1987–88 Courage Area League North
| 1987–88 Courage Area League North | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  England |
| Champions | Rugby (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Durham City (not promoted) |
| Relegated | Solihull, Derby, Birkenhead Park |
| Matches played | 110 |
The 1987–88 Courage Area League North was the first 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 (now National League 2 South). Each team played one match against the other teams, playing a total of ten matches each. There was no set date for matches, clubs having to arrange the fixtures among themselves.[1][2] Rugby were the first ever champions, gaining promotion to the 1988–89 National Division Three while Solihull, Derby and Birkenhead Park were the relegated sides.[3] Solihull and Derby dropped to Midlands 1 while Birkenhead Park fell into North 1.
Structure
[edit]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 three teams were relegated to either North 1 or Midlands 1 depending on their locality. The reason that there were three relegated teams (compared to the 1987–88 Courage Area League South) was that both teams relegated from National Division 3 were based in the northern section of the country.
Participating teams and locations
[edit]
| Team | Ground | Capacity | City/Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birkenhead Park | Upper Park | Birkenhead, Wirral | |
| Broughton Park | Hough End | Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester | |
| Derby | Haslams Lane | Derby, Derbyshire | |
| Durham City | Hollow Drift | Durham, County Durham | |
| Lichfield | Cooke Fields | Lichfield, Staffordshire | |
| Northern | McCracken Park | 1,000 | Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear |
| Preston Grasshoppers | Lightfoot Green | 5,000 | Preston, Lancashire |
| Roundhay | Chandos Park | Roundhay, Leeds West Yorkshire | |
| Rugby | Webb Ellis Road | 1,000 | Rugby, Warwickshire |
| Solihull | Sharmans Cross | 2,500 | Solihull, West Midlands |
| Stourbridge | Stourton Park | 3,000 | Stourbridge, West Midlands |
League table
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rugby (C) | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 184 | 100 | +84 | 18 | Promoted |
| 2 | Durham City | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 165 | 100 | +65 | 16 | |
| 3 | Roundhay | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 131 | 67 | +64 | 14 | |
| 4 | Preston Grasshoppers | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 178 | 149 | +29 | 11 | |
| 5 | Northern | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 121 | 137 | −16 | 11 | |
| 6 | Broughton Park | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 152 | 106 | +46 | 10 | |
| 7 | Stourbridge | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 132 | 134 | −2 | 10 | |
| 8 | Lichfield | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 150 | 165 | −15 | 8 | |
| 9 | Birkenhead Park (R) | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 117 | 179 | −62 | 8 | Relegated |
| 10 | Derby (R) | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 136 | 169 | −33 | 4 | |
| 11 | Solihull (R) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 59 | 219 | −160 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Points are awarded as follows:
- 2 pts for a win
- 1 pt for a draw
- 0 pts for a loss
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Sponsorship
[edit]Area League North is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and was sponsored by Courage Brewery.
See also
[edit]- 1987–88 Courage League National Division One
- 1987–88 Courage League National Division Two
- 1987–88 Courage League National Division Three
- 1987–88 Courage Area League South
References
[edit]- ^ a b Stephen Jones, ed. (1988). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1988–89. London: Rothmans Publications Ltd.
- ^ a b Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91. Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co Ltd.
- ^ a b "Area League 1987/88". The Rugby Archive. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017.