Cumbria Shield

The Cumbria Shield is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the Cumbria Rugby Union. It was introduced during the 1888–89 season, when it was known as the Cumberland Challenge Shield, and the inaugural winners were Millom. Initially it was open only to junior club sides in Cumberland (senior sides played in the Challenge Cup) but in 1974, as a result of the Local Government Act 1972, Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness merged to form what we now know as Cumbria, and the competition would ultimately be renamed as the Cumbria Shield.^[1] It is the third most important cup competition in Cumbria, behind the Cumbria Cup and Cumbria League Cup.

Cumbria Shield

Sport	Rugby Union
Instituted	1888; 137 years ago (1888) (Cumberland Challenge Shield) 1974; 51 years ago (1974) (Cumbria Shield)
Country	England
Holders	Wigton II (10th title) (2017–18)
Most titles	Workington (18 titles)
Website	Cumbria Rugby Union

Originally the Shield was a knock-out cup played by the 1st teams of junior clubs, along with the 2nd teams of senior clubs, before becoming mostly a 2nd team competition.^[2] In later years the format switched back and forth between a knock-out cup and league cup-hybrid, but has most recently switched to being awarded to the winners of the Cumbria Shield League – a regional league for 2nd and 3rd teams in Cumbria. A secondary competition known as the Cumbria Vase was introduced in 2007 initially for sides knocked out of the early rounds of the Shield competition, although in recent years it seems to have become a stand-alone cup competition for 2nd teams in the region.

Cumbria Shield winners

Cumbria Shield Finals
Season	Winner	Score	Runners–up	Venue
1888-89	Millom
1889-90	Egremont II
1890-91	Millom
1891-92	Millom
1892-93	Whitehaven Recreation
1893-94	Maryport II
1894-95	Millom
1895-96	Wath Brow
1896-97	Workington
1897-98	Workington
1898-99	High Moor Rovers Dearham
1900-06	No competition
1906-07	Aspatria II
1907-08	Wigton
1908-09	Workington Trades
1909-10	Cockermouth
1910-11	Wigton
1911-12	Whitehaven II
1912-13	Blennerhasset II
1913-14	Workington II
1914-18	No competition due to World War I
1919-20	Workington II
1920-21	Clifton
1921-22	Aspatria II
1922-23	Silloth
1923-24	Aspatria II
1924-25	Aspatria II
1925-26	Workington II
1926-27	Cockermouth II
1927-28	Wigton Hornets
1928-29	Aspatria II
1929-30	Aspatria II
1930-31	Workington II
1931-32	Whitehaven II
1932-33	Aspatria II
1933-34	Cockermouth II
1934-35	Workington II
1935-36	Workington II
1936-37	Moresby
1937-38	Aspatria II
1938-39	Egremont II
1940-45	No competition due to World War II
1946-47	Silloth
1947-48	Cockermouth II
1948-49	Workington II
1949-50	Workington II
1950-51	Workington II
1951-52	Egremont II
1952-53	Egremont II
1953-54	Workington II
1954-55	Egremont II
1955-56	Workington II
1956-57	Millom
1957-58	Workington II
1958-59	Border Regiment
1959-60	Workington II
1960-61	United Steels S.O
1961-62	Cumberland & Westmorland Police
1962-63	Whitehaven II
1963-64	Netherhall Old Boys
1964-65	Netherhall Old Boys
1965-66	Netherhall Old Boys
1966-67	Netherhall Old Boys
1967-68	Whitehaven II
1968-69	Netherhall Old Boys
1969-70	Netherhall Old Boys
1970-71	Wigton II
1971-72	Workington II
1972-73	Wigton II
1973-74	Wigton II
1974-75	Cockermouth II
1975-76	Wigton II
1976-77	Millom II
1977-78	Netherhall Old Boys
1978-79	Netherhall Old Boys
1979-80	Wigton II
1980-81	Aspatria II
1981-82	Aspatria II
1982-83	Aspatria II
1983-84	St Benedict's
1984-85	St Benedict's
1985-86	St Benedict's
1986-87	St Benedict's
1987-88	St Benedict's
1988-89	Carlisle 'A'
1989-90	St Benedict's
1990-91	Silloth
1991-92	Silloth
1992-93	Aspatria II
1993-94	Aspatria II
1994-95	Netherhall II
1995-96	Kendal II
1996-97	Wigton II
1997-98	Wigton II
1998-99	Aspatria II
1999-00	Workington II
2000-01	Kirkby Lonsdale II
2001-02	Aspatria II
2002-03	Workington II		Penrith II[3]
2003-04	Penrith II
2004-05	Penrith II
2005-06[4]	Aspatria II	34-25	Carlisle II	Sycamore Lane, Carlisle
2006-07	Penrith II		Wigton II	Sycamore Lane, Carlisle[5]
2007-08	Silloth		Penrith III	Lowmoor Road, Wigton[6]
2008-09	Silloth		St Benedict's II
2009-10	St Benedict's II
2010-11	St Benedict's II
2011-12[7]	Moresby	12-10	Cockermouth	Netherhall Road, Maryport
2012-13[8]	Moresby	14-5	Creighton	Grassmoor Sports Centre, Cockermouth
2013-14	Penrith III
2014-15[9]	Penrith III	30-12	St Benedict's II	Davidson Park, Keswick
2015-16[10]	St Benedict's II	No final as league competition[a 1]
2017-18[11]	Wigton II

