The 2003–04 National Division Three North was the fourth season (sixteenth overall) of the fourth division (north) of the English domestic rugby union competition using the name National Division Three North. New teams to the division included Fylde and Kendal who were relegated from the 2002–03 National Division Two while promoted teams included Longton who came up as champions of Midlands Division 1 while Darlington (champions) and Macclesfield (playoffs) came up from North Division 1.[1][2][3] The league system was 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw with the promotion system changing for this season with a playoff system being introduced. The champions of both National Division Three North and National Division Three South would automatically go up but the runners up of these two divisions would meet each other in a one off match (at the home ground of the side with the superior league record) to see who would claim the third and final promotion place to National Division Two for the following season.
| 2003–04 National Division Three North | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  England |
| Champions | Waterloo |
| Runners-up | Halifax |
| Relegated | Longton, Liverpool St Helens, Preston Grasshoppers |
| Attendance | N/A[a 1] |
| Top point scorer | Anthony Birley (New Brighton) 316 points |
| Top try scorer | Neil Kerfoot (Waterloo) 23 tries |
After two seasons spent in the division Waterloo would pip Halifax to the title by the narrowest of margins finishing dead level on points but going up to the 2004–05 National Division Two by virtue of a massively better for and against record.[4] Halifax would suffer a double disappointment by missing out on their second stab at promotion as they lost narrowly at home to 2003–04 National Division Three South runners up Launceston in the promotion playoff.[5][6] Relegated teams included newly promoted Longton (who gained only 4 points all season), Liverpool St Helens and Preston Grasshoppers.[4] Longton would drop back down to Midlands Division 1 while Liverpool St Helens and Preston Grasshoppers would fall to North Division 1.[7][8]
Participating teams and locations
edit
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blaydon | Crow Trees | 2,000 (400 seats) | Swalwell, Tyne and Wear |
| Darlington | Blackwell Meadows | 3,000 | Darlington, County Durham |
| Darlington Mowden Park | Yiewsley Drive | Darlington, County Durham | |
| Dudley Kingswinford | Heathbrook | 2,260 | Kingswinford, Dudley, West Midlands |
| Fylde | Woodlands Memorial Ground | 9,000 | Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire |
| Halifax | Ovenden Park | Halifax, West Yorkshire | |
| Kendal | Mint Bridge | 3,000 (300 stand) | Kendal, Cumbria |
| Liverpool St Helens | Moss Lane | 3,000[9] | St Helens, Merseyside |
| Longton | Trentham Fields | Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire | |
| Macclesfield | Priory Park | 1,250 (250 seats) | Macclesfield, Cheshire |
| New Brighton | Hartsfield | 2,000 | Wirral, Merseyside |
| Preston Grasshoppers | Lightfoot Green | 5,000 | Preston, Lancashire |
| Tynedale | Tynedale Park | 2,000 (400 seats) | Corbridge, Northumberland |
| Waterloo | St Anthony's Road | 9,000 (200 seats) | Blundellsands, Merseyside |
Final league table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waterloo (C) | 26 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 979 | 343 | +636 | 50 | Promoted |
| 2 | Halifax | 26 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 755 | 405 | +350 | 50 | Promotion play-off |
| 3 | Darlington Mowden Park | 26 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 602 | 439 | +163 | 32 | |
| 4 | Blaydon | 26 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 587 | 434 | +153 | 29 | |
| 5 | New Brighton | 26 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 583 | 499 | +84 | 29 | |
| 6 | Fylde | 26 | 14 | 0 | 12 | 529 | 531 | −2 | 28 | |
| 7 | Tynedale[a] | 25 | 12 | 0 | 13 | 462 | 407 | +55 | 24 | |
| 8 | Darlington | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 511 | 569 | −58 | 23 | |
| 9 | Kendal | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 417 | 681 | −264 | 23 | |
| 10 | Macclesfield | 26 | 10 | 2 | 14 | 507 | 642 | −135 | 22 | |
| 11 | Dudley Kingswinford | 26 | 10 | 1 | 15 | 482 | 655 | −173 | 21 | |
| 12 | Preston Grasshoppers (R) | 26 | 7 | 0 | 19 | 443 | 754 | −311 | 14 | Relegated |
| 13 | Liverpool St Helens (R) | 26 | 5 | 3 | 18 | 461 | 612 | −151 | 13 | |
| 14 | Longton[b] (R) | 25 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 300 | 647 | −347 | 4 |
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Results
editRound 1
editRound 2
editRound 3
editRound 4
edit| 18 October 2003 |
| Darlington Mowden Park | 18 - 13 | Liverpool St Helens |
| Report |
| Yiewsley Drive Referee: Guy Steel Bodger |
| 18 October 2003 |
| Fylde | P - P | Darlington |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 February 2004.
| 18 October 2003 |
| Preston Grasshoppers | P - P | Waterloo |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 February 2004.
