2004–05 National Division Three North Explained

2004–05 National Division Three North
Champions:Halifax
Runnersup:Macclesfield
Relegated:Bedford Athletic, Dudley Kingswinford, Rugby Lions
Highest Attendance:700
Cleckheaton v Halifax
22 January 2005
Bradford & Bingley v Halifax
16 April 2005
Attendance:39,276 (average 269 per match)
Lowest Attendance:70
Blaydon v Kendal
4 December 2004
Top Point Scorer: Tom Rhodes (Bradford & Bingley)
275 points
Top Try Scorer: Anzac Luteru (Halifax)
21 tries
Prevseason:2003–04
Nextseason:2005–06

The 2004–05 National Division Three North was the fifth season (seventeenth 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 Rugby Lions who were relegated from the 2003–04 National Division Two while Bedford Athletic were promoted as champions of Midlands Division 1 along with Bradford & Bingley (champions) and Cleckheaton (playoffs) who both came up from North Division 1.[1] [2] [3] The season would also see the introduction of a new points system with 4 points being awarded for a win, 2 points being awarded for a draw (replacing the old system of 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw) with the addition of a bonus point being given for scoring 4 or more tries as well as a bonus point given if you manage to lose a game within 7 points of the victorious team. In terms of promotion the league champions would go straight up into National Division Two while the runners up would have a one-game playoff against the runners up from National Division Three South (at the home ground of the club with the superior league record) for the final promotion place.

Halifax would finish as runaway champions of the league, ending up 14 points clear of nearest rivals Macclesfield (even with a cancelled game against Blaydon) and gaining promotion to the 2005–06 National Division Two.[4] Runners up Macclesfield would fail to join Halifax as they lost their playoff game away to 2004–05 National Division Three South runners up Redruth in the north-south playoff in front of a huge crowd of 4,000 at the Recreation Ground.[5] Although Halifax won the league with plenty to spare the rest of the division was fairly closely contested with only 3 wins separating 4th placed Fylde from 12th placed Rugby Lions. In terms of relegation newly promoted Bedford Athletic went down first followed by Dudley Kingswinford. The final spot was taken by Rugby Lions suffering their third successive relegation. Rugby Lions would actually have stayed up had in not been for a five-point penalty given for them fielding too many foreign players in a home game against Bedford Athletic.[4] [6] [7] All three relegated teams would drop down to Midlands Division 1 for the following season.[8] Although Rugby Lions were punished from fielding too many overseas players, other teams benefited immensely from their foreign contingent (particularly Halifax and Bradford & Bingley) with six of the top ten try scorers hailing from outside England.

Participating teams and locations

TeamStadiumCapacityCity/Area
Bedford AthleticPutnoe Woods500Bedford, Bedfordshire
BlaydonCrow Trees2,000 (400 seats)Swalwell, Tyne and Wear
Bradford & BingleyWagon Lane4,000Bingley, West Yorkshire
CleckheatonCleckheaton Sports ClubCleckheaton, West Yorkshire
DarlingtonBlackwell Meadows3,000Darlington, County Durham
Darlington Mowden ParkYiewsley DriveDarlington, County Durham
Dudley KingswinfordHeathbrook2,260Kingswinford, Dudley, West Midlands
FyldeWoodlands Memorial Ground9,000Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire
HalifaxOvenden ParkHalifax, West Yorkshire
KendalMint Bridge3,000 (300 stand)Kendal, Cumbria
MacclesfieldPriory Park1,250 (250 seats)Macclesfield, Cheshire
New BrightonHartsfield2,000Wirral, Merseyside
Rugby LionsWebb Ellis Road4,000 (200 seats)[9] Rugby, Warwickshire
TynedaleTynedale Park2,000 (400 seats)Corbridge, Northumberland

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

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Rounds 3, 7 & 9 (rescheduled games)

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Round 19

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Round 20

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Round 21

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Round 22

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Round 23

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Rounds 7, 9 & 14 (rescheduled games)

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Round 24

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Round 25

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Round 14 (rescheduled games)

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Round 26

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Round 20 (rescheduled games)

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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. Redruth were the southern division runners up and as they had a superior league record than northern runners-up, Macclesfield, they hosted the play-off match.

[5]

Total season attendances

ClubHome
Games		TotalAverageHighestLowest% Capacity
Bedford Athletic 10 2,050 205 350 100 41%
Blaydon 11 1,950 177 350 70 9%
Bradford & Bingley 9 2,810 312 700 215 8%
Cleckheaton 12 4,210 351 700 200
Darlington 11 2,320 211 500 120 5%
Darlington Mowden Park 10 1,999 200 512 110
Dudley Kingswinford 10 3,260 326 520 200 14%
Fylde 11 2,827 257 400 150 3%
Halifax 10 4,575 458 600 350
Kendal 8 2,100 263 400 200 9%
Macclesfield 12 3,526 294 437 183 24%
New Brighton 10 2,670 267 350 150 13%
Rugby Lions 11 2,910 265 350 150 7%
Tynedale 11 2,069 188 294 110 9%

