The Devon Junior Cup is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the Devon Rugby Football Union. It was first introduced in the 1888–89 season when it was won by Paignton. During the pre-war years the Devon Junior Cup was open to lower ranked teams in the county, along with the reserve sides of the larger clubs such as Exeter and Devonport Albion. Like the senior cup competition, the junior cup has periods of inactivity over its history due to World Wars, and was cancelled towards the end of the 1950s only to return in the 1986–87 season when it was won by Exeter Saracens. The Havill Plate was introduced in the 1970s for teams knocked out of the first round of the Devon Senior Cup but later included clubs knocked out of the early stages of the Junior Cup – it was discontinued after the 1998–99 season.
The Junior Cup is the third cup competition in the county behind the Senior Cup and Intermediate Cup, and is open to club sides based in Devon that play in tier 9 (Devon League 1) of the English rugby union league system, as well as the Devon Merit Tables (outside of the league system). The current format is a knock-out cup with a first round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, which is played at the home ground of one of the finalists. Also running alongside is a Plate competition for clubs knocked out of the first round of the Devon Junior Cup. There was also a Vase competition but this has not been contested since 2017.
Devon Junior Cup winners Devon Junior Cup Finals Season Winner Score Runners–up Venue 1888-89 Paignton Scarlet Runners 1889-90 Melville 1890-91 Totnes 1891-92 Dartmouth Athletic 1892-93 Devonport Albion 'B' 1893-94 Aller Vale 1894–95 Sidmouth 3 goals, 2 tries – 0 Ilfracombe 1895-96 Tiverton Heathcoat 1896-97 Torquay Juniors 1897-98 Ilfracombe 1898-99 Dartmouth Athletic 1899-1900 Paignton 1900-01 Argyle Athletic 1901-02 Teignmouth / Friernhay 0-0 N/A 1902-03 Friernhay 4-3 Teignmouth Newton Abbot 1903-04 Dartmouth Athletic Exeter Reserves Newton Abbot 1904-05 Brixham 24-0 Ilfracombe 1905-06 Exeter Reserves 6-3 St. Chads 1906-07 St. Chads 1907-08 Devonport Ramblers 1908-09 Brixham 12-0 Seaton Newton Abbot 1909-10 Kingsteignton 1910-11 Kingsteignton 1911-12 Teignmouth 1912-13 Seaton 1913-14 North Tawton 1914-19 No competition due to World War I 1919-20 Exmouth Reserves 1920-21 Newton Abbot Reserves 1921-22 Exmouth Reserves 1922-23 Kingsteignton 1923-24 Crediton 1924-25 Newton Abbot Reserves 1925-26 Exmouth Reserves Crediton 1926-27 Paignton Reserves 9-3 Honiton 1927-28 Honiton 21-7 Brixham Reserves 1928-29 Honiton 9-3 Kingsteignton County Ground, Exeter 1929-30 Honiton 9-5 Brixham Reserves 1930-31 Kingsteignton 1931-32 North Tawton 1932-33 Bideford 1933-34 Brixham Reserves 1934-35 Bideford 1935-36 Withycombe 1936-37 No competition 1937-38 Exmouth Reserves 1938-39 Buckfastleigh 1939-46 No competition 1946-47 Crediton 1947-48 North Tawton 1948-49 North Tawton 1949-50 North Tawton / Totnes 1950-51 North Tawton / Totnes 1951-52 Totnes 1952-53 Cullompton 1953-54 Buckfastleigh 1954-55 Buckfastleigh 1955-56 Buckfastleigh 1956-57 North Tawton 1957-86 No competition 1986-87 Exeter Saracens 1987-88 Ivybridge 1988-89 Ivybridge 1989-90 Cullompton 1990-91 Ivybridge 1991-92 Paignton 1992-93 Honiton 1993-94 Honiton 1994-95 Ivybridge 1995-96 Kingsbridge 1996-97 Kingsbridge 48-0 Newton Abbot Rackerhayes, Kingsteignton 1997-98 