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Counties 3 Durham & Northumberland, previously known as Durham/Northumberland 3, is an English rugby union league at the ninth tier of the domestic competition and is currently the basement league of club rugby in North East England. Any club in the north east wishing to join the rugby union club hierarchy must begin at the bottom so all new teams from the north east start in this division - although until 2005-06 there was relegation to the now defunct Durham/Northumberland 4. The champions and runner-up are promoted to Counties 2 Durham & Northumberland.
Current season or competition: 2024–25 | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Formerly known as | Durham/Northumberland 3 |
| Instituted | 1987 |
| Inaugural season | 1987–88 |
| Number of teams | 11 |
| Country |  England |
| Holders | Durham University (2023–24) |
| Most titles | Guisborough South Shields (4 titles) |
| Website | England RFU |
| Promotion to | Counties 2 Durham & Northumberland |
Each season two teams from Durham/Northumberland 3 are picked to take part in the RFU Junior Vase (a national competition for clubs at levels 9-12) - one affiliated with the Durham County RFU, the other with the Northumberland RFU. Redcar won the league in 2020 with Seaham also promoted.
The division was split across two geographic areas (North & South) for the 2021–22 season as part of an RFU reorganisation of the Durham & Northumberland regional league. The experiment lasted just one season and the league was reunited in 2022-23.
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  Jarrovians Prudhoe & Stocksfield Seaham Seaton Carew  Whitby Winlaton Yarm Locations of the 2024-25 Durham/Northumberland 3 teams
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Blyth Durham Uni Jarrovians Prudhoe & Stocksfield Seaton Carew Winlaton Yarm Locations of the 2023-24 Durham/Northumberland 3 teams
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Leaving the league were South Shields, Richmondshire and West Hartlepool T.D.S.O.B. who had withdrawn from the league in 2021-22, together with West End RFC (6th DN3N). Wallsend were promoted to DN2.
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Jarrovians rejoined the (North) league having withdrawn from DN3 in 2019–20.
Ahead of the new season Newton Aycliffe RUFC (5th in 2019-20) and West Hartlepool T.D.S.O.B. (9th in 2019-20) withdrew from DN3 (South).
In November 2021 South Shields withdrew, meaning the (North) league was completed with 7 teams in 2021–22.
In January 2022 Richmondshire RUFC (10th in 2019-20) also withdrew, meaning the (South) league was completed with 4 teams in 2021–22.
The teams competing in 2021–22 achieved their places in the league based on performances in 2019–20, the positions in brackets refer to that season not 2020–21.
North
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South
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Locations of the 2021-22 D/N3 South teams in Tyne & Wear & County Durham
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On 30 October 2020 the RFU announced [1] that due to the coronavirus pandemic a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning DN3 was not contested.
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Houghton Prudhoe & Stocksfield Richmondshire Seaham W Hartlepool TDSOB Yarm Locations of the 2019-20 Durham/Northumberland 3 teams
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When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams:
- Billingham
- Chester-le-Street
- Darlington RA
- Guisborough
- Hartlepool TDSOB
- North Shields
- Seaton Carew
- Washington
- Wearside
- Whitby
Durham/Northumberland 3 (1987–1993)
The original Durham/Northumberland 3 was a tier 11 league with promotion up to Durham/Northumberland 2 and relegation down to Durham/Northumberland 4 until the end of the 1991–92 season when that division was cancelled.
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| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–88 | 10 | Whitby | Billingham | Washington[a] | ||||||||||
| 1988–89 | 10 | Darlington Railway Athletic | North Shields | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 1989–90 | 11 | Barnard Castle | Seaton Carew | Prudhoe Hospital, Wearside | ||||||||||
| 1990–91 | 11 | Guisborough | West Hartlepool T.D.S.O.B. | Civil Service Durham | ||||||||||
| 1991–92 | 11 | Chester-le-Street | Wallsend[b] | No relegation[c] | ||||||||||
| 1992–93 | 11 | Newton Aycliffe | Hartlepool B.B.O.B. | No relegation | ||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
Durham/Northumberland 3 (1993–2000)
The creation of National 5 North for the 1993–94 season meant that Durham/Northumberland 3 dropped to being a tier 12 league. A further restructure at the end of the 1995–96 season saw Durham/Northumberland 3 remain at tier 12. The reintroduction of Durham/Northumberland 4, meant that relegation returned for the 1996–97 season.
