2003–04 National Division Two Explained
| 2003–04 National Division Two |
| Champions: | Sedgley Park |
| Runnersup: | Nottingham (also promoted) |
| Relegated: | Lydney, Rugby Lions |
| Highest Attendance: | 1,495 Nottingham at home to Lydney on 10 April 2004 |
| Attendance: | 15,663 (average 448 per match) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 150 Bracknell at home to Rugby Lions on 6 September 2003 |
| Top Point Scorer: | Rob Liley
Doncaster 268 points |
| Top Try Scorer: | James Aston
Moseley 18 tries |
| Prevseason: | 2002-03 |
The 2003–04 National Division Two was the fourth version (seventeenth overall) of the third division of the English rugby union league system using the name National Division Two. New teams to the division included Moseley and Rugby Lions who were relegated from the 2002–03 National Division One while promoted teams included Nuneation who came up as champions of the 2002–03 National Division Three North with Rosslyn Park (champions) and Lydney (playoffs) coming up from the 2002–03 National Division Three South.[1] [2] [3] [4] This season would be the last using the league points system of 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.
In what was a very tight title race, Sedgley Park Park pipped Nottingham to the league championship by just one point – with both sides winning promotion to the 2004–05 National Division One.[5] It was quite a turn around in Nottingham's case as the club had gone from just escaping relegation the previous season to gaining promotion as the league's runner up. At the other end of the table, promoted Lydney finished bottom with easily the worst record of just two wins and a draw from their twenty-six games.[6] Joining them in the second relegation spot were Rugby Lions who went down on the last day of the season by losing heavily to champions Sedgley Park whilst relegation rivals Rosslyn Park stayed up by virtue of their win against Newbury Blues.[7] Lydney would go into the 2004–05 National Division Three South while Rugby Lions dropped to the 2004–05 National Division Three North in what would be the Lions second successive relegation.[8] [9]
Participating teams and locations
| width=29% | Team | width=29% | Stadium | width=15% | Capacity | width=30% | City/Area |
|---|
| Bracknell | Lily Hill Park | 1,250 (250 seats) | Bracknell, Berkshire |
| Doncaster | Castle Park | 3,075 | Doncaster, South Yorkshire |
| Esher | Molesey Road | 3,000 | Hersham, Surrey |
| Harrogate | Claro Road | | Harrogate, North Yorkshire |
| Lydney | Regentsholme | 1,500 | Lydney, Gloucestershire |
| Moseley | Bournbrook] | | Birmingham, West Midlands |
| Newbury Blues | Monk's Lane | 8,000 | Newbury, Berkshire |
| Nottingham | Ireland Avenue | 4,950 | Beeston, Nottinghamshire |
| Nuneaton | Liberty Way | 4,314
(514 seats) | Nuneaton, Warwickshire |
| Rosslyn Park | The Rock | 2,000 | Roehampton, London |
| Rugby Lions | Webb Ellis Road | 1,000 | Rugby, Warwickshire |
| Sedgley Park | Park Lane | 3,000 | Whitefield, Greater Manchester |
| Stourbridge | Stourton Park | 3,500 (499 seats) | Stourbridge, West Midlands |
| Wharfedale | The Avenue | 2,000 | Threshfield, Craven, North Yorkshire |
|
Results
Round 1
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Round 2
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Round 3
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Round 4
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Round 5
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Round 6
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Round 7
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Round 8
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Round 9
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Round 10
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Round 11
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Round 12
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Round 13
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Round 14
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Round 15
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Round 16
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Round 17
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Round 18
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 February 2004.
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Round 19
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Round 20
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Round 18 (rescheduled game)
- Game rescheduled from 31 January 2004.
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Round 21
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 5 March 2004.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 6 March 2004.
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Round 21 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 28 February 2004.
- Game rescheduled from 28 February 2004.
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Round 22
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Round 23
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 27 March 2004.
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Round 23 (rescheduled game)
- Game rescheduled from 20 March 2004.
