The 2002–03 National Division Three North was the third season (fifteenth 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 Preston Grasshoppers and Waterloo who were relegated from the 2001–02 National Division Two while promoted teams included Broadstreet who came up as champions of Midlands Division 1 while Halifax (champions) and Hull Ionians (playoffs) came up from North Division 1. 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.
By the end of the season Nuneaton would finish as champions, just edging out runners up New Brighton by virtue of an extra win and gaining promotion to the 2003–04 National Division Two. New Brighton would go into a promotion playoff away at the 2002–03 National Division Three South runners up Lydney but were unable to join Nuneaton as Lydney won 21 - 7 to claim the final promotion slot. At the other end of the table, Scunthorpe were the first team to be relegated with just one win all season while Hull Ionians, Broadstreet and Bedford Athletic were the other teams to go down at a later date with Bedford Athletic just one point off safety. Hull Ionians would drop to North Division 1 while Scunthorpe, Broadstreet and Bedford Athletic would drop to Midlands Division 1.
Participating teams and locations
TeamStadiumCapacityCity/AreaBedford AthleticPutnoe Woods500Bedford, BedfordshireBlaydonCrow Trees2,000 (400 seats)Swalwell, Tyne and Wear Broadstreet Ivor Preece Field 1,500 (250 seats) Coventry, West MidlandsDarlington Mowden ParkYiewsley Drive Darlington, County DurhamDudley KingswinfordHeathbrook2,260Kingswinford, Dudley, West MidlandsHalifaxOvenden ParkHalifax, West YorkshireHull IoniansBrantingham Park1,500 (240 seats)Brantingham, East Riding of YorkshireLiverpool St HelensMoss Lane4,370 (370 seats)St Helens, MerseysideNew BrightonHartsfield2,000Wirral, MerseysideNuneatonLiberty Way3,800 (500 seats)Nuneaton, WarwickshirePreston GrasshoppersLightfoot Green2,250 (250 seats)Preston, LancashireScunthorpeHeslam Park1,212 (212 seats)Scunthorpe, LincolnshireTynedaleTynedale Park2,000 (400 seats)Corbridge, NorthumberlandWaterlooSt Anthony's Road9,950 (950 seats) Blundellsands, Merseyside
Final league table
Results Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 28 December 2002.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 28 December 2002.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 28 December 2002.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 28 December 2002.
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 15 February 2003.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 28 December 2002.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 15 February 2003.
Round 10
Round 11
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 8 March 2003.
Round 12
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 8 March 2003.
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 March 2003.
Rounds 6 & 9 (rescheduled games)
Game rescheduled from 19 October 2002.
Game rescheduled from 9 November 2002.
Game rescheduled from 19 October 2002.
Game rescheduled from 19 October 2002.
Game rescheduled from 19 October 2002.
Round 16
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 March 2003.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 15 February 2003.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 March 2003.
Round 17
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 5 April 2003.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 15 February 2003.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 March 2003.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 15 February 2003.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 8 March 2003.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 8 March 2003.
Round 18
Round 19
Round 20
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 5 April 2003.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 5 April 2003.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 19 April 2003.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 5 April 2003.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 19 April 2003.
Round 21
Rounds 9, 16 & 17 (rescheduled games)
Game rescheduled from 4 January 2003.
Game rescheduled from 11 January 2003.
Game rescheduled from 9 November 2002.
Game rescheduled from 11 January 2003.
Game rescheduled from 9 November 2002.
Round 22
Round 23
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 8 March 2003.
Rounds 11, 12, 17 & 23 (rescheduled games)
Game rescheduled from 1 March 2003.
Game rescheduled from 30 November 2002.
Game rescheduled from 11 January 2003.
Game rescheduled from 23 November 2002.
Game rescheduled from 11 January 2003.
Round 24
Rounds 15, 16 & 17 (rescheduled games)
Game rescheduled from 4 January 2003.
Game rescheduled from 21 December 2002.
Game rescheduled from 4 January 2003.
Game rescheduled from 11 January 2003.
Round 25
Rounds 17 & 20 (rescheduled games)
Game rescheduled from 1 February 2003.
Game rescheduled from 11 January 2003.
Game rescheduled from 1 February 2003.
Game rescheduled from 1 February 2003.
