1988–89 Courage Area League North
| 1988–89 Courage Area League North | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  England |
| Champions | Roundhay (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Broughton Park (not promoted) |
| Relegated | Birmingham |
| Matches played | 110 |
The 1988–89 Courage Area League North was the second full season of rugby union within the fourth tier of the English league system, currently known as National League 2 North, and was the counterpart to Courage Area League South (currently National League 2 South). By the end of the season Roundhay were crowned league champions, just 1 point ahead of runners up Broughton Park, gaining promotion to the 1989–90 National Division Three.
At the other end of the table Birmingham were easily the weakest team, failing to register a single point as they suffered a second successive relegation, dropping to Midlands 1.[1] It would be Birmingham's final season as a single entity as they would merge with Solihull (themselves relegated the previous campaign) to form Birmingham & Solihull RFC for the 1989–90 season.[2]
Structure
[edit]Each team played one match against each of the other teams, playing a total of ten matches each. The champions are promoted to National Division 3 and the bottom team was relegated to either North 1 or Midlands 1 depending on their locality.[3]
Participating teams and locations
[edit]
| Team | Ground | Capacity | City/Area | Previous Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | Portway | Portway, Birmingham, West Midlands | Relegated from National 3 (12th) | |
| Broughton Park | Hough End | Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester | 6th | |
| Durham City | Hollow Drift | Durham, County Durham | Runners up (not promoted) | |
| Lichfield | Cooke Fields | Lichfield, Staffordshire | 8th | |
| Morley | Scatcherd Lane | Morley, West Yorkshire | Relegated from National 3 (11th) | |
| Northern | McCracken Park | 1,000 | Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear | 5th |
| Preston Grasshoppers | Lightfoot Green | 5,000 | Preston, Lancashire | 4th |
| Roundhay | Chandos Park | Roundhay, Leeds West Yorkshire | 3rd | |
| Stoke-on-Trent | Hartwell Lane | Barlaston, Staffordshire | Promoted from Midlands 1 (champions) | |
| Stourbridge | Stourton Park | 3,000 | Stourbridge, West Midlands | 7th |
| Winnington Park | Burrows Hill | Norwich, Cheshire | Promoted from North 1 (champions) |
League table
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roundhay (C) | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 235 | 81 | +154 | 17 | Promoted |
| 2 | Broughton Park | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 179 | 92 | +87 | 16 | |
| 3 | Stourbridge | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 118 | 79 | +39 | 12 | |
| 4 | Northern | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 182 | 131 | +51 | 10 | |
| 5 | Winnington Park | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 188 | 155 | +33 | 10 | |
| 6 | Preston Grasshoppers | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 161 | 141 | +20 | 10 | |
| 7 | Durham City | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 172 | 157 | +15 | 10 | |
| 8 | Morley | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 135 | 141 | −6 | 10 | |
| 9 | Lichfield | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 112 | 113 | −1 | 9 | |
| 10 | Stoke-on-Trent | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 88 | 138 | −50 | 6 | |
| 11 | Birmingham (R) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 29 | 371 | −342 | 0 | Relegated |
Rules for classification: Points are awarded as follows:
- 2 pts for a win
- 1 pt for a draw
- 0 pts for a loss
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Sponsorship
[edit]Area League North is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and was sponsored by Courage Brewery.
See also
[edit]- 1988–89 Courage League National Division One
- 1988–89 Courage League National Division Two
- 1988–89 Courage League National Division Three
- 1988–89 Courage Area League South
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Area League 1988/89". The Rugby Archive. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- ^ "Club History". Birmingham & Solihull RFC. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- ^ "Leagues 1988/99". Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club. Retrieved 18 January 2017.