1989–90 Courage Area League North

1989–90 Courage Area League North
Countries	England
Champions	Broughton Park (1st title)
Runners-up	Morley (also promoted)
Relegated	No relegation
Matches played	110
←  1988–89 1990–91  →

The 1989–90 Courage Area League North was the third 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 (currently National League 2 South). It would be the last season the division would be called Area League North as it would be renamed National 4 North for the following campaign. The title battle was very strongly contested, but the end it would be Broughton Park who would triumph as league champions despite finishing dead level with runners up Morley, thanks to a far superior points/for against record. Both sides would be promoted to the 1990–91 National Division Three.

At the opposite end of the table it was a different story, with Stoke-on-Trent being the worse side in the division, failing to gain a single point as they finished last. However, Stoke were granted a reprieve as no northern clubs were relegated from the 1989–90 National Division Three meaning they had another season in the league. ^{[1] [2]}

Structure

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 team was relegated to either North 1 or Midlands 1 depending on their locality.

Participating teams and locations

Broughton
Park

Durham

Kendal

Lichfield

Morley

Northern

Preston

Stourbridge

Stoke

Walsall

Winnington
Park

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Locations of the 1989–90 Courage Area League North teams

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous Season
Broughton Park	Hough End		Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester	Runners up (not promoted)
Durham City	Hollow Drift	1,500 (500 seats)	Durham, County Durham	7th
Kendal	Mint Bridge	4,600 (600 seats) [3]	Kendal, Cumbria	Promoted from North 1 (1st)
Lichfield	Cooke Fields	5,460 (460 seats) [4]	Lichfield, Staffordshire	9th
Morley	Scatcherd Lane	6,000 (1,000 seats) [5]	Morley, West Yorkshire	8th
Northern	McCracken Park	1,200 (200 seats) [6]	Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear	4th
Preston Grasshoppers	Lightfoot Green	2,250 (250 seats) [7]	Preston, Lancashire	6th
Stoke-on-Trent	Hartwell Lane	2,000 [8]	Barlaston, Staffordshire	10th
Stourbridge	Stourton Park	2,000 [9]	Stourbridge, West Midlands	3rd
Walsall	Broadway	1,150	Walsall, West Midlands	Promoted from Midlands 1 (1st)
Winnington Park	Burrows Hill		Norwich, Cheshire	5th

League table

1989–90 Courage Area League North table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts	Qualification
1	Broughton Park (C)	10	8	0	2	246	111	+135	16	Promoted
2	Morley (P)	10	8	0	2	169	115	+54	16
3	Stourbridge	10	7	0	3	146	133	+13	14
4	Durham City	10	6	0	4	195	169	+26	12
5	Kendal	10	6	0	4	130	136	−6	12
6	Preston Grasshoppers	10	5	0	5	122	109	+13	10
7	Lichfield	10	5	0	5	110	121	−11	10
8	Northern	10	4	0	6	139	144	−5	8
9	Winnington Park	10	4	0	6	142	152	−10	8
10	Walsall	10	2	0	8	143	183	−40	4
11	Stoke-on-Trent	10	0	0	10	88	257	−169	0

Source: ^[1]
Rules for classification: Points are awarded as follows:

1. 2 pts for a win
2. 1 pt for a draw
3. 0 pts for a loss
4. If teams are level at any stage, difference between points for and against applies
   (C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Sponsorship

Area League North is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and was sponsored by Courage Brewery.

See also

• 1989–90 Courage League National Division One
• 1989–90 Courage League National Division Two
• 1989–90 Courage League National Division Three
• 1989–90 Courage Area League South

References

1. "Area League 1989/90". The Rugby Archive. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
2. Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91. Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co Ltd. pp. 167–204.
3. Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Kendal R.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 174.
4. Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Lichfield R.U.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 176.
5. Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Morley R.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 152.
6. Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Northern F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 177.
7. Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Preston Grasshoppers R.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 179.
8. Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Stoke on Trent R.U.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 180.
9. Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Stourbridge R.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 183.