1988–89 National Division 3
Rugby union competition in England
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The 1988–89 National Division 3 (sponsored by Courage Brewery) was the second season of the third tier of the English rugby union league system, the Courage Clubs Championship, currently known as National League 1. New clubs to the division included Askeans and Rugby who were promoted from tier 4 and there was no relegation from tier 2 at the end of the previous season.
England| 1988–89 National Division 3 | |
|---|---|
| Countries | England |
| Date | September 1988 – April 1989 |
| Champions | Plymouth (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Rugby (also promoted) |
| Relegated | Metropolitan Police Maidstone |
| Matches played | 66 |
| Top point scorer | 123 – Chris Howard (Rugby)[1] |
| Top try scorer | 8 – Dave Scully (Wakefield) Steve Walklin (Plymouth)[1] |
Plymouth Albion won all their eleven matches and won promotion to the 1989–90 National Division 2. Rugby Lions finished second, winning ten of their eleven matches, and were also promoted. Metropolitan Police and Maidstone finished in the bottom two places and both clubs were relegated to the 1989–90 Area League South with Metropolitan Police relegated on points difference and Maidstone losing all of their matches.[2]
Structure
Each team played one match against each of the other teams, playing a total of eleven matches each, and for the first time matches were played on fixed Saturdays. The top two clubs were promoted to National Division 2 and the bottom two relegated to Area League North or Area League South depending on locality.
Participating teams and locations
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Askeans | Broad Walk | 1,500 (300 seats)[3] | Kidbrooke, London | Promoted from Area South (1st) |
| Exeter | County Ground | 5,750 (750 seats)[4] | Exeter, Devon | 9th |
| Fylde | Woodlands | 7,500 (500 seats)[5] | Lytham St Annes, Lancashire | 6th |
| Maidstone | William Davey Memorial | 2,000 (100 seats)[6] | Maidstone, Kent | 8th |
| Metropolitan Police | Imber Court | 3,500 (500 seats)[7] | East Molesey, Surrey | 7th |
| Nuneaton | Harry Cleaver Ground | 5,000 (650 seats)[8] | Nuneaton, Warwickshire | 10th |
| Plymouth Albion | Beacon Park | 1,950 (450 seats)[9] | Plymouth, Devon | 3rd |
| Rugby | Webb Ellis Road | 3,200 (200 seats)[10][11] | Rugby, Warwickshire | Promoted from Area North (1st) |
| Sheffield | Abbeydale Park | 3,300 (100 seats)[a] | Dore, Sheffield, South Yorkshire | 4th |
| Vale of Lune | Powderhouse Lane | 9,860 (360 seats)[13] | Lancaster, Lancashire | 5th |
| Wakefield | College Grove | 4,000 (500 seats)[14] | Wakefield, West Yorkshire | 1st (no promotion) |
| West Hartlepool | Brierton Lane | 4,950 (450 seats)[15] | Hartlepool, Cleveland | 2nd (no promotion) |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plymouth Albion (C) | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 311 | 89 | +222 | 22 | Promoted |
| 2 | Rugby | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 268 | 99 | +169 | 20 | |
| 3 | Wakefield | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 282 | 114 | +168 | 18 | |
| 4 | West Hartlepool | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 164 | 133 | +31 | 11 | |
| 5 | Nuneaton | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 178 | 214 | −36 | 10 | |
| 6 | Sheffield | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 170 | 182 | −12 | 9 | |
| 7 | Vale of Lune | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 120 | 145 | −25 | 9 | |
| 8 | Askeans | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 141 | 215 | −74 | 9 | |
| 9 | Exeter | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 142 | 180 | −38 | 8 | |
| 10 | Fylde | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 136 | 181 | −45 | 8 | |
| 11 | Metropolitan Police | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 130 | 275 | −145 | 8 | Relegated |
| 12 | Maidstone | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 74 | 289 | −215 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Points are awarded as follows:
- 2 pts for a win
- 1 pt for a draw
- 0 pts for a loss
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
- Difference between points for and against
(C) Champions
Notes
- Although a 1990 club estimate was 1,100 (100 seated and 1,000 standing) this is very conservative as Abbeydale Park would experience 3,000+ crowds several times in later history in what was a relatively unchanged ground.[12]