2003–04 National Division Two
The 2003–04 National Division Two was the fourth version (seventeenth overall) of the third division of the English rugby union league system using the name National Division Two. New teams to the division included Moseley and Rugby Lions who were relegated from the 2002–03 National Division One while promoted teams included Nuneation who came up as champions of the 2002–03 National Division Three North with Rosslyn Park (champions) and Lydney (playoffs) coming up from the 2002–03 National Division Three South.[1][2][3][4] This season would be the last using the league points system of 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.
| 2003–04 National Division Two | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  England |
| Champions | Sedgley Park |
| Runners-up | Nottingham (also promoted) |
| Relegated | Lydney, Rugby Lions |
| Attendance | 15,663 (average 448 per match)[a 1] |
| Highest attendance | 1,495 Nottingham at home to Lydney on 10 April 2004 |
| Lowest attendance | 150 Bracknell at home to Rugby Lions on 6 September 2003 |
| Top point scorer | Rob Liley Doncaster 268 points |
| Top try scorer | James Aston Moseley 18 tries |
In what was a very tight title race, Sedgley Park Park pipped Nottingham to the league championship by just one point – with both sides winning promotion to the 2004–05 National Division One.[5] It was quite a turn around in Nottingham's case as the club had gone from just escaping relegation the previous season to gaining promotion as the league's runner up. At the other end of the table, promoted Lydney finished bottom with easily the worst record of just two wins and a draw from their twenty-six games.[6] Joining them in the second relegation spot were Rugby Lions who went down on the last day of the season by losing heavily to champions Sedgley Park whilst relegation rivals Rosslyn Park stayed up by virtue of their win against Newbury Blues.[7] Lydney would go into the 2004–05 National Division Three South while Rugby Lions dropped to the 2004–05 National Division Three North in what would be the Lions second successive relegation.[8][9]
Participating teams and locations
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bracknell | Lily Hill Park | 1,250 (250 seats) | Bracknell, Berkshire |
| Doncaster | Castle Park | 3,075 | Doncaster, South Yorkshire |
| Esher | Molesey Road | 3,000 | Hersham, Surrey |
| Harrogate | Claro Road | Harrogate, North Yorkshire | |
| Lydney | Regentsholme | 1,500 | Lydney, Gloucestershire |
| Moseley | Bournbrook] | Birmingham, West Midlands | |
| Newbury Blues | Monk's Lane | 8,000 | Newbury, Berkshire |
| Nottingham | Ireland Avenue | 4,950 | Beeston, Nottinghamshire |
| Nuneaton | Liberty Way | 4,314 (514 seats) |
Nuneaton, Warwickshire |
| Rosslyn Park | The Rock | 2,000 | Roehampton, London |
| Rugby Lions | Webb Ellis Road | 1,000 | Rugby, Warwickshire |
| Sedgley Park | Park Lane | 3,000 | Whitefield, Greater Manchester |
| Stourbridge | Stourton Park | 3,500 (499 seats) | Stourbridge, West Midlands |
| Wharfedale | The Avenue | 2,000 | Threshfield, Craven, North Yorkshire |
Final league table
| |||||||||||||
| Position | Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points for | Points against | Points Diff | Points | ||||
| 1 | Sedgley Park (P) | 26 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 658 | 487 | 171 | 41 | ||||
| 2 | Nottingham (P) | 26 | 19 | 2 | 5 | 761 | 535 | 226 | 40 | ||||
| 3 | Nuneaton | 26 | 17 | 1 | 8 | 655 | 405 | 250 | 35 | ||||
| 4 | Doncaster | 26 | 17 | 0 | 9 | 692 | 487 | 205 | 34 | ||||
| 5 | Wharfedale | 26 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 484 | 505 | -21 | 26 | ||||
| 6 | Esher | 26 | 12 | 1 | 13 | 641 | 612 | 29 | 25 | ||||
| 7 | Bracknell | 26 | 12 | 1 | 13 | 494 | 605 | -111 | 25 | ||||
| 8 | Newbury Blues | 26 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 589 | 546 | 43 | 24 | ||||
| 9 | Stourbridge | 26 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 614 | 655 | -41 | 24 | ||||
| 10 | Harrogate | 26 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 668 | 578 | 90 | 24 | ||||
| 11 | Moseley | 26 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 535 | 524 | 11 | 24 | ||||
| 12 | Rosslyn Park | 26 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 672 | 646 | 26 | 19 | ||||
| 13 | Rugby Lions (R) | 26 | 9 | 0 | 17 | 511 | 697 | -186 | 18 | ||||
| 14 | Lydney (R) | 26 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 352 | 1044 | -692 | 5 | ||||
| Reference Rugby Statbunker: Updated 24-04-2004 | |||||||||||||
Results
Round 1
6 September 2003 |
| Esher | 21 - 23 | Newbury |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Molesey Road Attendance: 400 Referee: Llyr Apgeraint-Roberts |
6 September 2003 |
| Nottingham | 34 - 28 | Rosslyn Park |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Ireland Avenue Attendance: 435 Referee: Chris Sharp |
Round 2
Round 3
27 September 2003 |
| Rugby Lions | 8 - 38 | Harrogate |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Webb Ellis Road Referee: Richard Parker-Sedgmore |
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
22 November 2003 |
| Rugby Lions | 5 - 42 | Nottingham |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Webb Ellis Road Attendance: 305 Referee: Richard Parker-Sedgmore |
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
17 January 2004 |
| Moseley | 22 - 33 | Stourbridge |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Bournbrook Attendance: 506 Referee: Nigel Higginson |
Round 17
24 January 2004 |
| Harrogate | 35 - 35 | Rosslyn Park |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Claro Road Attendance: 300 Referee: Richard Draper |
Round 18
31 January 2004 |
| Nottingham | 22 - 17 | Sedgley Park |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Ireland Avenue Referee: Llyr Apgeraint-Roberts |
31 January 2004 |
| Esher | P - P | Stourbridge |
|---|---|---|
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 February 2004.
