Cheshire RFU Cup
# Cheshire RFU Cup

The Cheshire Cup is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the Cheshire Rugby Football Union. It was first introduced in the 1877–78 season as the Cheshire Challenge County Cup and the inaugural competition was won by Birkenhead Park, who along with eight other local sides including New Brighton and Sale, made up the club members of the Cheshire RFU at that time. Four years later the cup was discontinued due to arguments over whether cup ties were beneficial to the county game. The Cheshire RFU reintroduced the cup during the 1969–70 season, with Sale the first winners of the competition in over 80 years.

The Cheshire Cup is currently the premier county cup competition for club sides in tier 4 (National League 2 North) and tier 5 (National League 3 North or National League 3 Midlands) of the English rugby union system that are based in either Cheshire, Merseyside or the Isle of Man. Originally it was the only men's county cup competition but plate, shield and bowl competitions have been introduced over the years for lower ranked clubs. The current format is as a knock-out cup with a quarter-final, semi-final and final which is held at a neutral venue during the latter stages of the season (March–May). At present Cheshire Cup finals are held on the same date and at the same venue as Cheshire Plate finals.

## Cheshire Cup winners

Cheshire Cup Finals :

| Season | Winner | Score | Runners–up | Venue |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1877-78 | Birkenhead Park | | Bowdon & Lymm | Manchester |
| 1878-79 | Birkenhead Park | | New Brighton | St Anthony's Road, Blundellsands |
| 1879-80 | New Brighton | | Birkenhead | Rock Ferry |
| 1880-81 | Birkenhead Park | | New Brighton | Liverpool |
| 1881-1968 | No competition for 88 years | No competition for 88 years | No competition for 88 years | No competition for 88 years |
| 1969-70 | Sale | | Old Salians | Heywood Road, Sale |
| 1970-71 | Caldy | | Lymm | Hare Lane, Chester |
| 1971-72 | Wilmslow | | Birkenhead Park | Hare Lane, Chester |
| 1972-73 | Sale | | Wilmslow | |
| 1973-74 | Sale | | Wilmslow | |
| 1974-75 | Sale | | Wilmslow | |
| 1975-76 | Sale | | Birkenhead Park | |
| 1976-77 | Sale | | Wilmslow | |
| 1977-78 | Sale | | Birkenhead Park | |
| 1978-79 | Sale | | New Brighton | Heywood Road, Sale |
| 1979-80 | Sale | | Lymm | |
| 1980-81 | Sale | | Birkenhead Park | |
| 1981-82 | Sale | 32-9 | Lymm | Memorial Ground, Wilmslow |
| 1982-83 | Sale | 29-13 | Alsager College | Memorial Ground, Wilmslow |
| 1983-84 | Sale | 40-3 | Birkenhead Park | Heywood Road, Sale |
| 1984-85 | Sale | 31-0 | Lymm | Heywood Road, Sale |
| 1985-86 | Sale | | Birkenhead Park | |
| 1986-87 | Sale | | Birkenhead Park | Heywood Road, Sale |
| 1987-88 | Winnington Park | | Birkenhead Park | Hare Lane, Chester |
| 1988-89 | Lymm | | Mid Cheshire College | Memorial Ground, Wilmslow |
| 1989-90 | Winnington Park | 10-6 | Lymm | Memorial Ground, Wilmslow |
| 1990-91 | Winnington Park | | Chester | Heywood Road, Sale |
| 1991-92 | Macclesfield | 21-4 | Sale | Memorial Ground, Wilmslow |
| 1992-93 | Winnington Park | | New Brighton | Hare Lane, Chester |
| 1993-94 | Winnington Park | | New Brighton | Hare Lane, Chester |
| 1994-95 | Macclesfield | | Winnington Park | Hare Lane, Chester |
| 1995-96 | New Brighton | 19-16 | Winnington Park | Hare Lane, Chester |
| 1996-97 | Sale | 48-10 | Chester | Crouchley Lane, Lymm |
| 1997-98 | New Brighton | | Winnington Park | Hare Lane, Chester |
| 1998-99 | New Brighton | | Chester | Upper Park, Birkenhead |
| 1999-00 | New Brighton | 24-20 | Chester | Crouchley Lane, Lymm |
| 2000-01 | New Brighton | 27-11 | Winnington Park | Hare Lane, Chester |
| 2001-02 | Macclesfield | 33-27 | Birkenhead | Hare Lane, Chester |
| 2002-03 | Macclesfield | 28-25 | Chester | The Memorial Ground, Stockport |
| 2003-04 | Chester | 20-13 | Wirral | Paton Field, Thurstaston |
| 2004-05 | New Brighton | 25-18 | Macclesfield | Memorial Ground, Clatterbridge |
| 2005-06 | Macclesfield | 36-26 | Chester | Heywood Road, Sale |
| 2006-07 | Macclesfield | 35-23 | New Brighton | Heywood Road, Sale |
| 2007-08 | Birkenhead Park | 22-20 | Macclesfield | Hare Lane, Chester |
| 2008-09 | Macclesfield | 18-14 | Birkenhead Park | Burrows Hill, Winnington |
| 2009-10 | Sale Jets | 34-13 | Lymm | Crouchley Lane, Lymm |
| 2010-11 | Final was cancelled due to fixture congestion caused by league games – the finalists, Caldy and Sale Jets, shared the title. | Final was cancelled due to fixture congestion caused by league games – the finalists, Caldy and Sale Jets, shared the title. | Final was cancelled due to fixture congestion caused by league games – the finalists, Caldy and Sale Jets, shared the title. | Final was cancelled due to fixture congestion caused by league games – the finalists, Caldy and Sale Jets, shared the title. |
| 2011-12 | Caldy | 28-0 | Northwich | Crouchley Lane, Lymm |
| 2012-13 | Caldy | 40-24 | Birkenhead Park | Hartsfield, Moreton |
| 2013-14 | Sale FC | 26-21 | Caldy | Crouchley Lane, Lymm |
| 2014-15 | Caldy | 28-18 | Sale FC | Upper Park, Birkenhead |
| 2015-16 | Macclesfield | 49-26 | Caldy | Bradwell Road, Sandbach |
| 2016-17 | Caldy | 35-19 | Sandbach | Memorial Ground, Clatterbridge |
| 2017-18 | Final was cancelled as the finalists, Caldy and Sale FC could not meet due to league fixture congestion caused by bad weather. | Final was cancelled as the finalists, Caldy and Sale FC could not meet due to league fixture congestion caused by bad weather. | Final was cancelled as the finalists, Caldy and Sale FC could not meet due to league fixture congestion caused by bad weather. | Final was cancelled as the finalists, Caldy and Sale FC could not meet due to league fixture congestion caused by bad weather. |
| 2018-19 | Sale FC | 34-24 | Chester | Burrows Hill, Winnington |

## Number of wins

* Sale (17)
* Macclesfield (8)
* New Brighton (7)
* Caldy (6)
* Winnington Park (5)
* Birkenhead Park (4)
* Sale Jets (2)
* Sale FC (2)
* Chester (1)
* Lymm (1)
* Wilmslow (1)
