North Midlands Shield

{{Infobox rugby league football competition

| name = North Midlands Shield

| logo =

| sport = Rugby Union

| founded ={{Start date and age|2001}}

| country = {{ENG}}

| teams = 19

| champion = Moseley Oak (1st title)

| season = 2021-22

| most_champs = Bridgnorth, Kidderminster Carolians

| count = 3

| website = [http://www.northmidsrfu.co.uk/ North Midlands RFU]

}}

The North Midlands Shield is an annual rugby union knock-out cup club competition organized by the North Midlands Rugby Football Union and was first contested during the 2001–02 season with Ledbury being the first ever winners, defeating Old Saltleians in the final held at Finstall Park in Bromsgrove.{{cite web|url=http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/5684414.3_1_03___Southam_visit_Ledbury_RFC/?ref=arc|title=3/1/03 - Southam visit Ledbury RFC |publisher=Hereford Times|date=3 January 2003 }} It is currently open for clubs ranked in tier 7-8 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. A tier 9 side, Shropshire based Oswestry, who play in Cheshire (South), also take part. In 2014 the North Midlands RFU introduced a 'Plate' competition for sides eliminated in the early stages of the Shield.{{cite web|url=http://www.northmidsrfu.co.uk/north-midlands-cup-draws-made/ |title=North Midlands Cup draws made |publisher=North Midlands RFU|accessdate=12 May 2016 }} 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 Vase (for tier 9-10 sides).{{cite web|url=http://www.northmidsrfu.co.uk/north-midlands-cup-competitions/ |title=NORTH MIDLANDS CUP COMPETITIONS|publisher=North Midlands RFU|accessdate=14 May 2016 }}

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 (2021-22’s Final was held at Worcester RFC) along with the cup and vase finals. Due to the disjointed numbers of teams, teams that lose in either the preliminary or first round stage then contest the shield plate while winners go on to contest the shield.

North Midlands Shield winners

class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;"

colspan="11" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"|

{| border="0" style="width:100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"

style="width:20%; border:0;"|

| style="border:0;"|North Midlands Shield Winners{{cite web|url=http://www.northmidsrfu.co.uk/north-midlands-cup-competitions/north-midlands-shield-winners/ |title=NM SHIELD PREVIOUS WINNERS |publisher=North Midlands RFU|accessdate=11 May 2016 }}

| style="width:20%; border:0;"|

! style="background:#efefef;"|Season

! style="background:#efefef"|Shield Winner

! style="background:#efefef"|Score

! style="background:#efefef;"|Shield Runners–up

! style="background:#efefef"|Plate Winner{{#tag:ref|Plate competition introduced for 2014-15 season for teams that were knocked out of the first round of the North Midlands Shield.|group=a}}

! style="background:#efefef"|Score

! style="background:#efefef;"|Plate Runners–up

! style="background:#efefef;"|Venue

|- align=left

| 2001-02|| Ledbury || 13-5 || Old Saltleians || colspan="3" rowspan="13"| || Finstall Park, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire

| 2002-03{{cite web|url=http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/7637135.Sols_march_on_to_double_joy/|title=Sols march on to double joy|publisher=Worcester News|date=11 May 2003 }} || Solihull || 13-7{{#tag:ref|North Midlands RFU website has Worcester Wanderers as the winners of the 2003 competition yet Worcester News state Solihull win. This is backed up in other online new sources so it must be a mistake by the North Midlands RFU.|group=a}} || Old Yardleians || Stourton Park, Stourbridge, West Midlands

| 2003-04{{cite web|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-116447503.html|title=RUGBY UNION: Robbo record|publisher=Birmingham Evening Mail|date=11 May 2004|access-date=14 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910060029/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-116447503.html|archive-date=10 September 2016|url-status=dead}} || Old Yardleians || 27-8 || Aston Old Edwardians || Heathbrook, Kingswinford, West Midlands

| 2004-05{{cite web|url=http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/dixonians/a/history-7322.html |title=Dixonians RFC: History |publisher=Dixonians RFC|accessdate=11 May 2016 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-132261501.html |title=RUGBY UNION: Solihull double |publisher=Birmingham Evening Mail |accessdate=9 May 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910063345/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-132261501.html |archive-date=10 September 2016 |url-status=dead }} || Solihull || 48-28 || Old Dixonians || Stourton Park, Stourbridge, West Midlands