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Round 24
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Round 25
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Round 26
Total season attendances
| Club | Home
Games | Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
|---|
| Bracknell | 1 | 150 | 150 | 150 | 150 | 12% |
| Doncaster | 1 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 16% |
| Esher | 6 | 2,100 | 350 | 500 | 150 | 12% |
| Harrogate | 2 | 1,300 | 650 | 1,000 | 300 | |
| Lydney | 0 | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Moseley | 8 | 2,686 | 336 | 506 | 263 | |
| Newbury Blues | 1 | 275 | 275 | 275 | 275 | 3% |
| Nottingham | 4 | 3,192 | 798 | 1,495 | 435 | 16% |
| Nuneaton | 1 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | |
| Rosslyn Park | 1 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 25% |
| Rugby Lions | 2 | 865 | 433 | 560 | 305 | 43% |
| Sedgley Park | 4 | 1,795 | 449 | 640 | 320 | 15% |
| Stourbridge | 1 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 11% |
| Wharfedale | 3 | 1,400 | 467 | 550 | 400 | 23% |
|
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 | | | 22 | 268 |
| 2 | | | 26 | 267 |
| 3 | | | 26 | 239 |
| 4 | | | 20 | 238 |
| 5 | | | 24 | 222 |
| 6 | | | 19 | 210 |
| 7 | | | 24 | 201 |
| 8 | Adam Westall | | 25 | 180 |
| 9 | | | 25 | 177 |
| 10 | | | 15 | 164 |
|
[10] Top try scorers
| Rank | Player | Team | Appearances | Tries |
|---|
| 1 | | | 24 | 18 |
| 2 | | | 14 | 17 |
| | 24 | 17 |
| 3 | | | 26 | 16 |
| 4 | | | 24 | 15 |
| 5 | | | 14 | 13 |
| | 23 | 13 |
| 6 | | | 14 | 12 |
| | 25 | 12 |
| | 26 | 12 |
|
[11] Season records
Team
- Largest home win — 91 pts91 - 0 Nuneaton at home to Lydney on 24 January 2004
Largest away win — 43 pts58 - 15 Nottingham away to Lydney on 20 December 2003
Most points scored — 91 pts91 - 0 Nuneaton at home to Lydney on 24 January 2004
Most tries in a match — 15Nuneaton at home to Lydney on 24 January 2004
Most conversions in a match — 8Nuneaton at home to Lydney on 24 January 2004
Most penalties in a match — 8Stourbridge at home to Rosslyn Park on 25 October 2003
Most drop goals in a match — 2 Bracknell away to Sedgley Park on 29 November 2003
[12] [13] [14] [15]
Player
- Most points in a match — 32 Sam Howard for Rosslyn Park at home to Bracknell on 3 January 2004
Most tries in a match — 5 John Carter for Doncaster at home to Lydney on 7 February 2004
Most conversions in a match — 8 Peter Glackin for Nuneaton at home to Lydney on 24 January 2004
Most penalties in a match — 8 Ben Harvey for Stourbridge at home to Rosslyn Park on 25 October 2003
Most drop goals in a match — 2 Neil Hallett for Bracknell away to Sedgley Park on 29 November 2003
[16] [17] [18] [19] [20]
Attendances
- Highest — 1,495 Nottingham at home to Lydney on 10 April 2004
Lowest — 150 Bracknell at home to Rugby Lions on 6 September 2003
Highest Average Attendance — 798Nottingham
Lowest Average Attendance — 150 Bracknell
[21]
See also
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Final League Tables – 2002/03 Season . Moseley Rugby . 26 April 2003 .
- Web site: National League Three North 2002-03 . englandrugby.com . 19 April 2003 .
- Web site: National League Three North 2002-03 . englandrugby.com . 12 April 2003 .
- Web site: National League 3 Playoffs 2002-03 . englandrugby.com . 26 April 2003 .
- Web site: Rugby union: Champs crush battling Lions; RUGBY LIONS 35 SEDGLEY PARK . Sunday Mercury . 17 April 2004 .
- Web site: Final League Tables – 2003/04 Season . Moseley Rugby . 24 April 2004 . 18 July 2015 . 22 July 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150722170625/http://moseleyrugby.co.uk/oldsite/%5E%20CLUB_HISTORY/League%20Tables/past%20leagues%20200304.htm . dead .
- Web site: Defeat seals Lions' demise . Coventry Telegraph . 12 April 2004 .
- Web site: National League Three South 2004-05 . englandrugby.com . 4 September 2004 .
- Web site: National League Three North 2004-05 . englandrugby.com . 4 September 2004 .
- Web site: National Two 03/04 Leading top scorers . Rugby Statbunker. 24 April 2004.
- Web site: National Two 03/04 Leading try scorers . Rugby Statbunker. 24 April 2004.
- Web site: National Two 03/04 Most tries in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 24 April 2004 .
- Web site: National Two 03/04 Most conversions in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 24 April 2004 .
- Web site: National Two 03/04 Most penalties in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 24 April 2004 .
- Web site: National Two 03/04 Most drop goals in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 24 April 2004 .
- Web site: National Two 03/04 Most points in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 24 April 2004 .
- Web site: National Two 03/04 Most tries in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 24 April 2004 .
- Web site: National Two 03/04 Most conversions in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 24 April 2004 .
- Web site: National Two 03/04 Most penalties in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 24 April 2004 .
- Web site: National Two 03/04 Most drop goals in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 24 April 2004 .
- Web site: National Two 03/04 Home attendance . Rugby Statbunker . 24 April 2004 .