Exmouth 1998-99 Withycombe 1999-2000 Exmouth 2000-01 Kingsbridge 2001-02 Tavistock 2002-03 Honiton 2003-04 Honiton 2004-05 Honiton 29-3 South Molton 2005-06 Okehampton 8-3 Cullompton 2006-07 Cullompton Teignmouth 2007-08 Bideford 27-3 Teignmouth King George's Field, Bideford 2008-09 Exeter Saracens 34-15 Torrington Exhibition Fields, Exeter 2009-10 Wessex 19-3 Totnes Borough Park, Totnes 2010-11 Plymouth Barbarians 21-10 Topsham Keyham Park, Plymouth 2011-12 Wessex 18-11 Newcross Five Lanes, Kingsteignton 2012-13 South Molton 20-8 Torrington Unicorn Park, South Molton 2013-14 Old Technicians 13-8 South Molton Weston Mill, Plymouth 2014-15 Totnes 20-17 North Tawton Tawmeadow, North Tawton 2015-16 Torrington 24-15 North Tawton Donnacroft, Torrington 2016-17 Dartmouth 29-11 Totnes Tawmeadow, North Tawton 2017-18 South Molton 34-13 Topsham Unicorn Park, South Molton 2018-19 North Tawton 25-10 Exeter Athletic Taw Meadows, North Tawton
Devon Junior Plate winners Devon Junior Plate Finals Season Winner Score Runners–up Venue 2009-10 North Tawton 41-0 Plympton Victoria Taw Meadows, North Tawton 2010-11 Wessex 29-19 Dartmouth Dartmouth Leisure Centre, Dartmouth 2011-12 Plymouth Argaum N/A Old Plymothian & Mannamedian N/A 2012-13 Buckfastleigh Ramblers 48-10 Devonport HSOB Stonehouse Creek, Plymouth 2013-14 Unknown Unknown Ernesettle Lane, Plymouth 2014-15 Plymouth Argaum N/A Unknown N/A 2015-16 Tamar Saracens N/A South Molton N/A 2016-17 North Tawton 13-10 Torington Tawmeadow, North Tawton 2017-18 New Cross 28-10 Devonport HSOB Unicorn Park, South Molton 2018-19 Ilfracombe 20-3 Salcombe Brimlands, Ilfracombe
Devon Junior Vase winners Devon Junior Vase Finals Season Winner Score Runners–up Venue 2009-10 Plymouth Barbarians 26-18 Dartmouth Keyham Park, Plymouth 2010-11 Plymstock Albion Oaks 27-12 Old Plymothian & Mannamedian King George V Playing Fields, Plymouth 2011-12 North Tawton 24-9 Salcombe Unicorn Park, North Tawton 2012-13 Old Technicians 20-12 Tamar Saracens Weston Mill, Plymouth 2013-14 Topsham 18-11 Plymouth Argaum Bickleigh Down, Plymouth 2014-15 New Cross 37-14 Plymstock Albion Oaks Horsham Playing Fields, Plymouth 2015-16 New Cross 55-0 Devonport HSOB Five Lanes, Kingsteignton 2016-17 Exeter Saracens 12-10 Old Technicians Tawmeadow, North Tawton
Number of wins
Cup Honiton (8) North Tawton (8) Exmouth (6) Totnes (5) Buckfastleigh (4) Ivybridge (4) Kingsteignton (4) Paignton (4) Bideford (3) Brixham (3) Cullompton (3) Dartmouth Athletic (3) Kingsbridge (3) Crediton (2) Exeter Saracens (2) Friernhay (2) Newton Abbot Reserves (2) South Molton (2) Teignmouth (2) Wessex (2) Withycombe (2) Aller Vale (1) Argyle Athletic (1) Devonport Albion 'B' (1) Dartmouth (1) Devonport Ramblers (1) Exeter Reserves (1) Ilfracombe (1) Melville (1) Okehampton (1) Old Technicians (1) Plymouth Barbarians (1) Seaton (1) Sidmouth (1) St. Chads (1) Tavistock (1) Tiverton Heathcoat (1) Torquay Athletic Juniors (1) Torrington (1)
Plate North Tawton (2) Plymouth Argaum (2) Buckfastleigh Ramblers (1) Ilfracombe (1) New Cross (1) Tamar Saracens (1) Wessex (1)
Vase New Cross (2) North Tawton (1) Exeter Saracens (1) Old Technicians (1) Plymouth Barbarians (1) Plymstock Albion Oaks (1) Topsham (1)
Notes
See also Devon RFU Devon Senior Cup Devon Intermediate Cup David Butt Memorial Trophy Havill Plate English rugby union system Rugby union in England
References
External links Devon RFU