Round 5
edit| 25 October 2003 |
| Dudley Kingswinford | 22 - 20 | Preston Grasshoppers |
| Report |
| Heathbrook Referee: Brendan Fitzmaurice |
Round 6
edit| 1 November 2003 |
| Preston Grasshoppers | 24 - 22 | Macclesfield |
| Report |
| Lightfoot Green Referee: Guy Steel Bodger |
| 1 November 2003 |
| Tynedale | P - P | Waterloo |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 6 March 2004.
Round 7
editRound 8
editRound 9
editRound 10
edit| 29 November 2003 |
| Fylde | 36 - 10 | Dudley Kingswinford |
| Report |
| Woodlands Memorial Ground Referee: Andrew Vertigan |
Round 11
edit| 6 December 2003 |
| Preston Grasshoppers | 28 - 35 | Darlington Mowden Park |
| Report |
| Lightfoot Green Referee: Ged Stone |
Round 12
edit| 13 December 2003 |
| Fylde | 24 - 15 | Preston Grasshoppers |
| Report |
| Woodlands Memorial Ground Referee: Brendan Fitzmaurice |
| 13 December 2003 |
| Longton | P - P | Waterloo |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 24 April 2004.
Round 13
edit| 20 December 2003 |
| Preston Grasshoppers | 14 - 5 | Liverpool St Helens |
| Report |
| Lightfoot Green Referee: Mick Reid |
Round 14
edit| 3 January 2004 |
| Darlington Mowden Park | 44 - 0 | Preston Grasshoppers |
| Report |
| Yiewsley Drive Referee: D Edmunds |
| 3 January 2004 |
| Tynedale | 19 - 3 | Darlington |
| Report |
| Tynedale Park Attendance: 150 Referee: Brendan Fitzmaurice |
Round 15
editRound 16
edit| 17 January 2004 |
| Darlington Mowden Park | 23 - 3 | Dudley Kingswinford |
| Report |
| Yiewsley Drive Referee: Mick Reid |
Round 17
edit| 24 January 2004 |
| Longton | P - P | Liverpool St Helens |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 February 2004.
Round 18
edit| 31 January 2004 |
| Blaydon | P - P | Waterloo |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 1 May 2004.
| 31 January 2004 |
| Darlington Mowden Park | P - P | Halifax |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 February 2004.
| 31 January 2004 |
| Kendal | P - P | Macclesfield |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 February 2004.
Round 19
editRound 20
edit| 14 February 2004 |
| Preston Grasshoppers | 18 - 10 | Dudley Kingswinford |
| Report |
| Lightfoot Green Referee: Rob Sawyer |
Rounds 4, 17 & 18 (rescheduled games)
edit- Game rescheduled from 31 January 2004.
| 21 February 2004 |
| Fylde | 26 - 23 | Darlington |
| Report |
| Woodlands Memorial Ground Attendance: 400 Referee: Chris Sharp |
- Game rescheduled from 18 October 2003.
- Game rescheduled from 31 January 2004.
| 21 February 2004 |
| Longton | 34 - 34 | Liverpool St Helens |
| Report |
| Trentham Fields Referee: Richard Parker-Sedgmore |
- Game rescheduled from 24 January 2004.
- Game rescheduled from 18 October 2003.
Round 21
edit| 28 February 2004 |
| Halifax | P - P | Kendal |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 6 March 2004.
| 28 February 2004 |
| Liverpool St Helens | P - P | Darlington Mowden Park |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 27 March 2004.
| 28 February 2004 |
| Longton | C - C | Tynedale |
- Game would initially be postponed but due to fixture congestion it would ultimately be cancelled.
Rounds 6 & 21 (rescheduled games)
edit- Game rescheduled from 28 February 2004.
- Game rescheduled from 1 November 2003.
Round 22
editRound 23
edit| 20 March 2004 |
| Darlington | 17 - 10 | Darlington Mowden Park |
| Report |
| Blackwell Meadows Attendance: 450 Referee: Andrew Vertigan |
Round 21 (rescheduled game)
edit| 27 March 2004 |
| Liverpool St Helens | 19 - 24 | Darlington Mowden Park |
| Report |
| Moss Lane Referee: Matthew Daubney |
- Game rescheduled from 28 February 2004.