Individual statistics

Top points scorers

Rank Player Team Appearances Points
1 25 275
2 23 270
3 25 219
4 23 198
5 26 187
6 13 168
7 21 154
8 21 148
9 24 142
10 22 141
[10]

Top try scorers

Rank Player Team Appearances Tries
1 20 21
2 23 19
3 24 14
4 19 12
22 12
25 12
25 12
5 21 11
25 11
26 11
[11]

Season records

Team

Largest home win — 70 pts77 - 7 Bradford & Bingley at home to Dudley Kingswinford on 27 November 2004
  • Largest away win — 33 pts36 - 3 Rugby Lions away to Dudley Kingswinford on 11 September 2004
  • Most points scored — 77 pts77 - 7 Bradford & Bingley at home to Dudley Kingswinford on 27 November 2004
  • Most tries in a match — 10Bradford & Bingley at home to Dudley Kingswinford on 27 November 2004
  • Most conversions in a match — 9Bradford & Bingley at home to Dudley Kingswinford on 27 November 2004
  • Most penalties in a match — 6Halifax away to Bradford & Bingley on 16 April 2005
  • Most drop goals in a match — 2 (x5)Bradford & Bingley at home to New Brighton on 30 October 2004
    Macclesfield at home to Halifax on 13 November 2004
    Bradford & Bingley at home to Macclesfield on 11 December 2004
    Macclesfield away to Dudley Kingswinford on 6 November 2004
    Tynedale at home to Bradford & Bingley on 2 April 2005

    • [12] [13] [14] [15]

    Player

    Most points in a match — 27 Tom Rhodes for Bradford & Bingley at home to Dudley Kingswinford on 27 November 2004
  • Most tries in a match — 4 Simon Mulholland for Kendal at home to Darlington on 11 December 2004
  • Most conversions in a match — 9 Tom Rhodes for Bradford & Bingley at home to Dudley Kingswinford on 27 November 2004
  • Most penalties in a match — 6 Douglas Sanft for Halifax away to Bradford & Bingley on 16 April 2005
  • Most drop goals in a match — 2 Tom Rhodes for Bradford & Bingley at home to New Brighton on 30 October 2004
    Michael Newell for Macclesfield at home to Halifax on 13 November 2004
    Tom Rhodes for Bradford & Bingley at home to Macclesfield on 11 December 2004
    Michael Newell for Macclesfield away to Dudley Kingswinford on 6 November 2004
    Gavin Beasley for Tynedale at home to Bradford & Bingley on 2 April 2005

    • [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]

    Attendances

    Highest — 700 (x2)Cleckheaton at home to Halifax on 22 January 2005
    Bradford & Bingley at home to Halifax on 16 April 2005
  • Lowest — 70Blaydon at home to Kendal on 4 December 2004
  • Highest Average Attendance — 458Halifax
  • Lowest Average Attendance — 177Blaydon

    • [21]

    See also

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: National Division Two 2003-04 . englandrugby.com . 24 April 2004 .
    2. Web site: Midlands 1 2003-04 . englandrugby.com . 17 April 2004 .
    3. Web site: North 1 2003-04 . englandrugby.com . 17 April 2004 .
    4. Web site: National League 3 North 2004-05 . englandrugby.com . 30 April 2005 .
    5. Web site: The 2004-2005 league season . trelawnysarmy.org . 1 May 2005 .
    6. Web site: Rugby Lions Season 2004/05 . Rugby Lions . 29 April 2005 .
    7. Web site: So many 'what ifs' . Rugby Advertiser . 29 April 2005 .
    8. Web site: Midlands 1 2005-06 . englandrugby.com/ . 3 September 2005 .
    9. Web site: Gloucester v. Leicester (PDF, opens in a new window) . Gloucester Rugby Heritage . 23 October 2024 .
    10. Web site: National Three North 04/05 Leading top scorers . Rugby Statbunker. 30 April 2005.
    11. Web site: National Three North 04/05 Leading try scorers . Rugby Statbunker. 30 April 2005.
    12. Web site: National 3 North 04/05 Most tries in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 30 April 2005 .
    13. Web site: National 3 North 04/05 Most conversions in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 30 April 2005 .
    14. Web site: National 3 North 04/05 Most penalties in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 30 April 2005 .
    15. Web site: National 3 North 04/05 Most drop goals in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 30 April 2005 .
    16. Web site: National 3 North 04/05 Most points in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 30 April 2005 .
    17. Web site: National 3 North 04/05 Most tries in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 30 April 2005 .
    18. Web site: National 3 North 04/05 Most conversions in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 30 April 2005 .
    19. Web site: National 3 North 04/05 Most penalties in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 30 April 2005 .
    20. Web site: National 3 North 04/05 Most drop goals in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 30 April 2005 .
    21. Web site: National 3 North 04/05 Home attendance . Rugby Statbunker . 30 April 2005 .

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