The 1990–91 National Division 4 South was the fourth full season of rugby union within the fourth tier of the English league system, currently known as National League 2 South, and counterpart to the National Division 4 North (now National League 2 North). It was the first season for the division using the name National 4 South, having been known as Area League South the previous year. In what was otherwise a very competitive league, Redruth were dominant, finishing as league champions with a perfect record of 12 wins from 12 games to gain promotion to the 1991–92 National Division 3 - 6 points clear of runners up Basingstoke.
| 1990–91 National Division 4 South | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  England |
| Champions | Redruth (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Basingstoke |
| Relegated | Cheltenham, Maidenhead |
| Matches played | 156 |
At the other end of the table Cheltenham and Maidenhead finished in the bottom two places and were relegated. It was especially tough on Maidenhead who finished level with 11th placed Maidstone on 9 points each but went down due to a worst for/against ratio. Both Cheltenham and Maidenhead would drop down to South West 1.[1]
Structure
editEach team played one match against each of the other teams, playing a total of twelve matches each. The champions are promoted to National Division 3 and the bottom two teams are relegated to either London Division 1 or South West 1 depending on their locality.
Participating teams and locations
edit
| Team | Ground | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basingstoke | Down Grange | 2,500 | Basingstoke, Hampshire | 8th |
| Camborne | Recreation Ground | 11,000[2] | Camborne, Cornwall | 4th |
| Cheltenham | Prince of Wales | 3,500 (500 seats)[3] | Cheltenham, Gloucestershire | 9th |
| Ealing | Horsenden Hill | Horsenden Hill, Ealing, London | Promoted from London 1 (runners up) | |
| Havant | Hook's Lane | 3,000 (200 seats)[4] | Havant, Hampshire | 5th |
| London Welsh | Old Deer Park | 4,500 (1,500 seats)[5] | Richmond, London | Relegated from National 3 (12th) |
| Maidenhead | Braywick Park | 1,750 | Maidenhead, Berkshire | Promoted from South West 1 (champions) |
| Maidstone | William Davey Memorial | 2,000 (100 seats)[6] | Maidstone, Kent | 10th |
| North Walsham | Norwich Road | 1,200 | Scottow, Norfolk | Promoted from London 1 (champions) |
| Redruth | Recreation Ground | 12,000 | Redruth, Cornwall | 3rd |
| Southend | Warners Park | 1,500 (150 seats)[7] | Southend, Essex | 7th |
| Sudbury | Moorsfield | 1,000[8] | Sudbury, Suffolk | 6th |
| Weston-super-Mare | Recreation Ground | 3,000 | Weston-super-Mare, Somerset | Promoted from South West 1 (2nd) |
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redruth (C) | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 225 | 79 | +146 | 24 | Promotion place |
| 2 | Basingstoke | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 187 | 104 | +83 | 18 | |
| 3 | London Welsh | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 235 | 165 | +70 | 14 | |
| 4 | Camborne | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 204 | 179 | +25 | 12 | |
| 5 | Weston-super-Mare | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 192 | 182 | +10 | 12 | |
| 6 | North Walsham | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 170 | 180 | −10 | 12 | |
| 7 | Sudbury | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 160 | 172 | −12 | 12 | |
| 8 | Havant | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 157 | 173 | −16 | 10 | |
| 9 | Southend | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 152 | 194 | −42 | 10 | |
| 10 | Ealing | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 174 | 218 | −44 | 10 | |
| 11 | Maidstone | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 122 | 164 | −42 | 9 | |
| 12 | Maidenhead (R) | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 130 | 208 | −78 | 9 | Relegation place |
| 13 | Cheltenham (R) | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 150 | 240 | −90 | 4 |
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, difference between points for and against applies
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Sponsorship
editNational League 4 South is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and is sponsored by Courage Brewery.
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 "Courage League - Division 4 1990/91". The Rugby Archive. 2 December 2017. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
- ↑ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Camborne R.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 190.
- ↑ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Cheltenham R.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 191.
- ↑ Ross Young, ed. (1993). "Havant RFC (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1993–94. Taunton: Tony Williams Publications. p. 190.
- ↑ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "London Welsh R.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 194.
- ↑ Ross Young, ed. (1993). "Maidstone FC (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1993–94. Taunton: Tony Williams Publications. p. 299.
- ↑ Ross Young, ed. (1993). "Southend RFC (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1993–94. Taunton: Tony Williams Publications. p. 307.
- ↑ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Sudbury R.U.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 203.
- ↑ Williams, Tony; Mitchell, Bill (eds.). Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1991–92 (4th ed.). Taunton: Football Directories. ISBN 1 869833 15 5.