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Counties 2 Sussex

Current season or competition: 2024-25 Counties 2 Sussex
Sport	Rugby union
Instituted	2022; 2 years ago (2022)
Number of teams	10
Country	England
Holders	Haywards Heath (2023-24) (promoted to Counties 1 Surrey/Sussex)
Website	englandrugby.com

Counties 2 Sussex is a level 8 English Rugby Union League. It is made up of teams from Sussex with teams playing home and away matches from September through to April. Promoted teams move up to Counties 1 Surrey/Sussex but there is no relegation with no lower league in the Sussex Rugby structure. It was previously known as Sussex 1 prior to the RFU Adult Competition Review. It is administered by Sussex Rugby. and the London & SE RFU.

Each year some of the clubs in this division also take part in the RFU Junior Vase - a level 9-12 national competition.

Structure and format

The ten teams play home and away matches making a total of eighteen games each. The results contribute points to the league as follows:

• 4 points for a win
• 2 points for a draw
• 0 points for a loss, however
• 1 losing (bonus) point is awarded to a team that loses a match by 7 points or fewer
• 1 additional (bonus) point is awarded to a team scoring 4 tries or more in a match

Teams for 2024-25

Departing the league were Haywards Heath, promoted to Counties 1 Surrey/Sussex whilst Burgess Hill (9th in 2023-24) dropped out the competition. Coming in were Lewes (re-entry after a year away having won Counties 3 Sussex ), Hove 2XV (re-entry having last competed in 2021-22) and Ditchling (re-entry after having last competed in season 2019-20).

The London & SE RFU published fixtures for the league in June 2024.

Team Ground Capacity City/Area Previous season Brighton II Waterhall Playing Fields Brighton, East Sussex 4th Crawley Willoughby Fields Crawley, West Sussex 8th Ditchling Ditchling Recreation Ground Ditchling, East Sussex Re-entry (3rd Counties 3 Sussex) Hove II Hove Recreation Ground Hove, East Sussex Re-entry Lewes Stanley Turner Ground Lewes, East Sussex Re-entry (Champions Counties 3 Sussex) Pulborough Freelands Pulborough, West Sussex 3rd Seaford Salts Recreation Ground Seaford, East Sussex 6th Shoreham Buckingham Park Shoreham-By-Sea, West Sussex 2nd Uckfield Hempstead Playing Fields Uckfield, East Sussex 7th Worthing III Roundstone Lane Angmering, West Sussex 5th

CrawleyPulboroughShorehamWorthing IIIclass=notpageimage| Locations of the 2024-25 Counties 2 Sussex 1 teams in West Sussex Brighton IIDitchlingHove IILewesSeafordUckfieldclass=notpageimage| Locations of the 2024-25 Counties 2 Sussex teams in East Sussex

Teams for 2023-24

Departing the league were East Grinstead and Eastbourne, both promoted to Counties 1 Surrey/Sussex. Lewes did not return having finished 10th the previous season. In their place came Brighton 2XV and Worthing 3XV meaning the league ran with 9 sides.

Team Ground Capacity City/Area Previous season Brighton II Waterhall Playing Fields Brighton, East Sussex New-entry Burgess Hill Southway Recreation Ground Burgess Hill, West Sussex 7th Crawley Willoughby Fields Crawley, West Sussex 9th Haywards Heath Whitemans Green Cuckfield, West Sussex 3rd Pulborough Freelands Pulborough, West Sussex 4th Seaford Salts Recreation Ground Seaford, East Sussex 8th Shoreham Buckingham Park Shoreham-By-Sea, West Sussex 6th Uckfield Hempstead Playing Fields Uckfield, East Sussex 5th Worthing III Roundstone Lane Angmering, West Sussex New entry

Burgess HillCrawleyHaywards HeathPulboroughShorehamWorthing IIIclass=notpageimage| Locations of the 2023-24 Counties 2 Sussex 1 teams in West Sussex Brighton IISeafordUckfieldclass=notpageimage| Locations of the 2023-24 Counties 2 Sussex teams in East Sussex

Teams for 2022-23

This was the first season following the RFU Adult Competition Review. The league was substantially similar to Sussex 1 but was supplemented by two teams from London 3 South East - Crawley and Pulborough - and the addition of Shoreham and Haywards Heath.

Haywards Heath had won London 2 South East in 2019-20 and were scheduled to join London 1 South but with the leagues being abandoned for 2020-21 this did not happen and ahead of the 2021-22 season they withdrew from the league

Despite winning Sussex 1 East Grinstead were not promoted since the league they would have been promoted to, London 3 South East, was disbanded and Counties 2 Sussex was itself a level 8 league as London 3 South East had been. For East Grinstead the achievement was nevertheless significant as they continued their recovery having elected to take voluntary relegation to the Sussex Intermediate League in 2016 due to being left insolvent after their director (and financial backer) pulled out of the club.

Hellingly and Hove 2XV who had finished 7th and 8th respectively in Sussex 1 the previous season did not return.

Team Ground Capacity City/Area Previous season Burgess Hill Southway Recreation Ground Burgess Hill, West Sussex 4th Sussex 1 Crawley Willoughby Fields Crawley, West Sussex 12th L3SE Eastbourne Park Avenue Eastbourne, East Sussex 3rd Sussex 1 East Grinstead Saint Hill East Grinstead, West Sussex 1st Sussex 1 Haywards Heath Whitemans Green Cuckfield, West Sussex Re-entry Lewes Stanley Turner Ground Lewes, East Sussex 5th Sussex 1 Pulborough Freelands Pulborough, West Sussex 10th L3SE Seaford Salts Recreation Ground Seaford, East Sussex 6th Sussex 1 Shoreham Buckingham Park Shoreham-By-Sea, West Sussex Re-entry Uckfield Hempstead Playing Fields Uckfield, East Sussex 2nd Sussex 1

Burgess HillCrawleyEast GrinsteadHaywards HeathPulboroughShorehamclass=notpageimage| Locations of the 2022-23 Counties 2 Sussex 1 teams in West Sussex EastbourneLewesSeafordUckfieldclass=notpageimage| Locations of the 2022-23 Counties 2 Sussex teams in East Sussex

References

1. "Mens Leagues". Sussex Rugby. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
2. "RFU League Statistics". L&SE RFU. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
3. "Haywards Heath RFC win Sussex rugby league title despite Shoreham loss". The Argus. 10 April 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
4. "Counties 3 Sussex 2023-24". RFU. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
5. "Fixtures 2024-25" (PDF). London & SE RFU. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
6. "Counties 2 Sussex". Shoreham RFC. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
7. "Massive News". East Grinstead RFC. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
8. "Eastbourne RFC go for glory in rugby's new national cup". Sussex Express. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
9. "Counties 2 Sussex". Uckfield RFC. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
10. "RFU Cancels Adult Competitive Leagues for the 2020/21 Season". RFU. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
11. "Haywards Heath RFC reluctantly withdraw from London 1 South - read their full statement here". Sussex World. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
12. "Tumbling East Grinstead plot a way back". East Grinstead Courier. 25 May 2016.

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