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The South Midlands League was a football league covering Bedfordshire and some adjoining counties in England. It was founded in 1922 as the Bedfordshire County League and merged with the Spartan League in 1997 to form the Spartan South Midlands League.
| Founded | 1922 |
|---|---|
| First season | 1922–23 |
| Folded | 1997 |
| Country |  England |
| Divisions | 1–4 |
| Promotion to | Isthmian League |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Cup, FA Vase |
| Most championships | Barton Rovers (8) |
The league was formed in 1922 as the Bedfordshire County League, beginning with eight clubs; Arlesey Town, Biggleswade & District Reserves, Leighton United, Letchworth Town, Luton Clarence Reserves, RAF Henlow, Stotfold Athletic and Waterlows Athletic.[1] In 1924 the league was renamed the Bedfordshire & District County League.[1] A second division was added in 1925,[1] and in 1929 it was renamed the South Midlands League.[1]
Division Two had only six clubs in 1930–31 and 1931–32, and was not played in 1932–33.[1] However, it was reintroduced for the 1933–34 season with nine clubs, all but two of which were reserve teams.[1]
The league was abandoned in 1939 due to World War II, before returning for the 1946–47 season.[1] In 1947 Division One was renamed the Premier Division and Division Two became Division One, with a new third division added, named Division Two.[1] The league gained another division in 1949 when Division Two was split into Division Two A and B, with a play-off between the two division winners to determine the overall Division Two champions.[1] The following season Division Two reverted to being a single division.[2]
Division Two was abolished in 1955 after having shrunk to only eight clubs in 1954–55.[2] The league then remained unchanged until 1993 when Division One was renamed the Senior Division and a new division (Division One) added as a third tier.[3] In 1997 the league merged with the Spartan League to form the Spartan South Midlands League.[3] The new league initially ran with two Premier Divisions (north and south), a Senior Division and two Division Ones (north and south).[4]
During the evolution of the National League System, the league became a feeder to the Isthmian League, with clubs such as Leighton Town, Oxford City and Bedford Town earning promotion.
Although clubs from the league played in the qualifying rounds of the FA Cup from the late 1920s onwards, none ever reached the first round proper. The best performance came from Barton Rovers in 1976–77 when they reached the fourth qualifying round. South Midlands League clubs had more success in the FA Vase, with Barton Rovers reaching the final in 1977–78 and Arlesey Town winning the competition in 1994–95.
| Season | Champions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922–23 | Waterlows Athletic | |||
| 1923–24 | Biggleswade & District Reserves | |||
| 1924–25 | Waterlows Athletic | |||
| Season | Division One | Division Two | ||
| 1925–26 | Waterlows Athletic | Waterlows Athletic Reserves | ||
| 1926–27 | Leagrave & District | Batford Old Boys | ||
| 1927–28 | Baldock Town | Leighton United | ||
| 1928–29 | Luton Amateur & Ramblers | Luton Davis Athletic | ||
| 1929–30 | Waterlows | Arlesey Town | ||
| 1930–31 | RAF Henlow | Stevenage Town | ||
| 1931–32 | Vauxhall Motors | Arlesey Town | ||
| Season | Champions | |||
| 1932–33 | St Neots & District | |||
| Season | Division One | Division Two | ||
| 1933–34 | Vauxhall Motors | Dunstable Athletic | ||
| 1934–35 | Bedford Town Reserves | Stewartby Works | ||
| 1935–36 | Kettering Town Reserves | Biscot Sports | ||
| 1936–37 | Vauxhall Motors | Arlesey Town | ||
| 1937–38 | Vauxhall Motors | Vauxhall Motors Reserves | ||