Cumbria Vase winners

Cumbria Vase Finals
Season	Winner	Score	Runners–up	Venue
2007-08	Kendal 'A'
2008-09	Kendal 'A'
2009-10	Carlisle 'A'
2010-11	Carlisle 'A'
2011-12	Kendal 'A'
2012-13	No final
2013-14	Creighton
2014-15	Penrith III
2015-16[10]	St Benedicts II	14-11	Cockermouth

^[12]

Number of wins

Shield Workington II (19)[a 2] Aspatria II (16) Wigton II (10) Netherhall II (9)[a 3] St Benedict's (9)[a 4] Millom (6) Silloth (6) Cockermouth II (5) Egremont II (5) Penrith (5)[a 5] Whitehaven II (4) Moresby (3) Blennerhasset II (1) Border Regiment (1) Carlisle 'A' (1) Clifton (1)[a 6] Cumberland & Westmorland Police (1) High Moor Rovers Dearham (1) Kendal II (1) Kirkby Lonsdale II (1) Maryport II (1)[a 7] United Steels S.O (1) Wath Brow (1) Whitehaven Recreation (1)[a 8] Wigton Hornets (1)[a 9] Workington Trades (1)

Vase Kendal 'A' (3) Carlisle 'A' (2) Creighton (1) Penrith III (1)

Notes

1. 2016 Shield was awarded to the winner of the Raging Cumbria 2 League - a regional 2nd and 3rd team competition.^[10]
2. Workington have won 19 Challenge Shield titles including the 1909 win by Workington Trades RUFC - the side that would merge with Workington RUFC in 1910 to form the current club. Figure also includes titles won by the 1st XV.^[13]
3. Includes 8 titles won by Netherhall Old Boys.
4. Includes both 1st and 2nd team titles.
5. Includes titles won by both the 2nd and 3rd teams.
6. No relation to the better known Clifton RFC who are based in Bristol.
7. Maryport were Challenge Shield winners during the 1890s before they switched over to Rugby League in 1898-99.^[14]
8. Whitehaven Recreation won a Challenge Shield during the 1890s before switching to Rugby league in 1898. Despite being based in the same town they do not seem to have any connection with Whitehaven R.L.F.C., who were formed much later in 1948.^[15][16]
9. It is not clear if Wigton Hornets were in any way related to Wigton RUFC - they could possibly have been the name for the Wigton 2nd team or even a separate club.

See also

• Cumbria Rugby Union
• Cumbria Cup
• Cumbria League Cup
• Westmorland & Furness Cup