Counties 3 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire (formerly Lancs/Cheshire Division Two (usually referred to as Lancs/Cheshire 2)) is a regional English Rugby Union league for teams in Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and Greater Manchester at level 9 of the English rugby union system.
The division was initially known as North-West West 2 when it was created in 1987, and had a number of different names with South Lancs/Cheshire 2 being the longest running. The division switched to its name for the 2018–19 season due to the restructuring of the northern leagues by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) as a result of 19 Lancashire clubs withdrawing from RFU competitions to form their own competitions. Each season three teams from Lancs/Cheshire 2 were picked to take part in the RFU Junior Vase (a national competition for clubs at levels 9-12) - two clubs affiliated with the Cheshire RFU, the other with the Lancashire RFU.
The division had a break for the 2015-16 season as the RFU decided to restructure the South Lancs/Cheshire league into three zones - Merseyside (West), Cheshire (South) and Lancashire (North). This was short-lived and the division returned to its original format for the 2016-17 season with only Lancashire (North) remaining of the three zones.
After the introduction of North 2 West at tier 7 for the 2019–20 season, all Lancs/Cheshire leagues dropped one level, with Lancs/Cheshire Division Two ranked at level 9.
Following the cancellation of Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, the league was mothballed with teams transferred into the Lancashire Merit Table competitions, ADM Lancashire leagues or level transferred into other regional leagues.
After a hiatus for season 2021-22 the league returned in its new guise following the restructuring of the English rugby union system ahead of the 2022–23 season, with the league renamed to Counties 3 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire.
Promotion is to Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire and relegation to Lancashire RFU merit leagues.
Teams 2026-27
Departing were champions Fleetwood and play-off winners Orrell both promoted to Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire. Also departing were Congleton (11th) relegated to Counties 4 Midlands West (North).
Ramsey (13th) were initially placed in the league but withdrew before the season began.
From February 2027 the league will divide into a Major Conference and Minor Conference with the top 7 sides playing in the former and the lower 7 sides in the latter providing clubs with 6 more fixtures.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Ashton-under-Lyne Gambrel Bank Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester 4th Burnley Holden Road Burnley, Lancashire 6th Bury Bury Sports Club Bury, Greater Manchester 2nd Clitheroe Littlemore Road Clitheroe, Lancashire 8th Colne & Nelson Holt House Colne, Lancashire 14th Dukinfield Playing Fields Dukinfield, Greater Manchester 7th Hoylake Carham Road Hoylake, Merseyside 10th Oldham Manor Park Oldham, Greater Manchester 5th Ormskirk Green Lane Ormskirk, Lancashire 9th Oxton Parkonians HM Curphey Memorial Ground Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside Re-entry Prenton Prenton Dell Road Prenton, Birkenhead, Merseyside Re-entry St Edward's OB Bishops Court Liverpool, Merseyside Re-entry Vagabonds Port-E-Chee Douglas, Isle of Man 12th
Teams 2025-26
Departing were De La Salle (Salford) and Garstang (champions), promoted to Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire.
From February 2026 the league divided into a Major Conference and Minor Conference with the top 7 sides playing in the former and the lower 7 sides in the latter providing clubs with 6 more fixtures.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Ashton-under-Lyne Gambrel Bank Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester 9th Burnley Holden Road Burnley, Lancashire 7th Bury Bury Sports Club Bury, Greater Manchester 3rd Clitheroe Littlemore Road Clitheroe, Lancashire 4th Colne & Nelson Holt House Colne, Lancashire 5th Congleton Congleton Park Congleton, Cheshire Re-entry Dukinfield Playing Fields Dukinfield, Greater Manchester 10th Fleetwood Melbourne Avenue Fleetwood, Lancashire 8th Hoylake Carham Road Hoylake, Merseyside Relegated from Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire Oldham Manor Park Oldham, Greater Manchester Relegated from Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire Ormskirk Green Lane Ormskirk, Lancashire 6th Orrell St John Rigby College Orrell, Greater Manchester 12th Ramsey Mooragh Park Ramsey, Isle of Man Re-entry Vagabonds Port-E-Chee Douglas, Isle of Man 11th
Teams 2024-25
Departing were Wigan and Thornton-Cleveleys, promoted to Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire.
