1990–91 National Division 3
Rugby union competition in England
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The 1990–91 National Division 3 (sponsored by Courage Brewery) was the fourth season of the third tier of the English rugby union league system, the Courage Clubs Championship, currently known as National League 1. New teams to the division included Broughton Park, Clifton, Metropolitan Police and Morley, all of whom were promoted from tier 4, and due to reorganisation of the league structure at the end of the previous season, there were no relegated sides coming down from tier 2.
England| 1990–91 National Division 3 | |
|---|---|
| Countries | England |
| Date | 22 September 1990 – 27 April 1991 |
| Champions | West Hartlepool (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Morley (also promoted) |
| Relegated | Metropolitan Police Vale of Lune |
| Matches played | 78 |
| Top point scorer | 108 – Mark Rodgers (Sheffield)[1] |
| Top try scorer | 9 – Jonathan Wrigley (West Hartlepool)[1] |
West Hartlepool finished the season as champions, two points clear of runners up Morley. Both sides would be promoted to the 1991–92 National Division 2, with Morley having been promoted for the second year running. At the other end of the table, the relegated sides were Vale of Lune and Metropolitan Police, dropping to the new look 1991–92 National Division 4 North and 1991–92 National Division 4 South respectively.
Structure
The division increased from twelve teams to thirteen, each side playing the others once to make a total of twelve matches each. The top two sides would be promoted to National Division 2 while the bottom two would drop to either National Division 4 North or National Division 4 South (formerly Area League North and South) depending on locality.
Participating teams and locations
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Askeans | Broad Walk | 1,500 (300 seats)[2] | Kidbrooke, London | 5th |
| Broughton Park | Chelsfield Grove | 2,000 (400 seats)[3] | Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester | Promoted from Area North (1st) |
| Clifton | Station Road | 2,200 (200 seats)[4] | Cribbs Causeway, Henbury, Bristol | Promoted from Area South (2nd) |
| Exeter | County Ground | 5,750 (750 seats)[5] | Exeter, Devon | 6th |
| Fylde | Woodlands | 7,500 (500 seats)[6] | Lytham St Annes, Lancashire | 8th |
| Lydney | Regentsholm | 3,000 (340 seats)[7] | Lydney, Gloucestershire | 10th |
| Metropolitan Police | Imber Court | 3,500 (500 seats)[8] | East Molesey, Surrey | Promoted from Area South (1st) |
| Morley | Scatcherd Lane | 6,000 (1,000 seats)[9] | Morley, Leeds | Promoted from Area North (2nd) |
| Nuneaton | Harry Cleaver Ground | 5,000 (650 seats)[10] | Nuneaton, Warwickshire | 11th |
| Roundhay | Chandos Park | 3,000[11] | Roundhay, Leeds West Yorkshire | 7th |
| 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 | 9th |
| West Hartlepool | Brierton Lane | 4,950 (450 seats)[14] | Hartlepool, Cleveland | 3rd |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Hartlepool (C) | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 282 | 90 | +192 | 21 | Promotion place |
| 2 | Morley | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 210 | 118 | +92 | 19 | |
| 3 | Fylde | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 183 | 115 | +68 | 16 | |
| 4 | Exeter | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 160 | 139 | +21 | 16 | |
| 5 | Clifton | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 172 | 186 | −14 | 13 | |
| 6 | Askeans | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 141 | 137 | +4 | 10 | |
| 7 | Nuneaton | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 180 | 200 | −20 | 10 | |
| 8 | Broughton Park | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 109 | 185 | −76 | 10 | |
| 9 | Roundhay | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 147 | 166 | −19 | 9 | |
| 10 | Sheffield | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 193 | 222 | −29 | 9 | |
| 11 | Lydney | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 125 | 188 | −63 | 9 | |
| 12 | Metropolitan Police | 12 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 130 | 188 | −58 | 8 | Relegation place |
| 13 | Vale of Lune | 12 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 123 | 221 | −98 | 6 |
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, the following tiebreaker is applied:
- Difference between points for and against
(C) Champions
Sponsorship
National Division Three is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and is sponsored by Courage Brewery
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]