| 2004–05 National Division Three South | |
| Champions: | Barking |
| Runnersup: | Redruth (also promoted) |
| Relegated: | Haywards Heath, Tabard, Weston-super-Mare |
| Highest Attendance: | 1,500 Redruth v North Walsham 5 March 2005 Redruth v Barking 12 March 2005 |
| Attendance: | 44,315 (average 369 per match) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 100 Reading v Tabard 20 November 2004 Reading v Westcombe Park 12 March 2005 Reading v Hertford 2 April 2005 |
| Top Point Scorer: | Adam Westall (Lydney) 332 points |
| Top Try Scorer: |  Cam Avery (Havant)23 tries |
| Prevseason: | 2003–04 |
| Nextseason: | 2005–06 |
The 2004–05 National Division Three South was the fifth season (18th overall) of the fourth division (south) of the English domestic rugby union competition using the name National Division Three South. New teams to the division included Lydney who were relegated from 2003–04 National Division Two as well as Havant (champions) and Hertford (playoffs) who were promoted from London Division 1 while Reading came up as champions of South West 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 North (at the home ground of the club with the superior league record) for the final promotion place.
At the end of the season Barking finished as champions with a fantastic record of 24 wins out of 26 games, finishing 12 points ahead of runners up Redruth, with the Cornish side perhaps having finished champions in a different season with just 3 defeats.[4] Redruth would join Barking in the 2005–06 National Division Two by defeating the 2004–05 National Division Three North runners up Macclesfield in the north–south playoff in front of a huge crowd of 4,000 fans at the Recreation Ground in Redruth.[5] At the other end of the table Haywards Heath and Tabard were the first teams to be relegated. Weston-super-Mare were more competitive but still went down in the final relegation place, 7 points off 11th placed Old Patesians.[4] Haywards Heath and Tabard would drop down to London Division 1 while Weston-super-Mare went into South West Division 1.[6] [7]
| width=20% | Team | width=20% | Stadium | width=20% | Capacity | width=20% | City/Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barking | Goresbrook | 1,000 | Becontree, Dagenham, London | ||||
| Dings Crusaders | Landseer Avenue | 1,500 | Lockleaze, Bristol | ||||
| Havant | Hook's Lane | 1,500 | Havant, Hampshire | ||||
| Haywards Heath | Whitemans Green | Cuckfield, Haywards Heath, West Sussex | |||||
| Hertford | Highfields | Ware, Hertfordshire | |||||
| Lydney | Regentsholme | 1,500 | Lydney, Gloucestershire | ||||
| North Walsham | Norwich Road | 1,200 | Scottow, North Walsham, Norfolk | ||||
| Old Patesians | Everest Road | Cheltenham, Gloucestershire | |||||
| Reading | Holme Park | Sonning, Reading, Berkshire | |||||
| Redruth | The Recreation Ground | 3,500 (580 seats) | Redruth, Cornwall | ||||
| Southend | Warners Bridge Park | Southend, Essex | |||||
| Tabard | Cobden Hill | Radlett, Hertfordshire | |||||
| Westcombe Park | Goddington Dene | 3,200 | Orpington, London | ||||
| Weston-super-Mare | Recreation Ground | 6,000 | Weston-super-Mare, Somerset | ||||
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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.
| Club | Home Games | Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barking | 9 | 3,224 | 358 | 1,200 | 185 | 36% |
| Dings Crusaders | 9 | 2,120 | 236 | 427 | 153 | 16% |
| Havant | 10 | 5,084 | 462 | 692 | 346 | 31% |
| Haywards Heath | 11 | 2,040 | 185 | 250 | 140 | |
| Hertford | 12 | 5,782 | 482 | 720 | 345 | |
| Lydney | 5 | 2,440 | 488 | 570 | 320 | 33% |
| North Walsham | 11 | 5,045 | 459 | 1,000 | 180 | 38% |
| Old Patesians | 2 | 316 | 158 | 198 | 118 | |
| Reading | 10 | 2,220 | 222 | 700 | 100 | |
| Redruth | 11 | 9,916 | 901 | 1,500 | 450 | 26% |
| Southend | 10 | 1,538 | 154 | 230 | 114 | |
| Tabard | 10 | 2,200 | 220 | 400 | 200 | |
| Westcombe Park | 7 | 1,750 | 250 | 350 | 150 | 8% |
| Weston-super-Mare | 2 | 640 | 320 | 350 | 290 | 5% |
| Rank | Player | Team | Appearances | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Westall | 26 | 332 | |
| 2 | 25 | 298 | ||
| 3 | 24 | 236 | ||
| 4 | 23 | 207 | ||
| 5 | 20 | 177 | ||
| 6 | 22 | 176 | ||
| 7 | 23 | 175 | ||
| 8 | 25 | 169 | ||
| 9 | 22 | 136 | ||
| 10 | 22 | 115 | ||
| 24 | 115 | |||
| Rank | Player | Team | Appearances | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | 23 | ||
| 2 | 25 | 20 | ||
| 3 | 20 | 19 | ||
| 26 | 19 | |||
| 4 | 25 | 18 | ||
| 5 | 24 | 17 | ||
| 26 | 17 | |||
| Adam Westall | 26 | 17 | ||
| 6 | 24 | 15 | ||
| 25 | 15 | |||