Round 26
Round 20 (rescheduled games)
Game rescheduled from 1 February 2003.
Game rescheduled from 1 February 2003.
Promotion play-off The league runners up of National Division Three South and North would meet in a playoff game for promotion to National Division Two. Lydney were runners-up in the south and because they had a better league record than north runners-up, New Brighton, they hosted the play-off match.
Total season attendances ClubHomeGamesTotalAverageHighestLowest% Capacity Bedford Athletic 0 0 0 0 0 0% Blaydon 2 250 125 150 100 6% Broadstreet 0 0 0 0 0 Darlington Mowden Park 0 0 0 0 0 Dudley Kingswinford 0 0 0 0 0 0% Halifax 0 0 0 0 0 Hull Ionians 0 0 0 0 0 0% Liverpool St Helens 0 0 0 0 0 0% New Brighton 1 500 500 500 500 25% Nuneaton 1 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,200 32% Preston Grasshoppers 0 0 0 0 0 0% Scunthorpe 7 2,025 289 450 200 24% Tynedale 0 0 0 0 0 0% Waterloo 0 0 0 0 0 0%
Individual statistics
Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorers Rank Player Team Appearances Points 1 Tony Handley Waterloo 26 293 2 Mark Bedworth Darlington Mowden Park 23 254 3 Phillip Belgian Tynedale 23 224 4 Simon Worsley Liverpool St Helens 24 211 5 Paul Brett New Brighton 21 204 6 Nick Cooper Hull Ionians 25 195 7 Jody Peacock Nuneaton 25 176 8 Graham Holroyd Halifax 17 172 9 Jamie Elphick Bedford Athletic 21 136 10 Sengili Tuihalamaka Preston Grasshoppers 17 135
Top try scorers Rank Player Team Appearances Tries 1 Jody Peacock Nuneaton 25 21 Gary Marshall Nuneaton 26 21 2 Oliver Viney Preston Grasshoppers 25 19 3 Freeman Payne Waterloo 26 18 4 Rob Hitchmough Waterloo 24 17 5 Jan Van Deventer Waterloo 24 16 Gary Monaghan Preston Grasshoppers 25 16 6 Jon Wells Bedford Athletic 19 14 Fergus Griffies Waterloo 20 14 Thomas McLaren Blaydon 23 14 Loa Tupoa New Brighton 26 14
Season records
Team Largest home win — 67 pts 67 - 0 Bedford Athletic at home to Scunthorpe on 22 March 2003 Largest away win — 60 pts 60 - 0 Darlington Mowden Park away to Scunthorpe 22 February 2003 Most points scored — 71 pts 71 - 19 Waterloo at home to Broadstreet on 8 February 2003 Most tries in a match — 11 Bedford Athletic at home to Scunthorpe on 22 March 2003 Most conversions in a match — 8 Waterloo at home to Broadstreet on 8 February 2003 Most penalties in a match — 8 Darlington Mowden Park at home to Hull Ionians on 21 December 2002 Most drop goals in a match — 2 Liverpool St Helens at home to Nuneaton on 23 November 2002
Player Most points in a match — 35 Mark Bedworth for Darlington Mowden Park at home to Hull Ionians on 21 December 2002 Most tries in a match — 4 (x3) Oliver Viney for Preston Grasshoppers at home to Scunthorpe on 16 November 2002 Fergus Griffies for Waterloo away to Scunthorpe on 15 February 2003 Rod Penney for Dudley Kingswinford at home to Liverpool St Helens on 22 February 2003 Most conversions in a match — 8 Tony Handley for Waterloo at home to Broadstreet on 8 February 2003 Most penalties in a match — 8 Mark Bedworth for Darlington Mowden Park at home to Hull Ionians on 21 December 2002 Most drop goals in a match — 2 (x2) Simon Worsley for Liverpool St Helens at home to Darlington Mowden Park on 2 November 2002 Simon Worsley for Liverpool St Helens at home to Nuneaton on 23 November 2002
Attendances Highest — 1,200 Nuneaton at home to Broadstreet on 1 November 2002 Lowest — 150 Blaydon at home to Nuneaton on 12 October 2002 Highest Average Attendance — N/A Lowest Average Attendance — N/A
See also English Rugby Union Leagues English rugby union system Rugby union in England
References
External links NCA Rugby