The 2013–14 National League 2 North was the fourth season (27th overall) of the
fourth tier (north) of the English domestic
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
competitions since the professionalised format of the
second division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
was introduced. The league system was 4 points for a win, 2 points for a draw and additional bonus points being awarded for scoring 4 or more tries and/or losing within 7 points of the victorious team. In terms of promotion the league champions would go straight up into National League 1 while the runners up would have a one-game playoff against the runners up from
National League 2 South
National League 2 South (known before September 2009 as National Division Three South) was a level four league in the English rugby union system until the end of season 2021–22. It was one of two leagues at this level, with its counterpart, ...
(at the home ground of the club with the superior league record) for the final promotion place.
The battle for the league title was as tight as it had ever been in the division with three teams -
Darlington Mowden Park,
Macclesfield and
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The ...
- looking to go up in a title race that went to the very last day of the season. Stourbridge won their final game away to
Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...
via a bonus point victory meaning that the winner of Darlington Mowden Park and Macclesfield was likely to go up. In a very close game in front of a record National 2 North crowd of 3,750 at
The Northern Echo Arena, Mowden Park emerged as the victors 28 - 24 against Macclesfield only for the Cheshire side to gain 2 bonus points in defeat. These bonus points meant that it was Macclesfield that went up 1 point clear of their two title rivals, returning to their former league after just one season out. Despite the disappointment of losing out on the last day of the season, Darlington Mowden Park would follow Macclesfield up into the
2013–14 National League 1
The 2013–14 National League 1, known for sponsorship reasons as the SSE National League 1 is the fifth season of the third tier of the English domestic rugby union competitions, since the professionalised format of the second tier RFU Champions ...
by defeating
Ampthill
Ampthill () is a town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population estimate of 8,100 (Mid year estimate 2017 from the ONS). It is administered bAmpthill Town Council The ward of Ampthill which also i ...
in the north-south promotion playoff in what was a very tight game that took extra time to be resolved. The move to The Northern Echo Arena saw quite a turnaround in fortunes for the north-east side, with large crowds turning up on a regular basis (an average of over 800 per game) particularly when considering that games held at the old ground of Yiewsley Drive a couple of seasons previously saw only around 200 hardcore fans watching games. You have to spare a thought for Stourbridge though, as the Midlands side would easily have achieved promotion on any other season but for the most competitive title battle in the divisions recent history.
While the fight for promotion had been extremely fierce the battle for relegation was far less so.
Dudley Kingswinford
Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union football club based in Kingswinford in the West Midlands. The club currently plays in the fifth tier of English club rugby, participating in the Midlands Premier. The club runs s ...
ended a two-year stay in the division in what was a very poor season, failing to win any games at all and only having 6 points all season from try and losing bonuses (they were the first team to lose all 30 games in the division since
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
in
2010-11, although bonus points gave them a better overall record). Dudley Kingswinford would be followed in relegation by fellow Midlands side
Bromsgrove whose 5 wins were not enough and finally by
Sheffield Tigers
The Sheffield 'Tru Plant' Tigers are a motorcycle speedway team based in Sheffield, England. They currently race in the British SGB Premiership, and their home meetings take place at Owlerton Stadium. The Tigers traditionally hold their race ...
who did better but not enough to catch 13th placed
Hull. Dudley Kingswinford and Bromsgrove would drop to
National League 3 Midlands while Sheffield Tigers fell to
National League 3 North
North Premier was a level five league in the English rugby union system, with the fourteen teams drawn from across Northern England. The other leagues at this level were London & South East Premier, Midlands Premier and South West Premier. Th ...
.
Participating teams and locations
Twelve of the teams listed below participated in the
2012–13 National League 2 North season.
Macclesfield and
Sedgley Park
Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury.
Historically part of Lancashire, Prestwich was the seat of the ancient parish ...
were relegated from the
2012–13 National League 1
The 2012–13 National League 1 was the fourth season of the third tier of the English domestic rugby union competitions since the professionalised format of the second division was introduced. New teams to the division included Esher who were r ...
;
Chester (champions) and
Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...
(playoffs) were promoted from
National League 3 North
North Premier was a level five league in the English rugby union system, with the fourteen teams drawn from across Northern England. The other leagues at this level were London & South East Premier, Midlands Premier and South West Premier. Th ...
;
Ampthill
Ampthill () is a town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population estimate of 8,100 (Mid year estimate 2017 from the ONS). It is administered bAmpthill Town Council The ward of Ampthill which also i ...
were promoted from
National League 3 Midlands as champions and were then level transferred to the
2013–14 National League 2 South
The 2013–14 National League 2 South was the fifth season (27th overall) of the fourth tier (south) of the English domestic rugby union competitions since the professionalised format of the second division was introduced. The league system wa ...
, due to an imbalance in the number of teams in the two fourth tier leagues.
League table
Results
Round 1
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Round 2
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Round 3
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Round 4
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Round 5
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Round 6
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Round 7
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Round 8
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Round 9
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Round 10
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Round 11
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Round 12
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Round 13
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Round 14
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Round 15
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Round 16
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Round 17
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Round 18
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Round 19
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Round 20
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 2014.
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Round 21
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 2014.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 2014.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 2014.
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Round 22
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 15 March 2014.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 15 March 2014.
