1998–99 National League 2 South

The 1998–99 National League 2 South (sponsored by Jewson) was the twelfth full season of rugby union within the fourth tier (south) of the English league system. It is counterpart to National League 2 North, which covers the northern half of the country.

1998–99 National League 2 South
Countries England
ChampionsBracknell (1st title)
Runners-upEsher (not promoted)
RelegatedHavant
Matches played182

The title battle was very keenly contested by three clubs but in the end it was Bracknell who came out top, 1 point clear of runners up Esher and 3 clear of 3rd placed North Walsham, to claim their second successive promotion and a place in the 1999–00 National League 1. It was during this campaign that Bracknell set the (then) English league record of 53 consecutive wins at home.[1] The battle for relegation was equally well contested with a number of teams fighting for survival. Despite battling hard Havant would finish in the bottom spot, dead level with 13th placed Cheltenham but with a worse for/against record. Havant would drop to London 1.[2] The reason National League 2 South had only one relegation place compared to National League 2 North (who had 3) was that both of the two teams relegated from the division above were based in the north of the country, requiring more places to accommodate for their arrival the following season.

Structure

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Each team played home and away matches against each of the other teams, playing a total of twenty-six matches each. The league champions were promoted to National League 1 while the bottom side dropped to either London 1 or South West 1 depending on locality.

Participating teams and locations

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Team Ground Capacity City/Area Previous season
Barking Goresbrook 1,000 Becontree, Dagenham, London 3rd
Bracknell Lily Hill Park 1,000 Bracknell, Berkshire Promoted from South West 1 (champions)
Bridgwater & Albion Bath Road 5,000 Bridgwater, Somerset 8th
Cheltenham Newlands Park Southam, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire 5th
Clifton Station Road 2,500 Cribbs Causeway, Henbury, Bristol 11th
Esher Molesey Road 3,500 Hersham, Surrey 4th
Havant Hook's Lane 1,500 Havant, Hampshire 12th (no relegation)
Metropolitan Police Imber Court East Molesey, Surrey 14th (no relegation)
North Walsham Norwich Road 1,200 Scottow, Norfolk 7th
Norwich Beeston Hyrne Norwich, Norfolk Promoted from London 1 (champions)
Plymouth Albion Beacon Park 3,500 Plymouth, Devon 13th (no relegation)
Redruth Recreation Ground 12,000 Redruth, Cornwall 9th
Tabard Cobden Hill Radlett, Hertfordshire 6th
Weston-super-Mare Recreation Ground 6,000 Weston-super-Mare, Somerset 10th

League table

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1998–99 National League 2 South table
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Brackell (C) 26 23 1 2 631 317 +314 47 Promoted
2 Esher 26 23 0 3 864 308 +556 46
3 North Walsham 26 22 0 4 630 306 +324 44
4 Barking 26 19 1 6 644 327 +317 39
5 Metropolitan Police 26 14 1 11 470 545 −75 29
6 Norwich 26 11 0 15 383 429 −46 22
7 Clifton 26 10 1 15 415 483 −68 21
8 Tabard 26 9 1 16 461 501 −40 19
9 Weston-super-Mare 26 9 1 16 417 588 −171 19
10 Bridgwater & Albion 26 8 2 16 462 624 −162 18
11 Redruth 26 8 1 17 503 657 −154 17
12 Plymouth Albion 26 7 1 18 457 666 −209 15
13 Cheltenham 26 7 0 19 335 608 −273 14
14 Havant (R) 26 7 0 19 361 674 −313 14 Relegated
Source: [2]
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

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National League 2 South is part of the Jewson National Leagues is sponsored by Jewson.

References

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  1. ^ "Club History: On to the National Leagues (1991 - 2014)". Bracknell RFC (Pitchero). Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Jewson National League 2 South 1998/99". The Rugby Archive. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2017.