2008–09 National Division Three North

The 2008–09 National Division Three North was the tenth and last season (twenty-second overall) of the fourth division (north) of the English domestic rugby union competition using the name National Division Three North. The division was set to be re-branded National League 2 North for the following season due to an RFU reshuffle of the entire league system. New teams to the division included Halifax and Nuneaton who were relegated from the 2007–08 National Division Two while promoted sides included Loughborough Students who came up as champions of Midlands Division 1 along with Kendal (champions) Huddersfield (playoffs) coming up from North Division 1. A further, final change to the division saw Rugby Lions transfer across to 2008–09 National Division Three South as the most southerly side in the division in order to address a team imbalance between the two leagues. The league system was 4 points for a win, 2 points for a draw and additional bonus points being awarded for scoring 4 or more tries and/or losing within 7 points of the victorious team. In terms of promotion the league champions would go straight up into what would be known as National League 1 from 2009-10 but unlike previous years, there would be no promotion playoff between the runners up of the division and the runners up of National Division Three South due to the league restructuring.

Nuneaton made it an instant return to the (newly named) 2009–10 National League 1 winning the league title and promotion ahead of nearest rivals Caldy who finished 9 points behind without the consolation of the usual north-south playoff. At the opposite end of the table Halifax suffered their second consecutive relegation being comfortably the worst team in the league with just 1 win and 1 draw for their efforts. Much more competitive but ultimately 8 points worse off than next highest team were Darlington Mowden Park who were relegated despite finishing runners up the previous season (narrowly losing in the playoffs). Darlington Mowden Park would drop down to the newly named National League 3 North (previously North Division 1). The second relegated team, Halifax, were initial supposed to join Darlington Mowden Park in that division but due to financial difficulties the club decided to drop out of the national leagues and start as an amateur club in Yorkshire 6 - the lowest level the club could drop to.

Participating teams and locations

TeamStadiumCapacityCity/AreaBradford & BingleyWagon Lane4,000Bingley, West YorkshireCaldyPaton Field4,000Thurstaston, Wirral, MerseysideDarlington Mowden ParkYiewsley Drive Darlington, County DurhamFyldeWoodlands Memorial Ground7,500 (500 seats)Lytham St. Annes, LancashireHalifaxOvenden ParkHalifax, West YorkshireHarrogateClaro Road4,500 (500 seats)Harrogate, North YorkshireHuddersfieldLockwood Park1,500 (500 seats)Huddersfield, West YorkshireHull IoniansBrantingham Park1,500 (240 seats)Brantingham, East Riding of YorkshireKendalMint Bridge4,600 (600 seats) Kendal, CumbriaLeicester LionsWestleigh Park2,000Blaby, LeicestershireLoughborough StudentsLoughborough University Stadium3,000Loughborough, LeicestershireMacclesfieldPriory Park1,250 (250 seats)Macclesfield, CheshireNuneatonLiberty Way3,800 (500 seats)Nuneaton, WarwickshirePreston GrasshoppersLightfoot Green2,250 (250 seats)Preston, Lancashire

Final league table

Results Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 16 May 2009.

Round 6

Round 7

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 11 April 2009.

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Round 11

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 January 2009.

Round 12

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 14 March 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 14 March 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 25 April 2009.

Round 13

Round 14

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 11 April 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 January 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 11 April 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 2 May 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 January 2009.

Round 15

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 9 May 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 January 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 25 April 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 25 April 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 11 April 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 9 May 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 14 March 2009.

Rounds 11, 14 & 15 (rescheduled games)

Game rescheduled from 29 November 2008.

Game rescheduled from 10 January 2009.

Game rescheduled from 3 January 2009.

Game rescheduled from 3 January 2009.

Round 16

Round 17

Round 18

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 2 May 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 2 May 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 14 March 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 2 May 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 2 May 2009.

Round 19

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 5 May 2009.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 9 May 2009.

Round 20

Round 21

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 25 April 2009.

Round 22

Rounds 12, 15 & 18 (rescheduled games)

Game rescheduled from 6 December 2008.

Game rescheduled from 6 December 2008.

Game rescheduled from 7 February 2009.

Game rescheduled from 10 January 2009.

Round 23

Round 24

Round 25

Rounds 7, 14 & 15 (rescheduled games)

Game rescheduled from 3 January 2009.

Game rescheduled from 3 January 2009.

Game rescheduled from 25 October 2008.

Game rescheduled from 10 January 2009.

Round 26

Rounds 12, 15 & 21 (rescheduled games)

Game rescheduled from 10 January 2009.

Game rescheduled from 10 January 2009.

Game rescheduled from 6 December 2008.

Game rescheduled from 28 February 2009.

Rounds 14 & 18 (rescheduled games)

Game rescheduled from 7 February 2009.

