, England, close to Camberwell, Loughborough Junction and Herne Hill. History At the start of the 20th century local residents successfully campaigned for a new public park on 24 acr ...

* St Edwards Old Boys *

Sedgley Park Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester, north of Salford and south of Bury. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, Prestwich was the seat of the ...

* Sefton *

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

Tarleton Tarleton is a village and civil parish in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. It is situated approximately north-east of Liverpool and south-west of Preston. The parish includes the village of Mere Brow and the hamlets of ...

Thornton Cleveleys Thornton-Cleveleys is a conurbation consisting of the village of Thornton and the town of Cleveleys. The two settlements formed a joint urban district from 1927 until 1974, before becoming part of Wyre. Political geography The civil parish ...

* Trafford MV *

University of Bolton The University of Greater Manchester (legally: The University of Bolton Higher Education Corporation) is a public university in Bolton, Greater Manchester in England. The university is commonly referred to as a 'post-92' institution, which is a ...

University of Central Lancashire The University of Lancashire (previously abbreviated UCLan) is a public university based in the city of Preston, Lancashire, England. It has its roots in ''The Institution For The Diffusion Of Useful Knowledge'', founded in 1828. Previously k ...

University of Cumbria The University of Cumbria is a public university in Cumbria, with its headquarters in Carlisle and other major campuses in Lancaster, Ambleside, and London. It has roots extending back to the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts, establi ...

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

University of Salford The University of Salford is a Public university, public research university in Salford, Greater Manchester, Salford, Greater Manchester, England, west of Manchester city centre. The Royal Technical Institute, Salford, which opened in 1896, be ...

* Vale of Lune *

* West Park St Helens *

Wythenshawe Wythenshawe () is an area of Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, in 1931 Wythenshawe was transferred to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a large housing estate there in the 1920s. With an area of approximately , ...

County club competitions

The Lancashire RFU currently helps run the following competitions for club sides based in

Leagues

All leagues are by both the Lancashire RFU and Cheshire RFU and feature clubs based in

and the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

. *

Lancs/Cheshire 1 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 div ...

- league ranked at tier 7 of the

English rugby union system Men's Rugby union in England consists of 106 leagues, which includes professional leagues at the highest level, down to amateur regional leagues. Promotion and relegation are in place throughout the system. Women's Rugby union in England consi ...

South Lancs/Cheshire 1 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 div ...

- tier 7 league *

South Lancs/Cheshire 2 Counties 3 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire (formerly Lancs/Cheshire Division Two (usually referred to as Lancs/Cheshire 2)) is a regional English Rugby Union league for teams in Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and Greater Manchester at level 9 of th ...

- tier 8 league * Lancs/Cheshire Division 3 - tier 9 league In 2018 several Lancashire Clubs lobbied the County to form a county based league system after repeated requests to change the RFU League structure in the North West had failed. The start of the 2018/19 season saw the founding of two Leagues in th
ADM Lancashire County Leagues
consisting of ten teams each. In the 2019/20 this was expanded to two 12 team leagues and by the 2020-21 season it had expanded to three senior 1st XV leagues consisting of three leagues and 35 clubs. In addition, two new "combination" leagues where formed consisting of two 10 team leagues.
ADM Premier DivisionADM Championship DivisionADM 1st DivisionCombination 1Combination 2

Cups

* John Burgess Lancashire Trophy * Brian Leigh Lancashire Trophy * Lancashire Plate * Alan Stone Lancashire Bowl

Discontinued competitions

North Lancashire/Cumbria North Lancashire/Cumbria (usually referred to as North Lancs/Cumbria) was an English Rugby Union League at the seventh tier of club rugby union for teams from North Lancashire and Cumbria that ran until the end of 2017–18 season. Promotion fr ...

- tier 7 league for Lancashire and

based clubs that was abolished in 2018 *

North Lancashire 2 North Lancashire Division 2 was an English Rugby Union league for teams from North Lancashire. The division was initially known as North-West East 2 when it was created in 1987, and had a number of different names since with North Lancashire 2 ...

- tier 9 league for Lancashire clubs that was abolished in 2015 *

Lancashire (North) Lancashire (North), formerly known as North Lancashire 1 was a regional (tier 8) English Rugby Union league for teams from the South Lancashire and Manchester area. The league champions were promoted to North Lancashire/Cumbria while the runner ...

- tier 8 league for Lancashire clubs that was abolished in 2017 *

North West 1 North West 1 (not to be confused with North 1 West) was an English Rugby Union league which was at the seventh tier of the domestic competition and was available to teams in North West England. Promoted teams moved up to North 2 West while re ...

- tier 7 league for Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria clubs that was abolished in 2000 *

North West 2 North West 2 was an England, English Rugby Union league which was at the eighth tier of the domestic competition and was available to teams in North West England. Promoted teams moved up to North West 1 while relegated teams dropped to North W ...