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Round 23
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 19 April 2014.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 15 March 2014.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 19 April 2014.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 19 April 2014.
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Rounds 20 & 21 (rescheduled games)
*Game rescheduled from 1 February 2014.
*Game rescheduled from 1 February 2014.
*Game rescheduled from 1 February 2014.
*Game rescheduled from 25 January 2014.
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Round 24
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Round 25
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Rounds 22 & 23
*Game rescheduled from 15 February 2014.
*Game rescheduled from 8 February 2014.
*Game rescheduled from 8 February 2014.
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Round 26
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Round 27
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Round 28
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Round 29
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Round 23 (rescheduled games)
*Game rescheduled from 15 February 2014.
*Game rescheduled from 15 February 2014.
*Game rescheduled from 15 February 2014.
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Round 30
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Promotion play–off
Each season, the runners–up in the National League 2 South and National League 2 North participate in a play–off for promotion into National Division 1. Darlington Mowden Park were runners-up in the North and as they had a better record than the
2013–14 National League 2 South
The 2013–14 National League 2 South was the fifth season (27th overall) of the fourth tier (south) of the English domestic rugby union competitions since the professionalised format of the second division was introduced. The league system wa ...
runners-up,
Ampthill
Ampthill () is a town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population estimate of 8,100 (Mid year estimate 2017 from the ONS). It is administered bAmpthill Town Council The ward of Ampthill which also i ...
, they hosted the play–off match. The game was played on 3 May 2014 at
The Northern Echo Arena and finished 25 – 25 after normal time, so went to two 10-minute periods of extra time. The game was won with a try scored by DMP in the 3rd minute of added on time. As a result, they will play in
National League 1
National One (last season known as National League 1 and previously known before September 2009 as National Division Two), is the third of three national leagues in the domestic rugby union competition of England. It was known as Courage Leagu ...
in the
2014–15 season for the first time.
Total season attendances
*Figures not including north-south promotion playoff.
Individual statistics
* Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorers
Top try scorers
Season records
Team
;Largest home win — 96 pts
111 - 15 Sedgley Park at home to Dudley Kingswinford on 7 December 2013
;Largest away win — 74 pts
74 - 0 Leicester Lions away to Dudley Kingswinford on 26 April 2014
;Most points scored — 111 pts
111 - 15 Sedgley Park at home to Dudley Kingswinford on 7 December 2013
;Most tries in a match — 17
Sedgley Park at home to Dudley Kingswinford on 7 December 2013
;Most conversions in a match — 13
Sedgley Park at home to Dudley Kingswinford on 7 December 2013
;Most penalties in a match — 6 (x2)
Otley away to Sedgley Park on 26 October 2013
Leicester Lions away to Caldy on 4 January 2014
;Most drop goals in a match — 2
Birmingham & Solihull away to Luctonians on 5 October 2013
Player
;Most points in a match — 35
Stephen Collins
Stephen Weaver Collins (born October 1, 1947) is an American former actor and writer. He is known for playing Eric Camden on the television series '' 7th Heaven'' from 1996 to 2007. Afterwards, Collins played the roles of Dayton King on the ABC ...
for Sedgley Park at home to Dudley Kingswinford on 7 December 2013
;Most tries in a match — 5 (x2)
Matthew Lamprey for Sedgley Park at home to Dudley Kingswinford on 7 December 2013
Nathan Bressington for Stourbridge at home to Bromsgrove on 12 April 2014
;Most conversions in a match — 13
Stephen Collins
Stephen Weaver Collins (born October 1, 1947) is an American former actor and writer. He is known for playing Eric Camden on the television series '' 7th Heaven'' from 1996 to 2007. Afterwards, Collins played the roles of Dayton King on the ABC ...
for Sedgley Park at home to Dudley Kingswinford on 7 December 2013
;Most penalties in a match — 6 (x2)
Mark Ireland for Otley away to Sedgley Park on 26 October 2013
Jon Boden
Jon Boden (born 17 March 1977) is a singer, composer and musician, best known as lead singer and main arranger of Bellowhead. His first instrument is the fiddle and he is a proponent of "English traditional fiddle style" and also of "fiddle ...
for Leicester Lions away to Caldy on 4 January 2014
;Most drop goals in a match — 2
Adam Canning for Birmingham & Solihull away to Luctonians on 5 October 2013
Attendances
;Highest — 3,750
Darlington Mowden Park at home to Macclesfield on 26 April 2014
;Lowest — 90
Hull at home to Otley on 14 December 2013
;Highest Average Attendance — 913
Darlington Mowden Park
;Lowest Average Attendance — 122
Leicester Lions
See also
*
English Rugby Union Leagues
*
English rugby union system
Men's Rugby union in England consists of 106 leagues, which includes professional leagues at the highest level, down to amateur regional leagues. Promotion and relegation are in place throughout the system.
Women's Rugby union in England cons ...
*
Rugby union in England
Rugby union in England is one of the leading professional and recreational team sports. In 1871 the Rugby Football Union, the governing body for rugby union in England, was formed by 21 rugby clubs, and the first international match, which invo ...
References
External links
NCA Rugby
{{DEFAULTSORT:National2
2013-14
2013–14 in English rugby union leagues