1998–99 National League 2 North

The 1998–99 National League 2 North was the twelfth full season of rugby union within the fourth tier (north) of the English league system. It is counterpart to National League 2 South, which covers the southern half of the country.

1998–99 National League 2 North
Countries England
ChampionsPreston Grasshoppers (1st title)
Runners-upStourbridge (not promoted)
RelegatedWinnington Park, Lichfield, Hinckley
Matches played182

As with the previous season, the battle for the league was very competitive, with Preston Grasshoppers edging out Stourbridge by just 2 points to claim the title and only promotion spot to the 1999–00 National League 1. At the other end of the table Winnington Park, Lichfield, Hinckley were the three sides to be relegated, with newly promoted Hinckley being the most competitive of the three.[1] Winnington Park would drop to North 1 while Lichfield and Hinckley fell to Midlands 1. The reason National League 2 North had so many relegation places compared to National League 2 South (3 to 1) was that both of the two teams relegated from the division above were based in the north of the country, requiring more places to accommodate for their arrival the following season.

Structure

Each team played home and away matches against each of the other teams, playing a total of twenty-six matches each. The league champions were promoted to National League 1 while the bottom three sides dropped to either North 1 or Midlands depending on locality.

Participating teams and locations
1998–99 National League 2 North teams in England
Team Ground Capacity City/Area Previous season
AspatriaBower ParkAspatria, Cumbria9th
HinckleyLeicester Road2,000Hinckley, Leicestershire12th
KendalMint Bridge3,000Kendal, Cumbria3rd
LichfieldCooke FieldsLichfield, Staffordshire14th
New BrightonHartsfield2,000Moreton, MerseysidePromoted from North 1 (champions)
NuneatonHarry Cleaver GroundNuneaton, Warwickshire7th
Preston GrasshoppersLightfoot Green5,000Preston, Lancashire4th
SandalMilnthorpe GreenSandal Magna, Wakefield, West Yorkshire8th
Sedgley ParkPark Lane3,000Whitefield, Greater Manchester5th
SheffieldAbbeydale Park3,200Dore, Sheffield, South Yorkshire10th
StourbridgeStourton Park3,500Stourbridge, West Midlands6th
WalsallBroadway1,150Walsall, West Midlands11th
WhitchurchEdgeley ParkWhitchurch, ShropshirePromoted from Midlands 1 (champions)
Winnington ParkBurrows HillNorthwich, Cheshire13th

League table
1998–99 National League 2 North table
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Preston Grasshoppers (C) 26 23 0 3 822 341 +481 46 Promoted
2 Stourbridge 26 22 0 4 895 413 +482 44
3 New Brighton 26 20 0 6 703 329 +374 40
4 Kendal 26 18 0 8 635 347 +288 36
5 Nuneaton 26 14 2 10 597 533 +64 30
6 Sheffield 26 15 0 11 496 455 +41 30
7 Sandal 26 13 0 13 697 611 +86 26
8 Sedgley Park 26 12 1 13 710 553 +157 25
9 Walsall 26 10 1 15 515 720 −205 21
10 Aspatria 26 10 0 16 578 675 −97 20
11 Whitchurch 26 9 1 16 450 599 −149 19
12 Hinckley (R) 26 7 1 18 445 733 −288 15 Relegated
13 Lichfield (R) 26 3 0 23 371 950 −579 6
14 Winnington Park (R) 26 3 0 23 310 965 −655 6
Source: [1]
Rules for classification: Points are awarded as follows: 2 pts for a win, 1 pt for a draw, 0 pts for a loss. If teams are level at any stage, difference between points for and against applies.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

Sponsorship

National League 2 North is part of the Jewson National Leagues is sponsored by Jewson.

References
  1. "Jewson National League 2 North 1998/99". The Rugby Archive. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
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