Round 24
edit| 3 April 2004 |
| Blaydon | 26 - 14 | Darlington Mowden Park |
| Report |
| Crow Trees Attendance: 150 Referee: Andrew Gardner |
Round 25
editRound 26
edit| 17 April 2004 |
| Waterloo | P - P | Longton |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 8 May 2004.
Round 12 (rescheduled game)
edit- Game rescheduled from 13 December 2003.
Round 18 (rescheduled game)
edit- Game rescheduled from 31 January 2004.
Round 26 (rescheduled game)
edit- Game rescheduled from 17 April 2004.
Promotion play-off
editThe league runners up of National Division Three South and North would meet in a playoff game for promotion to National Division Two. Halifax were the northern divisions runners up and as they had a superior league record than southern runners-up, Launceston, they hosted the play-off match.
Total season attendances
edit| Club | Home Games |
Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaydon | 3 | 420 | 140 | 150 | 120 | 7% |
| Darlington | 1 | 450 | 450 | 450 | 450 | 15% |
| Darlington Mowden Park | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dudley Kingswinford | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Fylde | 1 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 4% |
| Halifax | 1 | 1,500 | 1,500 | 1,500 | 1,500 | |
| Kendal | 2 | 630 | 315 | 350 | 280 | 11% |
| Liverpool St Helens | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Longton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Macclesfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| New Brighton | 1 | 450 | 450 | 450 | 450 | 23% |
| Preston Grasshoppers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Tynedale | 1 | 150 | 150 | 150 | 150 | 8% |
| Waterloo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
- ^ Due to extremely poor coverage and reporting by the media for this season there is not enough attendance data for the league to give an accurate figure.
Individual statistics
edit- Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorersedit
|
Top try scorersedit
|
Season records
edit
Teamedit
91 - 5 Waterloo at home to Preston Grasshoppers on 28 February 2004
53 - 3 Waterloo away to Fylde on 17 January 2004
91 - 5 Waterloo at home to Preston Grasshoppers on 28 February 2004
Waterloo at home to Preston Grasshoppers on 28 February 2004
Waterloo at home to Preston Grasshoppers on 28 February 2004
New Brighton at home to Preston Grasshoppers on 13 September 2003
Longton at home to Fylde on 8 November 2003 Playeredit
|
Attendancesedit
Halifax at home to Waterloo on 10 April 2004
Blaydon at home to Darlington on 10 April 2004
|
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "National Division Two 2002-03". englandrugby.com. 26 April 2003.
- ^ "Midlands 1 2002-03". englandrugby.com. 12 April 2003.
- ^ "North 1 2002-03". englandrugby.com. 12 April 2003.
- ^ a b "National League 3 North 2003-04". englandrugby.com. 8 May 2004.
- ^ a b "National League Playoffs 2003-04". englandrugby.com. 15 May 2004.
- ^ "Play-off agony for Halifax". Yorkshire Post. 17 May 2004.
- ^ "Midlands 1 2004-05". englandrugby.com/. 4 September 2004.
- ^ "North 1 2004-05". englandrugby.com. 4 September 2004.
- ^ "Liverpool St Helens". Rugby Journal. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ "National Three North 03/04 Leading top scorers". Rugby Statbunker. 5 May 2004.
- ^ "National Three North 03/04 Leading try scorers". Rugby Statbunker. 5 May 2004.
- ^ "National 3 North 03/04 Most tries in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 1 May 2004.
- ^ "National 3 North 03/04 Most conversions in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 1 May 2004.
- ^ "National 3 North 03/04 Most penalties in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 1 May 2004.
- ^ "National 3 North 03/04 Most drop goals in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 1 May 2004.
- ^ "National 3 North 03/04 Most points in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 1 May 2004.
- ^ "National 3 North 03/04 Most tries in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 1 May 2004.
- ^ "National 3 North 03/04 Most conversions in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 1 May 2004.
- ^ "National 3 North 03/04 Most penalties in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 1 May 2004.
- ^ "National 3 North 03/04 Most drop goals in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 1 May 2004.
- ^ "National 3 North 03/04 Home attendance". Rugby Statbunker. 1 May 2004.
External links
edit- NCA Rugby Archived 2015-07-01 at the Wayback Machine