| 1938–39 | Wolverton Town | Esavian Sports | ||
| Competition abandoned due to World War II | ||||
| 1946–47 | Luton Town Colts | Bedford St Cuthbert's | ||
| Season | Premier Division | Division One | Division Two | |
| 1947–48 | Wootton Blue Cross | Peartree Old Boys | Baldock Town | |
| 1948–49 | Cambridge Town Reserves | Luton Hitchin Road Old Boys | Lynton Works | |
| Season | Premier Division | Division One | Division Two A | Division Two B |
| 1949–50 | Rushden Town Reserves | Baldock Town | Houghton Rangers[lower-alpha 1] | Cranfield United[lower-alpha 1] |
| Season | Premier Division | Division One | Division Two | |
| 1950–51 | Bletchley Town | Luton Kents Athletic | Vauxhall Motors 'A' | |
| 1951–52 | Arlesey Town | Bedford Town 'A' | Arlesey Town Reserves | |
| 1952–53 | Arlesey Town | Biggleswade Town Reserves | Luton Skefco Athletic | |
| 1953–54 | Shefford Town | Stotfold | Luton Davis Athletic | |
| 1954–55 | Shefford Town | Hunting Percival Athletic | Barton Rovers | |
| Season | Premier Division | Division One | ||
| 1955–56 | Bletchley & WIPAC | Luton Town 'B' | ||
| 1956–57 | Bletchley BBOB | Luton Town 'B' | ||
| 1957–58 | Bletchley United | Peartree Old Boys | ||
| 1958–59 | Luton Skefko Athletic | Stewartby Works | ||
| 1959–60 | Ampthill Town | Sandy Albion | ||
| 1960–61 | Hemel Hempstead United | Waterlows | ||
| 1961–62 | Harpenden Town | Totternhoe | ||
| 1962–63 | Electrolux | Addmult | ||
| 1963–64 | Electrolux | Houghton Regis | ||
| 1964–65 | Harpenden Town | Barton Rovers | ||
| 1965–66 | Baldock Town | Esavian Sports | ||
| 1966–67 | Leighton Town | Hanslope | ||
| 1967–68 | Baldock Town | Rootes Sports | ||
| 1968–69 | Addmult | Selby | ||
| 1969–70 | Baldock Town | Welwyn Garden United | ||
| 1970–71 | Barton Rovers | Towcester Town | ||
| 1971–72 | Barton Rovers | Eaton Bray United | ||
| 1972–73 | Barton Rovers | Pirton | ||
| 1973–74 | Welwyn Garden City | Aspley Guise | ||
| 1974–75 | Barton Rovers | Winslow United | ||
| 1975–76 | Barton Rovers | BAC | ||
| 1976–77 | Barton Rovers | New Bradwell St Peter | ||
| 1977–78 | Barton Rovers | Royston Town | ||
| 1978–79 | Barton Rovers | BAC | ||
| 1979–80 | Pirton | Hatfield Town | ||
| 1980–81 | Stotfold | The 61 | ||
| 1981–82 | Pirton | Welwyn Garden | ||
| 1982–83 | Pirton | GS Ashcroft Co-Op | ||
| 1983–84 | Shefford Town | New Bradwell St Peter | ||
| 1984–85 | Eaton Bray United | Milton Keynes Borough | ||
| 1985–86 | Selby | Buckingham Athletic | ||
| 1986–87 | Selby | Electrolux | ||
| 1987–88 | Shillington | Pitstone & Ivinghoe | ||
| 1988–89 | Langford | Welwyn Garden United | ||
| 1989–90 | Pitstone & Ivinghoe | Harpenden Town | ||
| 1990–91 | Thame United | Buckingham Athletic | ||
| 1991–92 | Leighton Town | Ashcroft | ||
| 1992–93 | Oxford City | Bedford Town | ||
| Season | Premier Division | Senior Division | Division One | |
| 1993–94 | Bedford Town | Toddington Rovers | Stony Stratford Town | |
| 1994–95 | Arlesey Town | London Colney | Houghton Town | |
| 1995–96 | Arlesey Town | Holmer Green | Mercedes-Benz | |
| 1996–97 | Potters Bar Town | Leverstock Green | Biggleswade United | |
- AC Delco Reserves
- AC Sphinx
- AC Sphinx Reserves
- Abbey National
- ACD Tridon
- Addmult
- AML
- Ampthill Town
- Aspley Guise
- Arlesey Town
- Arlesey Town Reserves
- Ashcroft
- Bagshawes
- Baldock Town
- Baldock Town Reserves
- Barton Rovers
- Batford Old Boys
- Bedford Avenue Reserves
- Bedford Corinthians
- Bedford Eagles
- Bedford North End
- Bedford Queen's Works
- Bedford Queen's Works Reserves
- Bedford St Cuthbert's
- Bedford St. Cuthbert's Reserves
- Bedford Town
- Bedford Town 'A'
- Bedford Town Reserves
- Bedford United
- Bell Sports
- Biggleswade & District Reserves
- Biggleswade Town
- Biggleswade Town Reserves
- Biggleswade United
- Biscot Sports