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| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | 10 | Billingham | Richmondshire | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 1994–95 | 10 | Barnard Castle | Sedgefield | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 1995–96 | 12 | South Tyneside College | Seaton Carew | Multiple teams[d] | ||||||||||
| 1996–97 | 8 | Billingham | Seghill | Wearside | ||||||||||
| 1997–98 | 9 | Gosforth | Houghton | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 1998–99[2] | 10 | Wallsend | Richmondshire | Hartlepool B.B.O.B. | ||||||||||
| 1999–00[3] | 9 | Guisborough[e] | Seaton Carew | Hartlepool Athletic, Seaham | ||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
Durham/Northumberland 3 (2000–present)
Northern league restructuring by the RFU at the end of the 1999–2000 season saw the cancellation of North East 1, North East 2 and North East 3 (tiers 7–9). This meant that Durham/Northumberland 3 became a tier 9 league. Relegation continued to Durham/Northumberland 4 until that division was abolished at the end of the 2005–06 season.
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| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01[4] | 12 | Guisborough | Barnard Castle | Durham Constabulary | ||||||||||
| 2001–02[5] | 12 | Novocastrians | Seaton Carew | Newton Aycliffe, Wensleydale | ||||||||||
| 2002–03[6] | 12 | Ponteland | Yarm | Wearside Samurai, Jarrovians | ||||||||||
| 2003–04[7] | 12 | Richmondshire | Whitby | West Hartlepool Amateurs, Hartlepool Athletic | ||||||||||
| 2004–05[8] | 10 | Sunderland | Whitley Bay Rockcliff | Seaham, South Tyneside College | ||||||||||
| 2005–06[9] | 10 | Blyth | Yarm | No relegation[f] | ||||||||||
| 2006–07[10] | 13 | Medicals | Barnard Castle | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2007–08[11] | 11 | Hartlepool | Team Northumbria | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2008–09[12] | 11 | Seaton Carew | Bishop Auckland | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2009–10[13] | 12 | Guisborough | Prudhoe & Stocksfield | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2010–11[14] | 11 | North Shields | Whitby | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2011–12[15] | 11 | Prudhoe & Stocksfield | Seaham | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2012–13[16] | 12 | Hartlepool B.B.O.B. | Whitby | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2013–14[17] | 12 | South Tyneside College | Winlaton Vulcans | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2014–15[18] | 12 | Whitby | Houghton | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2015–16[19] | 13 | South Shields | Sedgefield | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2016–17[20] | 12 | Newton Aycliffe | Richmondshire | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2017–18[21] | 12 | South Shields | Houghton | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2018–19[22] | 10[g] | Seaton Carew | Blyth | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2019–20[23] | 11 | Redcar | Seaham | No relegation | ||||||||||
| 2020–21 | 11 | |||||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
- Guisborough (4)
- South Shields[h] (4)
- Barnard Castle (2)
- Billingham (2)
- Newton Aycliffe (2)
- Seaton Carew (2)
- Whitby (2)
- Blyth (1)
- Chester-le-Street (1)
- Darlington Railway Athletic (1)
- Gosforth (1)
- Hartlepool (1)
- Hartlepool B.B.O.B. (1)
- Medicals (1)
- North Shields (1)
- Novocastrians (1)
- Ponteland (1)
- Prudhoe & Stocksfield (1)
- Redcar (1)
- Richmondshire (1)
- Sunderland (1)
- Wallsend (1)
- Relegated side Washington would drop out of the Durham/Northumberland leagues at the end of the season, re-entering Durham/Northumberland 4 for the 1990–91 season.
- Due to restructuring caused by the cancellation of Durham/Northumberland 4, runners up Wallsend were promoted to Durham/Northumberland 2, along with North Shields, Houghton, Billingham, South Tyneside College and Wensleydale.
- Due to restructuring caused by the cancellation of Durham/Northumberland 4, no clubs were relegated. The remaining eight clubs in Durham/Northumberland 4 were promoted into Durham/Northumberland 3 for the following season.
- Due to restructuring of the leagues, seven clubs including Prudhoe Hospital, Durham Constabulary, Washington, Hartlepool Athletic, Newton Aycliffe, Jarrovians were relegated to the reintroduced Durham/Northumberland 4 (Alston Moor folded at the end of the season). This was also done to decrease league sizes and begin home and away fixtures in order to inaugurate North East 3 the following season.
- No relegation as Durham/Northumberland 4 to be abolished for the following season.
- Division reduced from 12 to 10 teams after Jarrovians and Chester-le-Street pull out.
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