Joining were Fleetwood and De La Salle (Salford) relegated from Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire together with Vagabonds, Ashton-under-Lyne, Colne & Nelson and Blackpool promoted from the Lancashire RFU merit leagues.
Blackpool has initially been placed in the league but withdrew before the season started and instead opted to compete in the Halbro NW leagues (Div 2 North).
Old Bedians (10th in 2023-24) withdrew from the league in November "... for the benefit of the club, with the aim to improve player enjoyment this season and increase player numbers in the future".
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Ashton-under-Lyne Gambrel Bank Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester Promoted from the Lancashire RFU merit leagues Burnley Holden Road Burnley, Lancashire 5th Bury Bury Sports Club Bury, Greater Manchester 4th Clitheroe Littlemore Road Clitheroe, Lancashire 7th Colne & Nelson Holt House Colne, Lancashire Promoted from the Lancashire RFU merit leagues De La Salle (Salford) De La Salle Sports & Social Club Salford, Greater Manchester Relegated from Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire Dukinfield Playing Fields Dukinfield, Greater Manchester 9th Fleetwood Melbourne Avenue Fleetwood, Lancashire Relegated from Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire Garstang Hudson Park Garstang, Lancashire 3rd Ormskirk Green Lane Ormskirk, Lancashire 8th Orrell St John Rigby College Orrell, Greater Manchester 6th Vagabonds Port-E-Chee Douglas, Isle of Man Promoted from the Lancashire RFU merit leagues
Teams 2023-24
Departing were Hoylake and New Brighton, promoted to Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire. Vagabonds (9th) and Port Sunlight (10th) were relegated into the Lancashire RFU merit leagues. Ellesmere Port (6th) did not return for the new season.
Joining were Ormskirk, Orrell and Wigan relegated from Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire together with Burnley and Clitheroe promoted from the Lancashire RFU merit leagues.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Burnley Holden Road Burnley, Lancashire Promoted from the Lancashire RFU merit leagues Bury Bury Sports Club Bury, Greater Manchester 8th Clitheroe Littlemore Road Clitheroe, Lancashire Promoted from the Lancashire RFU merit leagues Dukinfield Playing Fields Dukinfield, Greater Manchester 5th Garstang Hudson Park Garstang, Lancashire 3rd Old Bedians Millgate Lane Didsbury, Manchester, Greater Manchester 7th Ormskirk Green Lane Ormskirk, Lancashire Relegated from Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire Orrell St John Rigby College Orrell, Greater Manchester Relegated from Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire Thornton-Cleveleys Thornton Sports Centre Thornton, Lancashire 4th Wigan Douglas Valley Wigan, Greater Manchester Relegated from Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire
Teams 2022-23
This was the first season following the RFU Adult Competition Review with the league adopting its new name of Counties 3 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Bury Bury Sports Club Bury, Greater Manchester Dukinfield Playing Fields Dukinfield, Greater Manchester Ellesmere Port Whitby Sports & Social Club Ellesmere Port, Cheshire Garstang Hudson Park Garstang, Lancashire Hoylake Carham Road Hoylake, Merseyside New Brighton Hartsfield Moreton, Merseyside Old Bedians Millgate Lane Didsbury, Manchester, Greater Manchester Port Sunlight Leverhulme Playing Fields Bromborough, Merseyside Thornton-Cleveleys Thornton Sports Centre Thornton, Lancashire Vagabonds Port-E-Chee Douglas, Isle of Man
Season 2021-22
Not contested as many of the Lancashire RFU affiliated clubs had joined the Lancashire ADM splinter leagues.
Season 2020–21
On 30 October the RFU announced that a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning the leagues was not contested.
