County Championship (Rugby League)
Every winner of the historic representative rugby league competition contested between county select sides — principally Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Cumberland/Cumbria, with Cheshire winning once early on. Run as a round-robin table (not a knockout with a final) from 1895-96 until its discontinuation in 1982-83. The Yorkshire-vs-Lancashire fixture within this competition was popularly nicknamed the "War of the Roses," which continued as its own standalone fixture after this wider competition ended (see the separate War of the Roses page). Not to be confused with cricket's County Championship.
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
69 seasons with a champion on record. Lancashire have won the most titles (32).
Champions
| Season | Champion | Runner-up | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1895-96 | Lancashire | — | Won on points after play-off. |
| 1896-97 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1897-98 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1898-99 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1899-1900 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1900-01 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1901-02 | Cheshire | — | |
| 1902-03 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1903-04 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1904-05 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1905-06 | Lancashire & Cumberland | — | Joint title after a play-off draw. |
| 1906-07 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1907-08 | Cumberland | — | |
| 1908-09 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1909-10 | Yorkshire & Cumberland | — | Joint title. |
| 1910-11 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1911-12 | Cumberland | — | |
| 1912-13 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1913-14 | Not held | — | Undecided; a three-way tie. |
| 1919-20 | Not held | — | Undecided; a three-way tie. Not held 1914-1919 (First World War). |
| 1920-21 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1921-22 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1922-23 | Lancashire & Yorkshire | — | Joint title. |
| 1923-24 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1924-25 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1925-26 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1926-27 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1927-28 | Cumberland | — | |
| 1928-29 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1929-30 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1930-31 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1931-32 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1932-33 | Cumberland | — | |
| 1933-34 | Cumberland | — | |
| 1934-35 | Cumberland | — | |
| 1935-36 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1936-37 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1937-38 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1938-39 | Lancashire | — | Not held 1939-1945 (Second World War). |
| 1945-46 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1946-47 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1947-48 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1948-49 | Cumberland | — | |
| 1949-50 | Not held | — | Undecided; a three-way tie. |
| 1950-51 | Not held | — | Undecided; a three-way tie. |
| 1951-52 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1952-53 | Lancashire | — | Won on points average. |
| 1953-54 | Yorkshire | — | Won a play-off. |
| 1954-55 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1955-56 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1956-57 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1957-58 | Not held | — | Sources disagree on the champion this season (one summary table lists Lancashire, but notes elsewhere that Yorkshire held the superior actual record) — shown as unresolved rather than guessed. |
| 1958-59 | Yorkshire | — | Won a play-off. |
| 1959-60 | Cumberland | — | |
| 1960-61 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1961-62 | Cumberland | — | |
| 1962-63 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1963-64 | Cumberland | — | |
| 1964-65 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1965-66 | Cumberland | — | |
| 1966-67 | Cumberland | — | |
| 1967-68 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1968-69 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1969-70 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1970-71 | Yorkshire | — | Won a play-off. |
| 1971-72 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1972-73 | Yorkshire | — | Won a play-off. |
| 1973-74 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1974-75 | Lancashire | — | |
| 1975-76 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1976-77 | Yorkshire | — | |
| 1977-78 | Not held | — | Not held this season. |
| 1978-79 | Lancashire | — | Won on points difference. |
| 1979-80 | Lancashire | — | Won on points difference. |
| 1980-81 | Not held | — | Sources disagree on the champion this season (one summary table lists Lancashire, but notes elsewhere that Cumbria held the superior actual record) — shown as unresolved rather than guessed. |
| 1981-82 | Not held | — | Same unresolved discrepancy as 1980-81. |
| 1982-83 | Yorkshire | — | Final season of the competition. |
Three unresolved seasons
1957-58, 1980-81, and 1981-82 are shown with no champion stated: the source itself is internally inconsistent about who actually won those years, and this could not be independently resolved this round — shown as unresolved rather than guessed.
Sources
← All Rugby League competitions
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