- Bletchley Centre
- Bletchley LMS
- Bletchley Sports
- Bletchley Sports Reserves
- Bletchley Town
- Bletchley Town Reserves
- Bletchley United
- Bondor
- Borg Warner
- Bow Brickhill
- Brache Sparta
- Bridger Packaging
- Britannia Works
- British Aircraft Corporation (Luton)
- British Aircraft Corporation (Stevenage)
- Brooklands
- Buckingham Athletic
- Buckingham Town
- Buckingham United
- Caddington
- Cambridge Town Reserves
- Chipperfield
- Clifton Old Boys
- Cranfield United
- Cranfield United Reserves
- Crawley Green Sports
- De Havilland (Hatfield)
- Dunstable Athletic
- Dunstable Athletic Reserves
- Dunstable Town Reserves
- Dunstable United
- Eaton Bray
- Eaton Bray United
- Electrolux
- Elstow Abbey
- Emberton
- Esavian Sports
- Eynesbury Rovers
- Flamstead
- Flitwick Athletic
- Flitwick Rovers
- GIF (Luton)
- Hanslope
- Harlington Stars
- Harpenden Town
- Harrold United
- Hatfield Town
- Haynes
- Hemel Hempstead United
- Henlow
- Histon Institute Reserves
- Hitchin Blue Cross
- Hitchin Blue Cross Reserves
- Hitchin Imps
- Hitchin Town Reserves
- Hoddesdon Town
- Holmer Green
- Houghton Regis
- Houghton Town
- Hunting Athletic
- ICL Letchworth
- Ickleford
- Inter City
- Karrier Motors
- Kempston Rovers
- Kent Athletic
- Kettering Town Reserves
- Knebworth
- Kodak
- Kryn & Lahy
- Langford
- Leagrave & District
- Leagrave & District Reserves
- Leighton Athletic
- Leighton Marley
- Leighton Town
- Leighton United Reserves
- Letchworth
- Letchworth Town Reserves
- Leverstock Green
- Limbury Old Boys
- London Brick
- London Brick Reserves
- London Colney
- Lucas Sports
- Luton Amateur
- Luton Amateur Reserves
- Luton Amateurs & Ramblers
- Luton Amateurs & Ramblers Reserves
- Luton Athletic
- Luton Chapel Street Sports
- Luton Clarence
- Luton Clarence Reserves
- Luton Davis Athletic
- Luton Frickers Athletic
- Luton Gas Works Athletic
- Luton Hitchin Road Old Boys
- Luton Kent's Athletic
- Luton Kent's Athletic Reserves
- Luton Old Boys
- Luton Old Modernians
- Luton Percival Athletic
- Luton Ramblers
- Luton Town 'B'
- Luton Town Colts
- Lynton Works
- Marshmoor F.C.|Marshmoor
- Marston Shelton Rovers
- Marston Shelton Rovers Reserves
- Marston Sports
- Mercedes Benz
- Milford Villa
- Milton Keynes
- Milton Keynes Borough
- Milton Keynes County
- Milton Keynes Town
- Mowlem
- Mursley United
- Napier/English Electric
- New Bradwell St Peter
- Newport Pagnell Town
- Old Bradwell United
- Old Dunstablians
- Old Lutonians
- Oxford City
- Peartree Old Boys
- Peartree Old Boys Reserves
- Pirton
- Pitstone & Ivinghoe
- Potters Bar Crusaders
- Potters Bar Town
- Potton United
- Pye Radio
- RAF Cardington
- RAF Henlow
- RAF Henlow Reserves
- Risborough Rangers
- Roade
- Rootes Sports
- Royston Town
- Rushden Sports
- Rushden Town Reserves
- Sandy Albion
- Scot
- Selby
- Shefford Town
- Shenley & Loughton
- Shillington
- Shredded Wheat
- Shredded Wheat Reserves
- Silsoe
- SKF
- Slip End United
- St Neots & District
- St Neots & District Reserves
- St Neots St. Mary's
- Steeple Claydon
- Stevenage Town
- Stevenage Town Reserves
- Stewartby Works
- Stewartby Works Reserves
- Stony Stratford Sports
- Stony Stratford Town
- Stotfold
- Stotfold Athletic
- Stotfold Rovers
- Thame United
- The 61
- Tickford Sports
- Toddington Rovers
- Totternhoe
- Towcester Town
- Tring Athletic
- Vauxhall (Dunstable)
- Vauxhall Motors
- Vauxhall Motors 'A'
- Vauxhall Motors Reserves
- Waddesdon
- Walden Rangers
- Waterlows
- Waterlows Reserves
- Wellingborough Town Reserves
- Welwyn Garden City
- Welwyn Garden City Reserves
- Welwyn Garden United
- Westbourne Athletic
- Wiltonians
- Wingate & Finchley
- Wingate
- Winslow United
- Wolverton
- Wolverton Town Reserves
- Wootton Blue Cross
- Wootton Blue Cross Reserves
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