The 1996 Division Two Championship season was the third tier of British rugby league during the 1996 season, and was also the first season of rugby league to be played in the summer.[1] The competition featured all eleven teams from the 1995–96 Rugby Football League season and an additional newly formed club, South Wales.
| RFL Division Two | |
|---|---|
| League | Rugby Football League Division Two |
| Duration | 22 Rounds |
| Teams | 12 |
| 1996 Season | |
| Champions |  Hull Kingston Rovers |
Championship
editThe league was won by Hull Kingston Rovers for a second successive season, winning promotion to Division One along with runners-up Swinton Lions.
League table
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 22 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1009 | 294 | 42 |
| 2 | Swinton Lions | 22 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 785 | 295 | 36 |
| 3 | Hunslet Hawks | 22 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 730 | 326 | 36 |
| 4 | Carlisle | 22 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 654 | 486 | 26 |
| 5 | Doncaster | 22 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 500 | 540 | 26 |
| 6 | South Wales | 22 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 528 | 548 | 24 |
| 7 | Leigh Centurions | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 594 | 510 | 20 |
| 8 | York Wasps | 22 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 449 | 603 | 18 |
| 9 | Chorley Chieftains | 22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 354 | 723 | 12 |
| 10 | Barrow Braves | 22 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 354 | 651 | 10 |
| 11 | Bramley | 22 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 360 | 759 | 10 |
| 12 | Prescot Panthers | 22 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 301 | 883 | 4 |
| Champions | Promoted |
Statistics
editThe following are the top points scorers in Division Two during the 1996 season. Statistics are for league matches only.[2]
|
Most tries
|
Most goals
|
Most points
| Player | Team | Tries | Goals | DGs | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Fletcher | Hull Kingston Rovers | 4 | 143 | 0 | 302 |
| Willie Richardson | Carlisle | 9 | 100 | 0 | 236 |
| Greg Pearce | Swinton Lions | 4 | 107 | 0 | 230 |
| Dean Purtill | Leigh Centurions | 11 | 90 | 0 | 224 |
| Simon Wilson | Hunslet Hawks | 7 | 93 | 1 | 215 |
| Phil Atkinson | Barrow Braves | 11 | 57 | 1 | 159 |
| Tony Chappell | Doncaster Dragons | 7 | 52 | 3 | 135 |
| Terry Smirk | York Wasps | 6 | 50 | 2 | 126 |
| Ioan Bebb | South Wales | 7 | 45 | 0 | 118 |
| Dean Creasser | Bramley | 3 | 51 | 0 | 114 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Dave Hadfield (1995-12-20). "Rugby's pounds 87m deal gives Murdoch transfer veto". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
- ^ Fletcher, Raymond; Howes, David. Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1997. London: Headline. pp. 184–5. ISBN 978-0-7472-7764-4.
External links
edit- "Season 1996". Virtual Rugby League Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008.
- 1996 season at wigan.rlfans.com