1989–90 Courage Area League North

The 1989–90 Courage Area League North was the third 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). It would be the last season the division would be called Area League North as it would be renamed National 4 North for the following campaign. The title battle was very strongly contested, but the end it would be Broughton Park who would triumph as league champions despite finishing dead level with runners up Morley, thanks to a far superior points/for against record. Both sides would be promoted to the 1990–91 National Division Three.

1989–90 Courage Area League North
Countries England
ChampionsBroughton Park (1st title)
Runners-upMorley (also promoted)
RelegatedNo relegation
Matches played110

At the opposite end of the table it was a different story, with Stoke-on-Trent being the worse side in the division, failing to gain a single point as they finished last. However, Stoke were granted a reprieve as no northern clubs were relegated from the 1989–90 National Division Three meaning they had another season in the league.[1][2]

Structure

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.

Participating teams and locations
Locations of the 1989–90 Courage Area League North teams
Team Ground Capacity City/Area Previous Season
Broughton ParkHough EndChorlton-cum-Hardy, ManchesterRunners up (not promoted)
Durham CityHollow DriftDurham, County Durham7th
KendalMint Bridge3,000Kendal, CumbriaPromoted from North 1 (champions)
LichfieldCooke FieldsLichfield, Staffordshire9th
MorleyScatcherd LaneMorley, West Yorkshire8th
NorthernMcCracken Park1,000Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear4th
Preston GrasshoppersLightfoot Green5,000Preston, Lancashire6th
Stoke-on-TrentHartwell LaneBarlaston, Staffordshire10th
StourbridgeStourton Park3,000Stourbridge, West Midlands3rd
WalsallBroadway1,150Walsall, West MidlandsPromoted from Midlands 1 (champions)
Winnington ParkBurrows HillNorwich, Cheshire5th

League table
1989–90 Courage Area League North table
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Broughton Park (C) 10 8 0 2 246 111 +135 16 Promoted
2 Morley (P) 10 8 0 2 169 115 +54 16
3 Stourbridge 10 7 0 3 146 133 +13 14
4 Durham City 10 6 0 4 195 169 +26 12
5 Kendal 10 6 0 4 130 136 −6 12
6 Preston Grasshoppers 10 5 0 5 122 109 +13 10
7 Lichfield 10 5 0 5 110 121 −11 10
8 Northern 10 4 0 6 139 144 −5 8
9 Winnington Park 10 4 0 6 142 152 −10 8
10 Walsall 10 2 0 8 143 183 −40 4
11 Stoke-on-Trent 10 0 0 10 88 257 −169 0
Source: [1]
Rules for classification: Points are awarded as follows:
  1. 2 pts for a win
  2. 1 pt for a draw
  3. 0 pts for a loss
  4. If teams are level at any stage, difference between points for and against applies
    (C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Sponsorship

Area League North is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and was sponsored by Courage Brewery.

See also

References
  1. "Area League 1989/90". The Rugby Archive. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  2. Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91. Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co Ltd. pp. 167–204.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.