Teams 2019–20
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Liverpool University Wyncote Sports Ground Mossley Hill, Liverpool, Merseyside 4th Mossley Hill Mossley Hill Athletic Club Mossley Hill, Liverpool, Merseyside 6th Newton-le-Willows Newton-le-Willows Sports Club Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside 9th Old Bedians Millgate Lane Didsbury, Manchester, Greater Manchester 3rd Oswestry Granville Park Oswestry, Shropshire Relegated from Lancs/Cheshire 1 (11th) Oxton Parkonians HM Curphey Memorial Ground Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside 10th Port Sunlight Leverhulme Playing Fields Bromborough, Merseyside Relegated from Lancs/Cheshire 1 (10th) Ruskin Park Ruskin Drive Sports Ground St Helens, Merseyside 7th Vagabonds Port-E-Chee Douglas, Isle of Man 8th
Teams 2018–19
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Aspull Wood Lane Aspull, Greater Manchester 4th Birchfield Birchfield Road Widnes, Cheshire Promoted from Lancs/Cheshire 3 (runners up) Congleton Congleton Park Congleton, Cheshire 8th Dukinfield Blocksages Playing Fields Dukinfield, Greater Manchester 9th Eccles Gorton Street Eccles, Greater Manchester Transferred from North Lancashire/Cumbria (13th) Garstang Hudson Park Garstang, Lancashire Promoted from Lancs/Cheshire 3 (champions) Marple Ridge Sports Pavilion Marple, Stockport, Greater Manchester 12th New Brighton Hartsfield 2,000 Moreton, Merseyside Relegated from Lancs/Cheshire 1 (13th) Orrell St John Rigby College Orrell, Greater Manchester 6th Oswestry Granville Park Oswestry, Shropshire 10th Port Sunlight Leverhulme Playing Fields Bromborough, Merseyside 11th
Teams 2017–18
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Aspull Wood Lane Aspull, Greater Manchester Promoted from South Lancs/Cheshire 3 (champions) Congleton Congleton Park Congleton, Cheshire Promoted from South Lancs/Cheshire 3 (runners up) Didsbury Toc H Ford Lane Didsbury, Manchester, Greater Manchester Transferred from Lancashire (North) (3rd) Dukinfield Blocksages Playing Fields Dukinfield, Greater Manchester 8th Heaton Moor Green Lane Heaton Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester 5th Liverpool Collegiate Aigburth Cricket Ground 3,000 Aigburth, Liverpool, Merseyside 3rd Marple Ridge Sports Pavilion Marple, Stockport, Greater Manchester 7th Oldershaw Belvidere Recreational Ground Oldershaw, Merseyside 10th Orrell St John Rigby College Orrell, Greater Manchester Transferred from Lancashire (North) (4th) Oswestry Granville Park Oswestry, Shropshire Relegated from South Lancs/Cheshire 1 (14th) Port Sunlight Leverhulme Playing Fields Bromborough, Merseyside 9th Vagabonds Port-E-Chee Douglas, Isle of Man 11th Wigan Douglas Valley Wigan, Greater Manchester Relegated from South Lancs/Cheshire 1 (13th) Winnington Park Burrows Hill 5,000 Hartford, Northwich, Cheshire 6th
Participating clubs 2016-17 Dukinfield Eagle Heaton Moor Hoylake (relegated from South Lancs/Cheshire 1) Liverpool Collegiate Marple Moore Oldershaw Port Sunlight Ruskin Park (prompted from Merseyside (West)) Tyldesley Vagabonds R.U.F.C. Winnington Park (relegated from South Lancs/Cheshire 1)
2015-16
For the 2015-16 season this league, and South Lancs/Cheshire 3, were replaced by three county-wide leagues - Cheshire (South), Merseyside (West) and Lancashire (North). However, with the exception of Lancashire North, the county leagues were axed after just one season and the South Lancs/Cheshire leagues were restored.
Participating clubs 2014-15