1988–89 Courage League National Division Three Countries England Date September 1988 – April 1989 Champions Plymouth Albion (1st title)Runners-up Rugby (also promoted)Relegated Metropolitan PoliceMaidstone Matches played 66
The 1988–89 Courage League National Division Three was the second full season of rugby union within the third tier of the English league system , currently known as National League 1 . Each team played one match against the other teams, playing a total of eleven matches each. Plymouth Albion won all their eleven matches and won promotion to National Division Two . Rugby finished second, winning ten of their eleven matches, and were also promoted. Metropolitan Police and Maidstone finished in the bottom two places and both clubs were relegated to Area League South for the following season. Metropolitan Police was relegated on points difference and Maidstone lost all of their matches.[ 1]
Participating teams and locations
1988–89 Courage League National Division Three teams in England
Team
Ground
Capacity
City/Area
Previous season
Askeans Broad Walk
Kidbrooke , London Promoted from Area League South
Exeter County Ground 5,200
Exeter , Devon 9th
Fylde Woodlands 9,000
Lytham St Annes , Lancashire 6th
Maidstone William Davey Memorial
Maidstone , Kent 8th
Metropolitan Police Imber Court
East Molesey , Surrey 7th
Nuneaton Harry Cleaver Ground
Nuneaton , Warwickshire 10th
Plymouth Albion Beacon Park
3,500
Plymouth , Devon3rd
Rugby Webb Ellis Road
1,000
Rugby , Warwickshire Promoted from Area League North
Sheffield Abbeydale Park 3,200
Dore , Sheffield , South Yorkshire 4th
Vale of Lune Powderhouse Lane
Lancaster , Lancashire5th
Wakefield College Grove 3,000
Wakefield , West Yorkshire 1st (not promoted)
West Hartlepool Brierton Lane
7,000[ 2]
Hartlepool , Cleveland 2nd
[ 1]
League table
1988–89 Courage League National Division Three table
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
PF
PA
PD
Pts
Qualification
1
Plymouth Albion (C)
11
11
0
0
311
89
+222
22
Promoted
2
Rugby
11
10
0
1
268
99
+169
20
3
Wakefield
11
9
0
2
282
114
+168
18
4
West Hartlepool
11
5
1
5
164
133
+31
11
5
Nuneaton
11
5
0
6
178
214
−36
10
6
Sheffield
11
4
1
6
170
182
−12
9
7
Vale of Lune
11
4
1
6
120
145
−25
9
8
Askeans
11
4
1
6
141
215
−74
9
9
Exeter
11
4
0
7
142
180
−38
8
10
Fylde
11
4
0
7
136
181
−45
8
11
Metropolitan Police
11
4
0
7
130
275
−145
8
Relegated
12
Maidstone
11
0
0
11
74
289
−215
0
Source:
[ 3] 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, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
Difference between points for and against(C) Champions
National Division Three is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and is sponsored by Courage Brewery
See also
References
^ a b Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 . Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co Ltd. ^ "West Hartlepool" . Rugby Archives. Retrieved 8 January 2025 .^ "Courage Club Championship 1988–89" . Moseley Rugby Club. Retrieved 27 August 2012 .
External links
2024–25 teams Former clubs Seasons
National Division Three National League One National Division Two National League One National League 1
Governing body National teams
International competitions
Competition divisions
European competitions National competitions London and South East Midland competitions Northern competitions South West competitions County competitions Discontinued competitions Related articles Other