Game rescheduled from 7 February 2009.

Game rescheduled from 3 January 2009.

Game rescheduled from 7 February 2009.

Game rescheduled from 7 February 2009.

Round 19 (rescheduled game)

Game rescheduled from 14 February 2009.

Rounds 15 & 19 (rescheduled games)

Game rescheduled from 10 January 2009.

Game rescheduled from 14 February 2009.

Game rescheduled from 10 January 2009.

Round 5 (rescheduled game)

Game rescheduled from 4 October 2008.

Total season attendances ClubHomeGamesTotalAverageHighestLowest% Capacity Bradford & Bingley 11 2,240 204 375 95 5% Caldy 11 3,080 280 419 127 7% Darlington Mowden Park 12 1,675 140 200 100 Fylde 13 7,672 590 1,644 350 8% Halifax 12 2,179 182 361 125 Harrogate 12 2,485 207 280 120 5% Huddersfield 13 2,644 203 283 119 14% Hull Ionians 13 3,550 273 350 150 18% Kendal 11 5,999 545 690 375 12% Leicester Lions 13 1,700 131 200 100 7% Loughborough Students 9 1,365 152 250 65 5% Macclesfield 13 2,773 213 310 143 17% Nuneaton 13 2,709 208 330 127 5% Preston Grasshoppers 12 3,914 326 758 203 14%

Individual statistics

Note if players are tied on tries or points the player with the lowest number of appearances will come first. Also note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.

Top points scorers Rank Player Team Appearances Points 1 Gavin Roberts Caldy 22 290 2 Ross Winney Macclesfield 25 215 3 Chris Johnson Huddersfield 22 248 4 Jon Boden Leicester Lions 24 229 5 Stephen Nutt Fylde 20 216 6 Hugh Thomas Nuneaton 26 189 7 Marcus Jackson Preston Grasshoppers 18 186 8 Rickie Aley Nuneaton 12 150 9 Steve Brimacombe Nuneaton 21 146 10 Gareth Collins Leicester Lions 26 145

Top try scorers Rank Player Team Appearances Tries 1 Gareth Collins Leicester Lions 26 29 2 Lewis Boyd Kendal 26 28 3 Nick Royle Fylde 17 24 Oliver Brennand Fylde 24 24 4 William Cave Nuneaton 21 16 5 Fergus Mulchrone Macclesfield 23 15 Mark Turner Caldy 24 15 6 Rob Cook Nuneaton 25 14 Gary Holmes Nuneaton 26 14 Aaron Takarangi Nuneaton 26 14 Andrew Soutar Caldy 26 14

Season records

Team Largest home win — 80 pts 83 - 3 Leicester Lions at home to Halifax on 11 April 2009 Largest away win — 68 pts 68 - 0 Kendal away to Bradford & Bingley on 9 May 2009 Most points scored — 83 pts 83 - 3 Leicester Lions at home to Halifax on 11 April 2009 Most tries in a match — 13 Leicester Lions at home to Halifax on 11 April 2009 Most conversions in a match — 9 Leicester Lions at home to Halifax on 11 April 2009 Most penalties in a match — 8 Huddersfield away to Halifax on 3 January 2009 Most drop goals in a match — 3 (x2) Nuneaton at home to Macclesfield on 11 October 2008 Nuneaton away to Bradford & Bingley on 29 November 2008

Player Most points in a match — 30 (x2) Gareth Collins for Leicester Lions away to Bradford & Bingley on 7 March 2009 Gareth Collins for Leicester Lions at home to Halifax on 11 April 2009 Most tries in a match — 6 (x2) Gareth Collins for Leicester Lions away to Bradford & Bingley on 7 March 2009 Gareth Collins for Leicester Lions at home to Halifax on 11 April 2009 Most conversions in a match — 9 Jon Boden for Leicester Lions at home to Halifax on 11 April 2009 Most penalties in a match — (x6) Ross Winney for Macclesfield at home to Hull Ionians on 6 September 2008 Rickie Aley for Nuneaton away to Harrogate on 4 October 2008 Jon Benson for Darlington Mowden Park at home to Fylde on 7 March 2009 Most drop goals in a match — 3 (x2) Rickie Aley for Nuneaton at home to Macclesfield on 11 October 2008 Rickie Aley for Nuneaton away to Bradford & Bingley on 29 November 2008

Attendances Highest — 1,644 Fylde at home to Hull Ionians on 21 March 2009 Lowest — 65 Loughborough Students at home to Huddersfield on 29 November 2008 Highest Average Attendance — 590 Fylde Lowest Average Attendance — 131 Leicester Lions

See also English Rugby Union Leagues English rugby union system Rugby union in England

References

External links NCA Rugby