Current season or competition: 2019–20 Midlands 3 East (South) | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1992; 32 years ago (1992) (as Midlands East 2) |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Country |  England |
| Holders | Stamford (2nd title) (2019–20) (promoted to Midlands 2 East (South)) |
| Most titles | Leicester Forest, Lutterworth, Market Harborough, Rushden & Higham, Stamford (2 titles) |
| Website | England RFU |
Midlands 3 East (South) is a level 8 English Rugby Union league and level 3 of the Midlands League, made up of teams from the southern part of the East Midlands region including clubs from Bedfordshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and occasionally Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire, all of whom play home and away matches throughout the season. When this division began in 1992 it was known as Midlands East 2, until it was split into two regional divisions called Midlands 4 East (North) and Midlands 4 East (South) ahead of the 2000–01 season. Further restructuring of the Midlands leagues ahead of the 2009–10 season, led to the current name of Midlands 3 East (South).
Promoted teams tend to move up to Midlands 2 East (South) while demoted teams typically drop to Midlands 4 East (South). Each year all clubs in the division also take part in the RFU Senior Vase - a level 8 national competition.
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 season was cancelled.
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Teams in Midlands 3 East (North) and Midlands 3 East (South) were originally part of a single division called Midlands 2 East, which contained the following sides when it was introduced in 1992:
Midlands 3 East (North) and Midlands 3 East (South) were originally part of a single tier 8 division called Midlands East 2. Promotion was to Midlands East 1 and relegation was to either East Midlands/Leicestershire 1orNotts, Lincs & Derbyshire 1.
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| Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated teams | Reference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–93 | 14 | Kettering | Northampton BBOB | Glossop, Southwell, Market Rasen & Louth, Stamford | [1] | |||||||||
| Green backgrounds are the promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
The top six teams from Midlands 1 and the top six from North 1 were combined to create National 5 North, meaning that Midlands 2 East dropped to become a tier 9 league. Promotion continued to Midlands East 1 while relegation was to either East Midlands/Leicestershire 1orNotts, Lincs & Derbyshire 1.
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| Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated teams | Reference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | 13 | Long Buckby | Wellingborough | Dronfield, Kesteven | [2] | |||||||||
| 1994–95 | 13 | Ilkeston | Huntingdon & District | Worksop, Grimsby, Luton | [3] | |||||||||
| 1995–96 | 13 | Lutterworth | Old Northamptonians[a] | No relegation[b] | [4] | |||||||||
| Green backgrounds are the promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
At the end of the 1995–96 season National 5 North was discontinued and Midlands East 2 returned to being a tier 8 league. Promotion continued to Midlands East 1 while relegation was to either East Midlands/Leicestershire 1orNotts, Lincs & Derbyshire 1.
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| Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated teams | Reference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 17 | Northampton Men's Own | Northampton Old Scouts | Chesterfield Panthers, East Retford, Mellish | [5] | |||||||||
| 1997–98 | 17 | Dunstablians | Oadby Wyggestonian | Bedford Queens, Northampton BBOB | [6] | |||||||||
| 1998–99 | 17 | Luton | South Leicester | Nottingham Casuals, Biggleswade | ||||||||||
| 1999–00 | 17 | Market Bosworth[c] | Long Eaton[d] | No relegation[e] | ||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are the promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
Restructuring ahead of the 2000–01 season saw Midlands East 2 split into two tier 8 regional leagues - Midlands 4 East (North) and Midlands 4 East (South). Promotion was now to Midlands 3 East (North)[f] and relegation to East Midlands 1.
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| Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated teams | Reference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01[7] | 10 | Market Harborough | Melton Mowbray | Sleaford, West Bridgford, Stamford | [8] | |||||||||
| 2001–02 | 10 | Lutterworth | Old Northamptonians | Oakham, Bugbrooke | [9] | |||||||||
| 2002–03 | 10 | Rushden & Higham | Stockwood Park | Biggleswade, Northampton BBOB | [10] | |||||||||
| 2003–04 | 10 | Coalville | Daventry | No relegation[g] | [11] | |||||||||
| 2004–05 | 9 | Leicester Forest | Northampton Casuals | Market Harborough | [12] | |||||||||
| 2005–06 | 10 | Vauxhall Motors | Bugbrooke | Stoneygate | [13] | |||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
Midlands 4 East (South) continued to be a tier 8 league with promotion up into Midlands 3 East (South). However, the cancellation of East Midlands 1 at the end of the 2005–06 season meant that relegation was now to the newly introduced Midlands 5 East (South).
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| Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated teams | Reference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | 10 | Vipers | Northampton BBOB | Biggleswade, Rushden & Higham | [14] | |||||||||
| 2007–08 | 10 | Aylestone St James | Old Newtonians | Oadby Wyggestonians, Stockwood Park | [15] | |||||||||
| 2008–09 | 12 | Market Harborough | Peterborough Lions | No relegation[h] | [16] | |||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
League restructuring by the RFU meant that Midlands 4 East (North) and Midlands 4 East (South) were renamed as Midlands 3 East (North) and Midlands 3 East (South), with both leagues remaining at tier 8. Promotion was now to Midlands 2 East (South) (formerly Midlands 3 East (South)) and relegation to Midlands 4 East (South) (formerly Midlands 5 East (South)).
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| Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated teams | Reference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | 11 | Bugbrooke | Stockwood Park | No relegation[i] | [17] | |||||||||
| 2010–11 | 12 | Oadby Wyggestonians | Long Buckby | Northampton Mens Own, Old Newtonians | [18] | |||||||||
| 2011–12 | 12 | Northampton BBOB | Biggleswade | Brackley, Bedford Swifts | [19] | |||||||||
| 2012–13 | 12 | Stamford | Rushden & Higham | Old Newtonians, Long Buckby | [20] | |||||||||
| 2013–14 | 12 | Biggleswade | Stewarts & Lloyds | Deepings, Brackley | [21] | |||||||||
| 2014–15 | 12 | Rushden & Higham | Vipers | Northampton Mens Own, Bedford Queens | [22] | |||||||||
| 2015–16 | 11 | Oundle | Stockwood Park | No relegation[j] | [23] | |||||||||
| 2016–17 | 12 | Stewarts & Lloyds | Long Buckby | Aylestone St James, St Neots | [24] | |||||||||
| 2017–18 | 12 | St Ives (Midlands) | Vipers | Northampton Mens Own, Northampton BBOB | [25] | |||||||||
| 2018–19 | 12 | Leicester Forest | Northampton Casuals | Biggleswade, Birstall | [26] | |||||||||
| 2019-20 | 12 | Stamford | Oakham | St Neots, Northampton BBOB, Bedford Queens | [27] | |||||||||
| 2020–21 | 12 | |||||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