Round 19
Round 20
14 February 2004 |
| Nottingham | 41 - 25 | Moseley |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Ireland Avenue Attendance: 732 Referee: Richard Phillips |
Round 18 (rescheduled game)
21 February 2004 |
| Esher | 23 - 17 | Stourbridge |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Molesey Road Attendance: 300 Referee: David Grashoff |
- Game rescheduled from 31 January 2004.
Round 21
28 February 2004 |
| Rugby Lions | P - P | Nuneaton |
|---|---|---|
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 5 March 2004.
28 February 2004 |
| Wharfedale | P - P | Newbury Blues |
|---|---|---|
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 6 March 2004.
Round 21 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 28 February 2004.
- Game rescheduled from 28 February 2004.
Round 22
Round 23
20 March 2004 |
| Bracknell | P - P | Esher |
|---|---|---|
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 27 March 2004.
Round 23 (rescheduled game)
- Game rescheduled from 20 March 2004.
Round 24
Round 25
Round 26
Total season attendances
- Note that due to poor record keeping for this year by both clubs and media mean the majority of attendances are missing (see below) - so the total attendance will not be 100% accurate. The average attendance has also been taken into account with the missing games not included.
| Club | Home Games |
Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bracknell | 1 | 150 | 150 | 150 | 150 | 12% |
| Doncaster | 1 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 16% |
| Esher | 6 | 2,100 | 350 | 500 | 150 | 12% |
| Harrogate | 2 | 1,300 | 650 | 1,000 | 300 | |
| Lydney | 0 | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Moseley | 8 | 2,686 | 336 | 506 | 263 | |
| Newbury Blues | 1 | 275 | 275 | 275 | 275 | 3% |
| Nottingham | 4 | 3,192 | 798 | 1,495 | 435 | 16% |
| Nuneaton | 1 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | |
| Rosslyn Park | 1 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 25% |
| Rugby Lions | 2 | 865 | 433 | 560 | 305 | 43% |
| Sedgley Park | 4 | 1,795 | 449 | 640 | 320 | 15% |
| Stourbridge | 1 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 11% |
| Wharfedale | 3 | 1,400 | 467 | 550 | 400 | 23% |
Individual statistics
- Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorers
|
Top try scorers
|
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Season records
Team
91 - 0 Nuneaton at home to Lydney on 24 January 2004
58 - 15 Nottingham away to Lydney on 20 December 2003
91 - 0 Nuneaton at home to Lydney on 24 January 2004
Nuneaton at home to Lydney on 24 January 2004
Nuneaton at home to Lydney on 24 January 2004
Stourbridge at home to Rosslyn Park on 25 October 2003
Bracknell away to Sedgley Park on 29 November 2003 |
Player
Attendances
Nottingham at home to Lydney on 10 April 2004
Bracknell at home to Rugby Lions on 6 September 2003
Nottingham
Bracknell
|
References
- "Final League Tables – 2002/03 Season". Moseley Rugby. 26 April 2003.
- "National League Three North 2002-03". englandrugby.com. 19 April 2003.
- "National League Three North 2002-03". englandrugby.com. 12 April 2003.
- "National League 3 Playoffs 2002-03". englandrugby.com. 26 April 2003.
- "Rugby union: Champs crush battling Lions; RUGBY LIONS 35 SEDGLEY PARK". Sunday Mercury. 17 April 2004.
- "Final League Tables – 2003/04 Season". Moseley Rugby. 24 April 2004.
- "Defeat seals Lions' demise". Coventry Telegraph. 12 April 2004.
- "National League Three South 2004-05". englandrugby.com. 4 September 2004.
- "National League Three North 2004-05". englandrugby.com. 4 September 2004.
- "Rugby Union results and details - Telegraph". Telegraph. 6 September 2003.
- "Rugger is now the number 1 sport". runnersworld.co.uk. 1 December 2003.
- "Rugby Union results and details - Telegraph". Telegraph. 5 March 2004.
- "National Two 03/04 Leading top scorers". Rugby Statbunker. 24 April 2004.
- "National Two 03/04 Leading try scorers". Rugby Statbunker. 24 April 2004.
- "National Two 03/04 Most tries in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 24 April 2004.
- "National Two 03/04 Most conversions in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 24 April 2004.
- "National Two 03/04 Most penalties in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 24 April 2004.
- "National Two 03/04 Most drop goals in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 24 April 2004.
- "National Two 03/04 Most points in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 24 April 2004.
- "National Two 03/04 Most tries in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 24 April 2004.
- "National Two 03/04 Most conversions in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 24 April 2004.
- "National Two 03/04 Most penalties in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 24 April 2004.
- "National Two 03/04 Most drop goals in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 24 April 2004.
- "National Two 03/04 Home attendance". Rugby Statbunker. 24 April 2004.