- tier 8 league for Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria clubs that was abolished in 2000 *

North West 3 North West 3 was an English Rugby Union league which was at the ninth tier of the domestic competition and was available to teams in North West England. Promoted teams moved up to North West 2 while relegated teams dropped to either South Lan ...

- tier 9 league for Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria clubs that was abolished in 2000 * North-West East 3 - tier 12 league for Lancashire clubs that was abolished in 1992

County side

Honours

The county side has reached the

Final 38 times, winning the title on a record 25 occasions. Lancashire have played in twelve of the past fourteen finals (from 2003 to 2018) and has won nine of those twelve finals. *

winners (25): 1891, 1935, 1938, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1955, 1969, 1973, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Notable players

Gerry Ainscough Gerry Christopher Ainscough (born 7 August 1964, in Wigan,Gerry Christopher Ainscough
ESPN pro ...

Jack Anderton John Anderton was an English rugby football player who played during the 1880s and 1890s. He played at representative level for the British Isles and at club level for Wigan, Salford and Wakefield. He had two spells with Wigan from his debut i ...

* Tom Banks *

Bill Beaumont Sir William Blackledge Beaumont (born 9 March 1952) is an English former rugby union player, and was captain of the England rugby union team, earning 34 caps. His greatest moment as captain was the unexpected 1980 Grand Slam win. He played as a ...

* Edmund Beswick *

Steve Borthwick Stephen William Borthwick (born 12 October 1979) is an English rugby union coach and former player, who is currently the head coach of the England national team. As a player, he played as a lock for Bath and Saracens. At international level, he ...

* Walter Bumby * William Burgess *

Fran Cotton Francis Edward Cotton (born 3 January 1947) is a former rugby union prop forward who played for England and the British Lions. His clubs included Coventry R.F.C. and Sale. A "fearsome" prop, he was primarily a tighthead but also played to a h ...

* Harry Eagles *

Dick Greenwood John Richard Heaton Greenwood (born 11 September 1940) is an English former rugby union player and coach. A flanker, he played for Waterloo, Cambridge University, Lancashire and . He later coached Preston Grasshoppers and England. Biography ...

* Edward Temple Gurdon * Albert Neilson Hornby * Barry Jackson, Captain of Lancashire and England International. * Thomas Kelly (also played for

Devon Rugby Football Union The Devon Rugby Football Union is the sports governing body, governing body for the sport of rugby union in the county of Devon in England. The union is the constituent body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for Devon, and administers and organis ...

) * Edward Kewley *

Andi Kyriacou Andi Kyriacou (born 4 January 1983) is an English-born, Irish-qualified former rugby union player and current coach. Kyriacou played as a hooker for Sale Sharks, Leeds Carnegie, Saracens, Munster, Ulster, and Cardiff Blues before moving into c ...

Mike Leadbetter Michael Maurice Leadbetter (1946–2009) was a rugby union international and rugby league player, who represented England in 1970. Early life Mike Leadbetter was born on 25 July 1946 in Southport. He attended Ladybarn, a local secondary moder ...

Arthur Lees Arthur Lees (21 February 1908 – 26 March 1992) was an English professional golfer who played from the 1930s to 1960s. He was a member of four Great Britain Ryder Cup teams in the late 1940s and 1950s, and won several tournaments in Europe dur ...

* Joe Mills *

Tony Neary {{Infobox rugby biography , name = Tony Neary , image = , caption = , birth_name = Anthony Neary , birth_date = {{birth date and age, 1948, 11, 25, df=y , birth_place = Manchester, Lancashire, Eng ...

* Rob O'Donnell * William Openshaw *

Malcolm Phillips Malcolm Phillips is a former rugby union international player who represented England from 1958 to 1964. He was President of the Rugby Football Union in 2004–05, and also served on the International Rugby Board. Youth and playing career Phil ...

Hugh Rowley Hugh Campbell Rowley (27 April 1858 – after 1882) was an English rugby union footballer who played in the 1870s and 1880s. He played at representative level for England from 1879 to 1882, and at club level for Bowdon and Lymm Club, and Manch ...

Alex Sanderson Alexander Sanderson (born 7 October 1979 in Chester) is an English former rugby union footballer who played in the back row during the 1990s and 2000s for Saracens and Sale Sharks. He is the brother of Pat Sanderson who also played rugby for Li ...

Pat Sanderson Pat Sanderson (born 6 September 1977 in Chester) is a former England national rugby union team, England international rugby union player and a former Flanker (rugby union), flanker for Worcester Warriors, Worcester. He is the brother of the fo ...

Robert Seddon Robert Lionel Seddon (birth registered October→December 1860 in Salford district – 15 August 1888) was an English international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Broughton Rangers and Swinton and county rugby for Lancashire. S ...

* Lancelot Slocock *

Warren Spragg Warren Spragg (born 1 November 1982 in Manchester) is an English-born Italian rugby union international. He is a versatile back and goalkicker. Education Warren Spragg was educated at Audenshaw School, he then went on to Kirkham Grammar Schoo ...

