Counties 2 Sussex

Counties 2 Sussex
Current season or competition:; 2024-25 Counties 2 Sussex
Sport	Rugby union
Instituted	2022; 3 years ago
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.^[1] and the London & SE RFU.^[2]

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,^[3] 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 ^[4]), Hove 2XV (re-entry having last competed in 2021-22) and Ditchling (re-entry after having last competed in season 2019-20).^{[citation needed]}

The London & SE RFU published fixtures for the league in June 2024.^[5]

Team	Ground	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 ^[6]	Buckingham Park	Shoreham-By-Sea, West Sussex	2nd
Uckfield	Hempstead Playing Fields	Uckfield, East Sussex	7th
Worthing III	Roundstone Lane	Angmering, West Sussex	5th

Locations of the 2024-25 Counties 2 Sussex 1 teams in West Sussex

Locations of the 2024-25 Counties 2 Sussex teams in East Sussex

Teams for 2023-24

Departing the league were East Grinstead^[7] and Eastbourne,^[8] 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	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 ^[9]	Hempstead Playing Fields	Uckfield, East Sussex	5th
Worthing III	Roundstone Lane	Angmering, West Sussex	New entry

Locations of the 2023-24 Counties 2 Sussex 1 teams in West Sussex

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 ^[10] this did not happen and ahead of the 2021-22 season they withdrew from the league ^[11]

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.^[12]

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

Team	Ground	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