At the end of the group stage, Cumbria won three out of three to stop Pool 1 ahead of Oxfordshire, who they defeated in the final game, while Dorset & Wilts made their second successive final by also winning all three of their games. In the Twickenham final it was Cumbria who emerged victorious, defeating Dorset & Wilts convincingly, 23-13, with tournament top scorer, Mark Ireland, kicking 13 of their points. For Cumbria it was their first Division 3 title in three attempts and first county championship silverware since 1997, while Dorset & Wilts failed to retain their title and make it a fourth win in the competition.
Competition format
The competition format is two regional group stages divided into north and south with four teams in each group. This means that two teams in the pool had two home games, while the other two had just one. The RFU have taken fixtures from the previous year into account so that county sides that only played one home game in that competition now get two games and vice versa. The shield competition has increased from six to eight teams as two counties, Middlesex and Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire, have returned to the county championships after an absence of several years. At the end of the pool stage the top teams with the best record from each pool advance to the final held on 26 May 2019 which will once more be held back at Twickenham Stadium in London, having been held at the Athletic Ground in nearby Richmond the previous season.
Promotion occurs every two seasons, with accumulated points taken into consideration. At the end of the 2017–18 season, Essex and Sussex were promoted to tier 2 with Cumbria and North Midlands dropping down to replace them in tier 3. There will now be no promotion until the end of the 2020 competition.
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Number of matches won Difference between points for and against Total number of points for Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background means the county qualified for the final. Updated: 18 May 2019 Source: . englandrugby.com.
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Number of matches won Difference between points for and against Total number of points for Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background means the county qualified for the final. Updated: 18 May 2019 Source: . englandrugby.com.
Round 1
4 May 2019 14:30
Buckinghamshire
10 – 26
Middlesex (1 BP)
Ostler's Field, Weston Turville
4 May 2019 15:00
(1 BP) Dorset & Wilts
57 – 45
Berkshire (1 BP)
Slaughtergate, Gillingham
Round 2
11 May 2019 14:30
(1 BP) Dorset & Wilts
68 – 0
Buckinghamshire
The Sports Club, Devizes
11 May 2019 15:00
(1 BP) Berkshire
28 – 12
Middlesex
Holme Park, Sonning
Round 3
18 May 2019 14:30
Buckinghamshire
21 – 64
Berkshire (1 BP)
Ostler's Field, Weston Turville
18 May 2019 15:00
(1 BP) Middlesex
18 – 20
Dorset & Wilts
MacFarlane Lane, Isleworth, London
Final
8 June 2019 11:00
Cumbria
23 – 13
Dorset & Wilts
Twickenham Stadium, London
Individual statistics
Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals. Statistics also include final.
Team Largest home win — 68 points 68 – 0 Dorset & Wilts at home to Buckinghamshire on 11 May 2019 Largest away win — 43 points 64 – 21 Berkshire away to Buckinghamshire on 18 May 2019 Most points scored — 68 points 68 – 0 Dorset & Wilts at home to Buckinghamshire on 11 May 2019 Most tries in a match — 10 (2) Dorset & Wilts at home to Buckinghamshire on 11 May 2019 Berkshire away to Buckinghamshire on 18 May 2019 Most conversions in a match — 9 Dorset & Wilts at home to Buckinghamshire on 11 May 2019 Most penalties in a match — 3 (4) Cumbria away to North Midlands on 4 May 2019 North Midlands at home to Cumbria on 4 May 2019 Cumbria at home to Oxfordshire on 18 May 2019 Cumbria versus Dorset & Wilts on 8 June 2019 Most drop goals in a match — 1 Cumbria at home to Oxfordshire on 18 May 2019
Player Most points in a match — 19 England Dan Thorne for Berkshire away to Buckinghamshire on 18 May 2019 Most tries in a match — 3 (3) England Doug Billam for Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire at home to Cumbria on 11 May 2019 England Connor Hayhow for Berkshire away to Buckinghamshire on 18 May 2019 England Gabe Hill for Berkshire away to Buckinghamshire on 18 May 2019 Most conversions in a match — 9 England Sam Baker for Dorset & Wilts at home to Buckinghamshire on 11 May 2019 Most penalties in a match — 3 (4) England Rhys Harrhy for North Midlands at home to Cumbria on 4 May 2019 England Mark Ireland for Cumbria away to North Midlands on 4 May 2019 England Mark Ireland for Cumbria at home to Oxfordshire on 18 May 2019 England Mark Ireland for Cumbria versus Dorset & Wilts on 8 June 2019 Most drop goals in a match — 1 England Glen Weightman for Cumbria at home to Oxfordshire on 18 May 2019