* Charles Thompson * James Valentine *

Thomas Sherren Whittaker Thomas Sherren Whittaker (26 January 1868 – 8 February 1914) was an England, English rugby union forward who was a member of the British and Irish Lions, British Isles XV that toured 1891 British Lions tour to South Africa, South Africa in ...

* Peter Williams * Sam Williams * Ryan De La Harpe * Sammy Southern *

Martin Hynes Martin Hynes is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, and film producer. Life and career Hynes was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, and has a bachelor's degree in history from Columbia University. Hynes wrote and directed ''The Go ...

* Duncan Sandford * James Holt Marsh

Presidents

* 1881/84 J McLaren ★ (

) * 1884/14

A. N. Hornby Albert Neilson Hornby, nicknamed Monkey Hornby (10 February 1847 – 17 December 1925) was one of the best-known sportsmen in England during the nineteenth century excelling in both rugby and cricket. He was the first of only two men to captain ...

(

) * 1919/23 A M Crook ★ (

) * 1923/24 H Williamson (Kersal) * 1924/26 A Brettagh (

) * 1926/28 T W S Pollok (

) * 1928/30 H S Johnson (

) * 1930/32 J E Kidd (

) * 1932/34 J Milnes ★ (

) * 1934/36 T J Bradburn (

) * 1936/37 Dr E Moir (Manchester University) * 1937/39 T Brakell (

) * 1939/47 J Hunter (

) * 1947/49 J Bradley (Warrington) * 1949/51 H G Preston (

) * 1951/53 J H Roberts (Prestwich) * 1953/55 J B G Whittaker (

) * 1955/56 J R Locker ★ (Warrington) * 1956/57 E Ogden ( Fylde) * 1957/58 S C Meikle (

) * 1958/59 H A Fry (

) * 1959/60 C B Sewell (Prestwich) * 1960/61 N Shaw (Eccles) * 1961/62 J Heaton (

) * 1962/63 R S Unsworth (

) * 1963/64 V G Funduklian (

) * 1964/65 R H Guest (

) * 1965/66 E Randell (Furness) * 1966/67 A Marsden (

) * 1967/68 L Mortlock (Prestwich) * 1968/69 P G Clemence (

) * 1969/70 W E Naylor ( St. Helens) * 1970/71 A Shuker (

) * 1971/72 R G Burton (

) * 1972/73 C C C Burch (Warrington) * 1973/74 W R Hall (Heaton Moor) * 1974/75 R Higgins (

) * 1975/76 E Evans (Old Aldwinians) * 1976/77 G A Macintosh (

) * 1977/78 J H Waters (Kersal) * 1978/79 J Benson ( Orrell) * 1979/80 J Walsh (Heaton Moor) * 1980/81 A Gott (Burnage) * 1981/82 J Burgess ★ (

) * 1982/83 R H Wiseman (Preston Grasshoppers) * 1983/84 F Hardman (Sedgley Park) * 1984/85 M S Phillips ★ ( Fylde) * 1985/86 W G Bevan (

) * 1986/87 Dr J E Ryner (

) * 1987/88 I Sinclair (Heaton Moor) * 1988/89 W S B Faulds (

/Bury) * 1989/90 K Jones (

) * 1990/91 Dr N H Atkinson (Heaton Moor) * 1991/92 E Deasey (Rochdale) * 1992/93 B H England (Warrington) * 1993/94 R B Bretherton (Southport) * 1994/95 K Brown (

) * 1995/96 H E Neeley (Sedgley Park) * 1996/97 P E Hughes (Calder Vale) * 1997/98 W A Kershaw (

) * 1998/99 B Leigh (Wigan) * 1999/00 R T J Briers (West Park) * 2000/01 T W Alexander (Tyldesley) * 2001/02 W G D Chappell (Bury) * 2002/03 E M Whiteside (Southport) * 2003/04 F Morgan (Wigan) * 2004/05 J W Dewhurst (Fleetwood) * 2005/06 M Cornelia (Warrington) * 2006/07 S M Parker (

) * 2007/08 D N Herriman (Widnes) * 2008/09 K Andrews (West Park) * 2009/10 C Barker (Wigan) * 2010/11 D Welsh (Fleetwood) * 2011/12 T Hughes (Leigh) * 2012/13 M Worsley (West Park) * 2013/14 D Hodgson (Blackburn/Vale of Lune) * 2014/15 D Matthews (Liverpool St. Helens) * 2015/16 T Stirk (Fylde / Schools Union) * 2016/17 T Fitzgerald (Preston Grasshoppers) * 2017/18 S Blackburn (Rochdale) * 2018/19 D Clarke (Wigan) * 2019/20 G Burns - MBE (Waterloo) * 2022/23 Brian Stott (North Manchester) * 2023/24 Carol Baker (Leigh) Notes: ★ RFU President

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{County rugby union in England Rugby union governing bodies in England 1881 establishments in England Rugby union in Lancashire Rugby union in Greater Manchester Rugby union in Merseyside Sports organizations established in 1881