Counties 4 Yorkshire is an English

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

league at the tenth tier of the domestic competition for teams from

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top two teams are automatically promoted to Yorkshire 3 and the bottom two teams were relegated to

Yorkshire 5 Yorkshire 5 was an English Rugby Union league at the eleventh tier of the domestic competition and was the basement league of club rugby in Yorkshire. This league was not always the bottom division as for a while there was a Yorkshire 6 but this ...

until the RFU made changes to the Yorkshire league structure. Each season a team from Counties 3 Yorkshire or Yorkshire 4 may be picked to take part in the

RFU Junior Vase The RFU Junior Vase is a rugby union national knockout cup competition in England run by the Rugby Football Union, which has been competed for since 1990. It is mostly contested by 1st XV teams at level 9 of the English rugby union system, alth ...

- a national competition for clubs at levels 9-12. For the 2017-18 season, Yorkshire 4 was broken up into two regional leagues - Yorkshire 4 (North West) and Yorkshire 4 (South East) - while

ceased to exist. Teams from both Yorkshire 4 and 5 were transferred into the regional divisions depending on location. After the teams have played each other home and away, in February the clubs are reallocated into a Premier league and a Shield league for one further round of fixtures. The top four teams from each league play in the Premier and the other teams play in the Shield. The top two teams in the Premier league are promoted to Counties 3 Yorkshire.

Participating clubs 2021-22

The teams competing in 2021-22 achieved their places in the league based on performances in 2019-20, the 'previous season' column in the table below refers to that season not 2020-21.

North West division

York RI and Nestle Rowntree were level transferred from Yorkshire 4 South East for the current season.

South East division

Season 2020–21

On 30 October 2020 the RFU announced that due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...

a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (

National League 1 National One (last season known as National League 1 and previously known before September 2009 as National Division Two), is the third of three national leagues in the domestic rugby union competition of England. It was known as Courage Leagu ...

and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning Yorkshire 4 was not contested.

Participating clubs 2019-20

North West division

South East division

Premier and Shield divisions

Premier participants

*Bramley Phoenix *Burley * Halifax *Leeds Modernians *Mosborough *Stanley Rodillians *Stocksbridge * York Railway Institute

Shield participants

* Hessle *Knaresborough *Leeds Medics & Dentists *Nestle Rowntree *Sheffield Oaks *Thirsk

Participating clubs 2018-19

North West division

South East division

Premier and Shield divisions

Premier participants

*Bramley Phoenix * Hessle *Knaresborough *Leeds Medics & Dentisists *Mosborough *Ossett *Wibsey * York Railway Institute

Shield participants

*Burley * Halifax *Nestle Rowntree *Sheffield Oaks *Stanley Rodilians *Stocksbridge *Thirsk

Participating clubs 2017-18

North West division

South East division

Premier and Shield divisions

In February, after the teams have played each other home and away, the clubs in both Yorkshire 4 leagues are reallocated into a Premier league and a Shield league for one further round of fixtures. The top four teams from each league play in the Premier and the other teams play in the Shield.

Premier participants

*Burley *Knaresborough *Leeds Corinthians *Mosborough *Ossett * Rotherham Phoenix *Stanley Rodillians *Wibsey

Shield participants

*Bramley Phoenix * Halifax * Hessle *Sheffield Oaks *Thirsk * York RI Rossington Hornets did not participate in the Shield competition.

Participating clubs 2016-17

*Bramley Phoenix (relegated from Yorkshire 3) *Burley *Hemsworth * Hessle *Hornsea (promoted from

) *Leeds Corinthians *Ossett *Rotherham Clifton * Rotherham Phoenix (relegated from Yorkshire 3) *Skipton *Stanley Rodillians (promoted from

) * York Railway Institute

Participating clubs 2015-16

*Burley (relegated from Yorkshire 3) *Halifax Vandals *Hemsworth (relegated from Yorkshire 3) * Hessle (promoted from

) *Leeds Corinthians *Mosborough *Ossett *Rotherham Clifton (promoted from

) *Sheffield Oaks *Skipton *Wensleydale * York Railway Institute

Participating clubs 2014-15

* Halifax *Halifax Vandals *Hornsea *Knaresborough (promoted from

) *Leeds Corinthians *Mosborough *Ossett *Sheffield Oaks *Skipton (relegated from Yorkshire 3) *Wensleydale (promoted from

