The North Midlands Vase is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the North Midlands Rugby Football Union and was first contested during the 2005-06 season when Kings Norton became the first winners when they defeated Oswestry in the final at Stourton Park in Stourbridge. The vase is currently open for clubs ranked in tiers 9-10 of the English rugby union system that fall under the North Midlands RFU umbrella, including sides based in Birmingham and the West Midlands, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire, although one club, Dudley Wasps plays in the Midlands Reserve League, and two others, Bredon Star and Ross Wye, are both based in Gloucestershire and play in Gloucester 1 and Gloucester 2 respectively (tiers 9-10). In 2014 the North Midlands RFU introduced a 'Plate' competition for sides eliminated in the early stages of the vase. It is one of three men's club competitions in the region along with the North Midlands Cup (for tier 5-6 sides) and the North Midlands Shield (for tier 7-8 sides).
The current format is as a knock-out cup with a preliminary round, first round, quarter-final, semi-final and final which is held at a neutral venue in May (currently Heathbrook, home of Dudley Kingswinford RFC) along with the cup and shield finals. Due to the disjointed numbers of teams several teams have played in the preliminary round. Teams that lose in either the preliminary or first round stage then contest the plate while winners go on to contest the cup proper.
North Midlands Vase winners North Midlands Vase Winners Season Vase Winner Score Vase Runners–up Plate Winner Score Plate Runners-up Venue 2005-06 Kings Norton 15-10 Oswestry Stourton Park, Stourbridge, West Midlands 2006-07 Kings Norton 10-10 (aet) Bournville Stourton Park, Stourbridge, West Midlands 2007-08 Ross on Wye 26-13 Cleobury Mortimer Stourton Park, Stourbridge, West Midlands 2008-09 Ross on Wye 12-6 Evesham Stourton Park, Stourbridge, West Midlands 2009-10 Evesham 35-15 Yardley & District Stourton Park, Stourbridge, West Midlands 2010-11 Dudley Wasps 27-18 Edwardian Stourton Park, Stourbridge, West Midlands 2011-12 Edwardian 24-12 Market Drayton Heathbrook, Kingswinford, West Midlands 2012-13 Old Yardleians 10-5 Ross on Wye Heathbrook, Kingswinford, West Midlands 2013-14 Bredon Star 34-7 Woodrush Heathbrook, Kingswinford, West Midlands 2014-15 Evesham 10-9 Cleobury Mortimer Redditch 12-12 Church Stretton Heathbrook, Kingswinford, West Midlands 2015-16 Bredon Star 36-7 Redditch Church Streeton 41-26 Greyhound Heathbrook, Kingswinford, West Midlands 2016-17 Ross on Wye 23-14 Bromyard Aldridge RFC 13-11 Aston Old Edwardians Heathbrook, Kingswinford, West Midlands 2017-18 Ross on Wye 41-12 Dudley Wasps Yardley & District 28-11 Greyhound Heathbrook, Kingswinford, West Midlands
Number of wins
Vase Ross on Wye (4) Bredon Star (2) Evesham (2) Kings Norton (2) Dudley Wasps (1) Edwardian (1) Old Yardleians (1)
Plate Aldridge (1) Church Streeton (1) Redditch (1) Yardley & District (1)
Notes
See also North Midlands RFU North Midlands Cup North Midlands Shield English rugby union system Rugby union in England
References
External links North Midlands RFU