1987–88 Courage League National Division Three

1987–88 Courage League National Division Three
Countries England
DateSeptember 1987 – April 1988
ChampionsWakefield (1st title)
Runners-upWest Hartlepool
RelegatedMorley and
Birmingham
Matches played66

The 1987–88 Courage League National Division Three was the first full season of rugby union within the third tier of the English league system, currently known as the National League 1. Both Wakefield and West Hartlepool won ten matches, lost one and finished on twenty points. Wakefield finished as champions due to their superior points difference but neither team was promoted to National Division Two. Morley and Birmingham (without a win) finished in the bottom two places and both clubs were relegated to Area League North for the following season.[1] Almost all clubs in the national divisions reported an increase in attendances.[2]

Structure

Each team played one match against the other teams, playing a total of eleven matches each. There was no set date for matches, clubs having to arrange the fixtures amongst themselves.[3]

Participating teams and locations

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1987–88 Courage League National Division Three teams in England
Team Ground Capacity City/Area
Birmingham Sharmans Cross 2,500 Solihull, West Midlands
Exeter County Ground 5,200 Exeter, Devon
Fylde Woodlands 9,000 Lytham St Annes, Lancashire
Maidstone William Davey Memorial Maidstone, Kent
Metropolitan Police Imber Court East Molesey, Surrey
Morley Scatcherd Lane Morley, Leeds
Nuneaton Harry Cleaver Ground Nuneaton, Warwickshire
Plymouth Albion Beacon Park 3,500 Plymouth, Devon
Sheffield Abbeydale Park 3,200 Dore, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Vale of Lune Powderhouse Lane Lancaster, Lancashire
Wakefield College Grove 3,000 Wakefield, West Yorkshire
West Hartlepool Brierton Lane 7,000[4] Hartlepool, Cleveland

[1][2]

League table

1987–88 Courage League National Division Three table
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 Wakefield (C) 11 10 0 1 308 90 +218 20
2 West Hartlepool 11 10 0 1 249 105 +144 20
3 Plymouth Albion 11 8 0 3 276 125 +151 16
4 Sheffield 11 7 1 3 134 161 −27 15
5 Vale of Lune 11 7 0 4 183 149 +34 14
6 Fylde 11 6 0 5 269 170 +99 12
7 Metropolitan Police 11 5 0 6 130 128 +2 10
8 Maidstone 11 4 0 7 134 162 −28 8
9 Exeter 11 3 2 6 128 197 −69 8
10 Nuneaton 11 2 1 8 94 157 −63 5
11 Morley 11 1 1 9 109 235 −126 3
12 Birmingham 11 0 1 10 46 381 −335 1
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: Points were awarded as follows:
  1. 2 pts for a win
  2. 1 pt for a draw
  3. 0 pts for a loss

If teams were level at any stage, tiebreakers were applied in the following order:

  1. Difference between points for and against
Some publications listed league tables with 4 pts for a win, 2 pt for a draw and 1 pt for a loss. (This scoring system is not the same as the current bonus points system introduced in 2000–01.) There was no promotion this season.
(C) Champions

Sponsorship

National Division Three is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and was sponsored by Courage Brewery

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91. Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co Ltd.
  2. ^ a b Stephen Jones, ed. (1988). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1988–89. London: Rothmans Publications Ltd.
  3. ^ "Courage Club Championship 1987/88". Moseley Rugby Club. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  4. ^ "West Hartlepool". Rugby Archives. Retrieved 8 January 2025.