) *Wetherby * York Railway Institute

Participating clubs 2013-14

* Halifax *Halifax Vandals * Hessle (relegated from Yorkshire 3) *Hornsea *Leeds Corinthians *Mosborough *Old Otliensians *Ossett *Sheffield Oaks (promoted from

) *Stocksbridge (promoted from

) *Wetherby * York Railway Institute (relegated from Yorkshire 3)

Participating clubs 2012–13

* Halifax *Halifax Vandals * Harrogate Pythons *Hornsea *Knaresborough *Leeds Corinthians *Marist *Mosborough *Old Grovians *Old Otliensians *Ossett *Wetherby

Original teams

When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams: * Burley * Dinnington * Hessle * Hullensians * Leeds YMCA * Old Modernians *

Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Ai ...

* West Leeds *Wetherby *

Wibsey Wibsey (population 14,530 – 2001 UK census) is a ward within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, West Yorkshire, England. The population had increased to 14,671 at the 2011 Census. Wibsey is named after Wibsey village which m ...

* Yorkshire CW

Yorkshire 4

Yorkshire 4 (1987–1993)

The original Yorkshire 4 was a tier 12 league with promotion up to Yorkshire 3 and relegation down to

Yorkshire 4 (1993–2000)

The creation of National 5 North for the 1993–94 season meant that Yorkshire 4 dropped to become a tier 13 league. A further restructure at the end of the 1995–96 season, which included the cancellation of National 5 North and the addition of North East 3 at tier 9, saw Yorkshire 4 remain at tier 13.

Yorkshire 4 (2000–present)

Northern league restructuring by the RFU at the end of the 1999-2000 season saw the cancellation of

North East 1 North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

, North East 2 and North East 3 (tiers 7-9). This meant that Yorkshire 4 became a tier 10 league.

Number of league titles

* Hessle (2) * Hullensians (2) * Old Rishworthians (2) * Rotherham Phoenix (2) * Stocksbridge (2) *

(2) *

Aireborough Aireborough is a district within the West Yorkshire Urban Area, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is mostly within the present Leeds metropolitan borough, although some areas now in Bradford metropolitan district may also be conside ...

(1) * Barnsley (1) * Bradford Salem (1) * Bramley Phoenix (1) *Halifax Vandals (1) *

Heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...

(1) *

Hemsworth Hemsworth is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire and had a population of 13,311 at the 2001 census, with it increasing to 13,533 at the 2011 Census. Hist ...

(1) *

Knottingley Knottingley is a market town in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the old A1 road before it was bypassed as the A1(M). Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it has a population of 13,503, inc ...

(1) * Leeds Medics & Dentists (1) *

Mosborough Mosborough is a village in the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of Derbyshire, the village was named after The Moss river which flows through the village. During the late 19th century and 20th century, the villa ...

(1) *

Northallerton Northallerton ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York. It had a population of 16,832 in the 2011 census, an increa ...

(1) * Old Grovians (1) * Old Modernians (1) * Old Otliensians (1) *

Ossett Ossett is a market town in the City of Wakefield metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated between Dewsbury, Horbury and Wakefield. At the 2011 Census, the population was ...

(1) *

Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tre ...

(1) * Roundhegians (1) * Sheffield Medicals (1) *

Wath Upon Dearne Wath upon Dearne (shortened to Wath or often hyphenated) is a town south of the River Dearne in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, north of Rotherham and almost midway between Barnsley and Doncaster. It had a po ...

(1) *Wetherby (1) * York Railway Institute (1)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yorkshire 4 10 Recurring sporting events established in 1987 Sports leagues established in 1987 Rugby union competitions in Yorkshire

Participating clubs 2021-22

North West division

South East division

Season 2020–21

Participating clubs 2019-20

North West division

South East division

Premier and Shield divisions

Premier participants

Shield participants

Participating clubs 2018-19

North West division

South East division

Premier and Shield divisions

Premier participants

Shield participants

Participating clubs 2017-18

North West division

South East division

Premier and Shield divisions

Premier participants

Shield participants

Participating clubs 2016-17

Participating clubs 2015-16

Participating clubs 2014-15

Participating clubs 2013-14

Participating clubs 2012–13

Original teams

Yorkshire 4

Yorkshire 4 (1987–1993)

Yorkshire 4 (1993–2000)

Yorkshire 4 (2000–present)

Number of league titles

Notes

See also

References