2016 County Championship Plate
County Stadium ( s ) Capacity City/Area
Devon Bitton Park Sports Ground 1,210 Teignmouth , Devon
Durham County Crow Trees Brinkburn 2,000 ( 400 seats ) 1,000 ( 76 seats ) Swalwell , Tyne and Wear Hartlepool , County Durham
East Midlands Rushmere Road Fortress Fengate N/A N/A Northampton , Northamptonshire Peterborough , Cambridgeshire
Kent Merton Lane Priestfields N/A N/A Canterbury , Kent Rochester , Kent
Leicestershire Hinckley Road N/A Leicester Forest East , Leicestershire
North Midlands Heathbrook N/A Kingswinford , West Midlands
Northumberland Grange House Field 1,000 Morpeth , Northumberland
Somerset Hyde Park 2,000 Taunton , Somerset
Participating Counties and ground locations
Teignmouth ( Devon ) Swalwell ( Durham ) West Hartlepool ( Durham ) Northampton ( East Midlands ) Peterborough ( East Midlands ) Canterbury ( Kent ) Rochester ( Kent ) Leicester ( Leicestershire ) Morpeth ( Northumberland ) Taunton ( Somerset ) Locations of the 2016 County Championship Plate county teams
The 2016 County Championship Plate, also known as Bill Beaumont Cup Division 2, was the 15th version of the annual English rugby union, County Championship organised by the RFU for the tier 2 English counties. Each county drew its players from rugby union clubs from the third tier and below of the English rugby union league system (typically National League 1, National League 2 North or National League 2 South). The counties were divided into two regional pools (north/south) with four teams in each and the winners of each pool meet in the final to be held at Twickenham Stadium. New counties to the division included Kent and Durham County who were relegated from the 2015 Bill Beaumont Cup while Leicestershire were promoted as the winners of the 2015 County Championship Shield. At the end of the pool stage, pool winners East Midlands (north) and Kent (south) met in the final at Twickenham. Despite it being their first final against regulars Kent, East Midlands finished as the winners of an exciting match, 33-27, with former Tongan international, Maama Molitika, scoring 3 tries in the game which also saw him finish as the competition's top try scorer.