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Southern Combination League

Southern Combination logo
 

The Southern Combination League is a three-division league at Steps 5, 6 and 7 in the National League system, feeding the Isthmian League and the Southern League.

The league was formed as the Sussex County League in 1920 and has continued to provide football for clubs in East and West Sussex for 90 years. The league was originally formed with a single division, which apart from the first post-World War II season in 1945-46 served as the format until 1952 when Division Two was formed. Division Three was added to the format in 1983 for clubs of intermediate status, and this has continued as the format to this day. Additional divisions are organised for reserve teams.

Current members with Isthmian League experience include Southwick and Steyning Town, while in recent years, Horsham YMCA (2006), Eastbourne Town (2007), Crowborough Athletic (2008), Whitehawk (2010) and Crawley Down (2011) have moved up from the Southern Combination to the either the Southern or Isthmian Leagues.

No Southern Combination team has yet made the F.A. Vase final - both Littlehampton Town in 1990-91 and Whitehawk in 2009-10 made the two-legged semi-finals before bowing out, and Burgess Hill Town, Peacehaven & Telscombe and Steyning Town had all made quarter final appearances while members of the league.

The league has a website, full of current league information at http://www.scfl.org.uk, and there used to be a separate archive site with extensive tables and result grids, but this appears to be no longer active (as of April 2015)

 

Divisional Champions

Season Champions
1920-21 Worthing
1921-22 Worthing
1922-23 Vernon Athletic
1923-24 Corps of Signals
1924-25 Corps of Signals
1925-26 Southwick
1926-27 Worthing
1927-28 Southwick
1928-29 Worthing
1929-30 Southwick
1930-31 Worthing
1931-32 Horsham
1932-33 Horsham
1933-34 Worthing
1934-35 Horsham
1935-36 Horsham
1936-37 Horsham
1937-38 Horsham
1938-39 Worthing
 

The league closed down on the outbreak of World War II in 1939, and resumed in 1945. With the acceptance of 17 teams, including a number of service sides, two divisions were formed, Eastern and Western.

Season Eastern Division Western Division
1945-46 Haywards Heath Worthing
 

The league contracted to a single section of 14 teams in 1946.

Season Champions
1946-47 Horsham
1947-48 Southwick
1948-49 Bognor Regis
1949-50 Haywards Heath
1950-51 Haywards Heath
1951-52 Shoreham
 

Division Two was formed in 1952. The 1962-63 season was abandoned due to extreme weather conditions throughout the winter, and a series of emergency competitions was played instead.

Season Division One Division Two
1952-53 Shoreham Wigmore Athletic
1953-54 Newhaven Hove White Rovers
1954-55 Eastbourne United Three Bridges United
1955-56 Eastbourne United Rye United
1956-57 Bexhill Town Athletic A P V Athletic
1957-58 Arundel Lancing
1958-59 Arundel Sidley United
1959-60 Chichester City Old Varndeanians
1960-61 Chichester City Hastings Rangers
1961-62 Whitehawk Shoreham
1962-63 Normal league system abandoned
1963-64 Whitehawk Selsey
1964-65 Lewes Sidley United
1965-66 Bexhill Town Athletic Horsham Y M C A
1966-67 Bexhill Town Athletic Wadhurst
1967-68 Chichester City Whitehawk
1968-69 Southwick Ringmer
1969-70 Haywards Heath Lancing
1970-71 Ringmer Bognor Regis Town
1971-72 Bognor Regis Town Newhaven
1972-73 Chichester City Portfield
1973-74 Newhaven Wigmore Athletic
1974-75 Southwick Burgess Hill Town
1975-76 Burgess Hill Town Selsey
1976-77 Eastbourne Town Shoreham
1977-78 Shoreham Steyning
1978-79 Peacehaven & Telscombe Pagham
1979-80 Chichester City Hastings Town
1980-81 Pagham Whitehawk
1981-82 Peacehaven & Telscombe Wick
1982-83 Peacehaven & Telscombe Horsham Y M C A
 

The league further expanded by introducing a Division Three was formed in 1983.

Season Division One Division Two Division Three
1983-84 Whitehawk Portfield East Preston
1984-85 Steyning Town Shoreham Oakwood
1985-86 Steyning Town Wick Seaford Town
1986-87 Arundel Pagham Langney Sports
1987-88 Pagham Langney Sports Midway
1988-89 Pagham Seaford Town Saltdean United
1989-90 Wick Bexhill Town Worthing United
1990-91 Littlehampton Town Newhaven Ifield
1991-92 Peacehaven & Telscombe Portfield Hassocks
1992-93 Peacehaven & Telscombe Crowborough Athletic Withdean
1993-94 Wick Shoreham Bosham
1994-95 Peacehaven & Telscombe Mile Oak Midhurst & Easebourne
1995-96 Peacehaven & Telscombe Saltdean United Ifield
1996-97 Burgess Hill Town Littlehampton Town Sidlesham
1997-98 Burgess Hill Town East Preston Lingfield
1998-99 Burgess Hill Town Sidley United Oving Social Club
1999-00 Langney Sports Sidlesham Bosham
2000-01 Sidley United Southwick Rye United
2001-02 Burgess Hill Town Rye & Iden United Pease Pottage Village
2002-03 Burgess Hill Town Rye & Iden United Midhurst & Easebourne
2003-04 Chichester City United Littlehampton Town Crowborough Athletic
2004-05 Horsham Y M C A Crowborough Athletic Storrington
2005-06 Horsham Y M C A Oakwood Peacehaven & Telscombe
2006-07 Eastbourne Town Pagham Rustington
2007-08 Crowborough Athletic East Grinstead Town Loxwood
2008-09 Eastbourne United Association Peacehaven & Telscombe Clymping
2009-10 Whitehawk Rye United Bosham
2010-11 Crawley Down A F C Uckfield Dorking Wanderers
2011-12 Three Bridges East Preston Newhaven
2012-13 Peacehaven & Telscombe Littlehampton Town Sidlesham
2013-14 East Preston Eastbourne United Association Langney Wanderers
2014-15 Littlehampton Town Worthing United Southwick
 

The league changed name to the Southern Combination League, and renamed the divisions, in 2015.

Season Premier Division Division One Division Two
2015-16 Horsham Haywards Heath Town AFC Varndeanians
2016-17 Shoreham Saltdean United Bosham
2017-18 Haywards Heath Town Little Common Rustington
2018-19 Chichester City Alfold Rustington
2019-20 Season declared null and void
 

The F.C.H.D. has the complete final table information for this league. Tables for 1920-1985 were originally taken from the archive site of the league website. Tables from 1978 to 1985 were then checked against tables published in the BNLF and Non-League Directories. Tables since 1985 were originally compiled from contemporary sources. A number of the tables held within the FCHD still contain errors, mainly among the goals for/against totals not balancing.

We're not aware of the full set of tables being published in book form.

 

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Please acknowledge the F.C.H.D. when using this information elsewhere