| 2005-06{{cite web|url=http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/7845975.Kidderminster_Carolians/|title=Kidderminster Carolians|publisher=Worcester News|accessdate=11 May 2006 }} || Kidderminster Carolians || 24-18 || Old Halesonians || Stourton Park, Stourbridge, West Midlands

| 2006-07{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2313328/Sport-in-Brief.html|title=Sport in Brief|publisher=The Telegraph|date=15 May 2007 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-177970959.html|title=Rugby Union: Shield semi-final between Kings Norton and Bournville|publisher=The Birmingham Post|date=18 April 2008|access-date=14 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910193910/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-177970959.html|archive-date=10 September 2016|url-status=dead}} || Old Halesonians || 15-0 || Aston Old Edwardians || Stourton Park, Stourbridge, West Midlands

| 2007-08{{cite web|url=http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/camphillrfc/a/history-9276.html|title=Camp Hill: History|publisher=Camp Hill RFC|accessdate=12 May 2016 }} || Camp Hill || || Bournville || Stourton Park, Stourbridge, West Midlands

| 2008-09{{cite web|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-199563268.html|title=Award-winning vets Bournville Hippos enter Sevens festival.|publisher=The Birmingham Post|date=12 May 2009|access-date=14 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910205724/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-199563268.html|archive-date=10 September 2016|url-status=dead}} || Bournville || 34-17 || Aston Old Edwardians || Stourton Park, Stourbridge, West Midlands

| 2009-10{{cite web|url=http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/astonoldedwardians/news/north-midlands-finals-134574.html|title=North Midlands Finals|publisher=Aston Old Edwardians RFC|accessdate=12 May 2016 }} || Old Saltleians || || Droitwich || Stourton Park, Stourbridge, West Midlands

| 2010-11{{cite web|url=http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/astonoldedwardians/teams/17720/match-centre/0-628743|title=North Midlands Shield Final |publisher=Aston Old Edwardians RFC|date=15 May 2011 }} || Droitwich || 29-13 || Aston Old Edwardians || Stourton Park, Stourbridge, West Midlands

| 2011-12{{cite web|url=http://www.droitwichrfc.co.uk/teams/43513/match-centre/0-1139197|title=DRFC 27-16 Veseyans |publisher=Droitwich RFC|date=13 May 2012 }} || Droitwich || 27-16 || Veseyans || Heathbrook, Kingswinford, West Midlands

| 2012-13{{cite web|url=http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/bridgnorth/news/bridgnorth-won-the-north-mids-shield-948346.html|title=Bridgnorth Won The North Mids Shield! |publisher=Bridgnorth RFC|date=13 May 2013 }} || Bridgnorth || 10-6 || Droitwich || Heathbrook, Kingswinford, West Midlands

| 2013-14{{cite web|url=http://www.northmidsrfu.co.uk/bridgnorth-and-bredon-star-win-silverware-at-county-finals-day/ |title=Bridgnorth and Bredon Star win silverware at county finals day |publisher=North Midlands RFU|date=11 May 2014 }} || Bridgnorth || 30-8 || Stourbridge Lions || Heathbrook, Kingswinford, West Midlands

| 2014-15{{cite web|url=http://www.northmidsrfu.co.uk/north-mids-cup/ |title=NORTH MIDS CU 2014/15 Season |publisher=North Midlands RFU|accessdate=11 May 2016 }} || Bridgnorth || 18-13 || Kidderminster Carolians || Old Saltleians || 29-15 || Woodrush || Heathbrook, Kingswinford, West Midlands

| 2015-16{{cite web|url=http://www.northmidsrfu.co.uk/bees-win-north-midlands-cup-tense-final/ |title=Bees win North Midlands Cup in tense final |publisher=North Midlands RFU|date=8 May 2016 }} || Kidderminster Carolians || 32-15 || Old Saltleians || Old Yardleians || 27-20 || Droitwich || Heathbrook, Kingswinford, West Midlands

| 2016-17{{cite web|url=http://www.northmidsrfu.co.uk/kidderminster-retain-north-mids-shield/|title=Kidderminster retain North Mids Shield|publisher=North Midlands RFU|date=7 May 2017 }} || Kidderminster Carolians || 23-16 || Veseyans || Old Saltleians || 26-19 || Harborne || Heathbrook, Kingswinford, West Midlands

| 2017-18 || Malvern || 53-12 || Old Saltleians || Droitwich || 19-7 || Shrewsbury || Heathbrook, Kingswinford, West Midlands

|2021-22 || Moseley Oak || 19-17 || Evesham || Edwardians || 38-34 || Shrewsbury || Worcester RFC, Worcester, Worcestershire