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This situation endured until 1901-02, when the top teams in each league resigned and formed a new combined first division. The following season, the remaining clubs formed a second division. From then until 1907, when there was another re-organisation, the county leagues were not played.
The new structure initiated for the 1907-8 season saw the clubs playing every other team in their own county home and away, and playing once each against the clubs from the other county. Results from all games counted towards the Rugby League Championship, whilst results within the county counted towards the respective county leagues.
The championship often included teams from neither outside the Yorkshire and Lancashire heartlands; these were allocated to a county league on a practical basis. Briefly, in the 1908-09 season, there were enough clubs from Wales to add a third Welsh League to the structure. The sole winner of this title were Merthyr Tydfil.
The Yorkshire and Lancashire Leagues were abandoned in 1970.
| Season | Lancashire League | Yorkshire League |
| 1895-96 | Runcorn | Manningham |
| 1896-971 | Broughton Rangers | Brighouse Rangers |
| 1897-981 | Oldham | Hunslet |
| 1898-991 | Broughton Rangers | Batley |
| 1899-001 | Runcorn | Bradford |
| 1900-011 | Oldham | Bradford |
| 1901-022 | Wigan | Leeds |
| 1902-07 | No competition | |
| 1907-08 | Oldham | Hunslet |
| 1908-09 | Wigan | Halifax |
| 1909-10 | Oldham | Wakefield Trinity |
| 1910-11 | Wigan | Wakefield Trinity |
| 1911-12 | Wigan | Huddersfield |
| 1912-13 | Wigan | Huddersfield |
| 1913-14 | Wigan | Huddersfield |
| 1914-15 | Wigan | Huddersfield |
| 1915-18 | No competition due to World War 1 | |
| 1918-19 | Rochdale Hornets | Hull |
| 1919-20 | Widnes | Huddersfield |
| 1920-21 | Wigan | Halifax |
| 1921-22 | Oldham | Huddersfield |
| 1922-23 | Wigan | Hull |
| 1923-24 | Wigan | Batley |
| 1924-25 | Swinton | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| 1925-26 | Wigan | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| 1926-27 | St Helens Recs | Hull |
| 1927-28 | Swinton | Leeds |
| 1928-29 | Swinton | Huddersfield |
| 1929-30 | St Helens | Huddersfield |
| 1930-31 | Swinton | Leeds |
| 1931-32 | St Helens | Hunslet |
| 1932-33 | Salford | Castleford |
| 1933-34 | Salford | Leeds |
| 1934-35 | Salford | Leeds |
| 1935-36 | Liverpool Stanley | Hull |
| 1936-37 | Salford | Leeds |
| 1937-38 | Warrington | Leeds |
| 1938-39 | Salford | Castleford |
| 1939-45 | No competition due to World War 2 | |
| 1945-46 | Wigan | Wakefield Trinity |
| 1946-47 | Wigan | Dewsbury |
| 1947-48 | Warrington | Bradford |
| 1948-49 | Warrington | Huddersfield |
| 1949-50 | Wigan | Huddersfield |
| 1950-51 | Warrington | Leeds |
| 1951-52 | Wigan | Huddersfield |
| 1952-53 | St Helens | Halifax |
| 1953-54 | Warrington | Halifax |
| 1954-55 | Warrington | Leeds |
| 1955-56 | Warrington | Halifax |
| 1956-57 | Oldham | Leeds |
| 1957-58 | Oldham | Halifax |
| 1958-59 | Wigan | Wakefield Tinity |
| 1959-60 | St Helens | Wakefield Tinity |
| 1960-61 | Swinton | Leeds |
| 1961-62 | Wigan | Wakefield Trinity |
| 1962-633 | Workington Town | Wakefield Trinity |
| 1963-643 | St Helens | Halifax |
| 1964-65 | St Helens | Castleford |
| 1965-66 | St Helens | Leeds |
| 1966-67 | St Helens | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| 1967-68 | Warrington | Leeds |
| 1968-69 | St Helens | Leeds |
| 1969-70 | Wigan | Leeds |