The 2000–01 National Division Three North was the first season (fourteenth overall) of the
fourth division (north) of the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national id ...
domestic
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...
competition using the name National Division Three North. New teams to the division included
Dudley Kingswinford who were promoted as the champions of
Midlands Division 1 and
Tynedale
__NOTOC__
Tynedale is an area and former local government district in south-west Northumberland, England. The district had a resident population of 58,808 according to the 2001 Census. Its main towns were Hexham, Haltwhistle and Prudhoe. Th ...
who were champions of
North Division 1 with no northern based teams being relegated from the
1999-00 Jewson National League One. The league system was 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw with the promotion system changing for this season with a playoff system being introduced. The champions of both National Division Three North and
National Division Three 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, N ...
would automatically go up but the runners up of these two divisions would meet each other in a one off match (at the home ground of the side with the superior league record) to see who would claim the third and final promotion place to
National Division Two
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 Leag ...
for the following season.
The season was a very fractured one due to the
2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak
The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in 2001 caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism. This epizootic saw 2,000 cases of the disease in farms across most of the British countryside. Over 6 million cows and ...
which primarily affected the two northernmost clubs in the division -
Aspatria
Aspatria is a town and civil parish in the non-metropolitan district of Allerdale, and is currently embraced in the Parliamentary constituency of Workington, Cumbria, England. Historically within Cumberland the town rests on the north side of ...
and Tynedale - leading to a large number of fixtures being cancelled in the latter half of the season.
The league champions were
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 ...
who pipped
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 paris ...
to the league title by just one point to gain promotion to the
2001–02 National Division Two
The 2001–02 National Division Two was the second version (fifteenth overall) of the third division of the English domestic rugby union competition using the name National Division Two. New teams to the division included Orrell and Waterloo w ...
. Sedgley Park would join them soon after when they won their promotion playoff game at home against the
2000-01 National Division Three South runners up
Launceston in front of over 1,000 fans.
The foot-and-mouth outbreak made relegation far from straightforward as initially the bottom two were Aspatria and Tynedale, who had played 18 games each - less than any of the other teams in the division. In Tynedale's case this was particularly hard as they were only 1 point behind 12th placed
Sandal
Sandals are an open type of footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps going over the instep and around the ankle. Sandals can also have a heel. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can so ...
but had played six games less. In the end the
RFU had to re-think relegation and used a complicated process based on early season form which meant that 14th placed
Aspatria
Aspatria is a town and civil parish in the non-metropolitan district of Allerdale, and is currently embraced in the Parliamentary constituency of Workington, Cumbria, England. Historically within Cumberland the town rests on the north side of ...
and 11th placed
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield.
Walsall is t ...
went down.
Aspatria dropped to North Division 1 while Walsall went into Midlands Division 1.
Participating teams and locations
Final league table
Results
''Be aware that some of the early season scores from Rugby Statbunker may be incorrect (possibly due to an automatic scoring system used on that website) as they are different from those reported in the Telegraph. I have used references from the Telegraph wherever possible which should tie in with the results from the England rugby website.''
Round 1
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Round 2
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 23 September 2000.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 23 September 2000.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 23 September 2000.
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Round 3
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 October 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 February 2001.
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Round 2 & 3 (rescheduled games)
*Game rescheduled from 10 September 2000.
*Game brought forward from 10 February 2001.
*Game rescheduled from 10 September 2000.
*Game rescheduled from 10 September 2000.
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Round 4
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Round 5
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Round 3 (rescheduled game)
*Game rescheduled from 16 September 2000.
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Round 6
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Round 7
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 February 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 February 2001.
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Round 8
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Round 9
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Round 10
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Round 11
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 February 2001.
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Round 12
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 February 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 February 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 February 2001.
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Round 13
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 March 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 February 2001.
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Round 14
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Round 15
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 March 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to ?.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 February 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 February 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 February 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 March 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 March 2001.
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Round 16
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Round 17
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 7 April 2001.
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Round 18
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 7 April 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 April 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 February 2001.
*Game initially postponed but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 March 2001.
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Round 19
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Rounds 3, 7, 11 & 15 (rescheduled games)
*Game rescheduled from 30 December 2000.
*Game rescheduled from 30 December 2000.
*Game rescheduled from 4 November 2000.
*Game rescheduled from 30 December 2000.
*Game rescheduled from 16 September 2000.
*Game rescheduled from 4 November 2000.
*Game rescheduled from 2 December 2000.
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Round 20
*Game brought forward to 23 September 2000.
*Game initially postponed but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Aspatria's season and leading to them being relegated.
*Game initially postponed but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
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Rounds 12, 13 & 18 (rescheduled games)
*Game rescheduled from 9 December 2000.
*Game rescheduled from 20 January 2001.
*Game rescheduled from 9 December 2000.
*Game rescheduled from 16 December 2000.
*Game rescheduled from 9 December 2000.
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Round 21
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Rounds 13, 15 & 18 (rescheduled games)
*Game rescheduled from 16 December 2000.
*Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000 but would be postponed again until 28 April 2001.
*Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000 but would be postponed again until 28 April 2001.
*Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000 but would be postponed again until 14 April 2001.
*Game initially rescheduled from 20 January 2001 but would be ultimately cancelled due to fixture congestion.
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Round 22
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 5 May 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 19 May 2001.
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Round 23
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to ?.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 28 April 2001.
*Game initially postponed but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 April 2001.
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Round 24
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 19 May 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 19 May 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 5 May 2001.
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Round 25
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 26 May 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 26 May 2001.
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Rounds 15, 17 & 18 (rescheduled games)
*Game rescheduled from 20 January 2001.
*Game initially postponed but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Aspatria's season and leading to them being relegated.
*Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000 but postponed again till 5 May 2001.
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Round 26 (includes rescheduled game)
*Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000, then 3 March 2001.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 5 May 2001.
*Game initially postponed but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
----
Rounds 18 & 23 (rescheduled games)
*Game rescheduled from 20 January 2001.
*Game rescheduled from 7 March 2001.
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Rounds 15 & 23 (rescheduled games)
*Game rescheduled from 17 March 2001.
*Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000 and then 3 March 2001 before finally being cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Aspatria's season and leading to them being relegated.
*Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000 and then 3 March 2001 before finally being cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
----
Rounds 22 & 24 & ? (rescheduled games)
*Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000 and then again from 7 April 2001.
*Game rescheduled from 14 April 2001 but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Aspatria's season and leading to them being relegated.
*Game rescheduled from 10 March 2001 but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
*Game rescheduled from 24 March 2001 but would ultimately be cancelled due to fixture congestion.
----
Rounds 22 & 24 (rescheduled games)
*Game initially rescheduled from 24 March 2001 but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Aspatria's season and leading to them being relegated.
*Game initially rescheduled from 24 March 2001 but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
*Game initially rescheduled from 10 March 2001 but ultimately cancelled due to fixture congestion.
----
Round 25 (rescheduled games)
*Game initially rescheduled from 31 March 2001 but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
*Game initially rescheduled from 31 March 2001 but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Aspatria's season and leading to them being relegated.
----
Promotion play-off
The league runners up of National Division Three North and South would meet in a playoff game for promotion to National Division Two. 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 paris ...
were runners-up in the north and because they had a better league record than south runners-up, Launceston, they hosted the play-off match.
[
]
Total season attendances
*Not including promotion playoff game.
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 — 79 pts
79 - 0 New Brighton at home to Morley on 9 December 2000
;Largest away win — 42 pts
53 - 11 Doncaster away to Sandal on 14 October 2000
;Most points scored — 79 pts
79 - 0 New Brighton at home to Morley on 9 December 2000
;Most tries in a match — 13
New Brighton at home to Morley on 9 December 2000
;Most conversions in a match — 13
New Brighton at home to Morley on 9 December 2000
;Most penalties in a match — 7
Tynedale away to Liverpool St Helens on 2 September 2000
;Most drop goals in a match — 2
Liverpool St Helens away to Bedford Athletic on 18 November 2000
Player
;Most points in a match — 34
Paul Brett
Paul Brett (born 20 June 1947 in Fulham, London) is an English classic rock guitarist. He played lead guitar with Strawbs (although he was never actually a member), The Overlanders, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, ...
for New Brighton at home to Morley on 9 December 2000
;Most tries in a match — 4 (x2)
Mike Wilcox
Mike may refer to:
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* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
for Sedgley Park at home to Whitchurch on 2 December 2000
Steve Belis
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form ( hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Stev ...
for New Brighton at home to Morley on 9 December 2000
;Most conversions in a match — 13
Paul Brett
Paul Brett (born 20 June 1947 in Fulham, London) is an English classic rock guitarist. He played lead guitar with Strawbs (although he was never actually a member), The Overlanders, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, ...
for New Brighton at home to Morley on 9 December 2000
;Most penalties in a match — 7
Alan Moses
Sir Alan George Moses (born 29 November 1945) is a former Lord Justice of Appeal, a Court of Appeal Judge and the former chairman of Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). He is joint Chair of the United Kingdom's Spoliation Advisory Pa ...
for Tynedale away to Liverpool St Helens on 2 September 2000
;Most drop goals in a match — 2
Simon Worsley for Liverpool St Helens away to Bedford Athletic on 18 November 2000
Attendances
;Highest — 1,500 (x2)
Dudley Kingswinford at home to Stourbridge on 16 December 2000
Stourbridge at home to Dudley Kingswinford on 31 March 2001
;Lowest — 100 (x2)
Aspatria at home to Sedgley Park on 18 November 2000
Aspatria at home to Tynedale on 2 December 2000
;Highest Average Attendance — 691
Doncaster
;Lowest Average Attendance — 145
Aspatria
See also
* English Rugby Union Leagues
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 c ...
* 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 invol ...
References
External links
NCA Rugby
{{DEFAULTSORT:National3
2000-01
2000–01 in English rugby union leagues