2003 Rugby League National Leagues
| 2003 LHF Healthplan National League | |
|---|---|
| League | National League |
| National League One | |
| Champions | Salford City Reds |
| League leaders | Salford City Reds |
| Promotion and relegation | |
| Promoted from National League One | Salford City Reds |
| Relegated to National League Two | Dewsbury Rams |
| National League Two | |
| Champions | Keighley Cougars |
| League leaders | Sheffield Eagles |
| Promotion and relegation | |
| Promoted from National League Two | Keighley Cougars |
| National League Three | |
| Champions | Woolston Rovers |
| League leaders | Bradford Dudley Hill |
The 2003 National Leagues (known as the LHF National Leagues due to sponsorship) are the second, third and fourth divisions of rugby league played in Britain.
National Leagues One and Two were made up of the 18 clubs that competed in the Northern Ford Premiership during the previous season, plus the London Skolars and the York City Knights. National League Three consisted of ten additional teams from the amateur leagues. There was no automatic promotion and relegation with National League Two, but the RFL hoped to introduce this in the future.
National League One
National League One was won by Salford City Reds, and won promotion to the Super League after defeating runners-up the Leigh Centurions in the play-off final. The Dewsbury Rams were relegated to National Two.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Salford City Reds (P)
|
18 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 443 | 438 | +5 | 30 | Semi-final |
| 2 |  Leigh Centurions
|
18 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 702 | 309 | +393 | 30 | |
| 3 |  Rochdale Hornets
|
18 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 647 | 477 | +170 | 26 | Elimination Semi-final |
| 4 |  Hull Kingston Rovers
|
18 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 401 | 373 | +28 | 20 | |
| 5 |  Oldham
|
18 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 404 | 500 | −96 | 16 | |
| 6 |  Whitehaven
|
18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 683 | 398 | +285 | 15 | |
| 7 |  Featherstone Rovers
|
18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 387 | 478 | −91 | 14 | |
| 8 |  Doncaster Dragons
|
18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 429 | 632 | −203 | 13 | |
| 9 |  Batley Bulldogs
|
18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 366 | 543 | −177 | 11 | |
| 10 |  Dewsbury Rams (R)
|
18 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 284 | 751 | −467 | 5 | Relegated to National League Two |
Source: [1]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Playoffs
| Elimination play-offs | Qualifying/Elimination semifinal | Elimination final | Grand Final | |||||||||||||||
| The Willows | Halton Stadium | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Salford | 26 | Salford | 31 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Leigh Centurions | 18 | Leigh Sports Village | Leigh Centurions | 14 | |||||||||||||
| Spotland | ||||||||||||||||||
| Leigh Centurions | 42 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Rochdale | 40 | ||||||||||||||||
| Spotland | Hull KR | 12 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Whitehaven | 38 | ||||||||||||||||
| Rochdale | 26 | |||||||||||||||||
| Craven Park | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hull KR | 30 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Hull KR | 38 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Oldham | 24 | ||||||||||||||||
Grand Final
5 October 2003 |
| Salford City Reds | 31 – 14 | Leigh Centurions |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Hunte (2), Beverley, Littler Goals: Charles (6), Blakeley Drop goals: Blakeley |
[1] |
Tries: Richardson, Halliwell, Swann Goals: Turley |
National League Two
National League Two was won by the Sheffield Eagles, but lost to the Keighley Cougars in the play-off final.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sheffield Eagles
|
18 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 644 | 326 | +318 | 26 | Semi-final |
| 2 |  Chorley Lynx
|
18 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 584 | 362 | +222 | 26 | |
| 3 |  Keighley Cougars (P)
|
18 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 488 | 340 | +148 | 26 | Elimination Semi-final |
| 4 |  York City Knights
|
18 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 576 | 381 | +195 | 23 | |
| 5 |  Barrow Raiders
|
18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 546 | 419 | +127 | 22 | |
| 6 |  Hunslet Hawks
|
18 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 513 | 425 | +88 | 21 | |
| 7 |  Swinton Lions
|
18 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 445 | 426 | +19 | 17 | |
| 8 |  Workington Town
|
18 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 393 | 558 | −165 | 9 | |
| 9 |  Gateshead Thunder
|
18 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 365 | 663 | −298 | 7 | |
| 10 |  London Skolars
|
18 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 222 | 876 | −654 | 3 |
Source: [2]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(P) Promoted
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(P) Promoted
Playoffs
| Elimination play-offs | Qualifying/Elimination semifinal | Elimination final | Grand Final | |||||||||||||||
| Don Valley Stadium | Halton Stadium | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Sheffield | 31 | Keighley | 13 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Chorley | 14 | Bloomfield Road | Sheffield | 11 | |||||||||||||
| Cougar Park | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chorley | 12 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Keighley | 25 | ||||||||||||||||
| Cougar Park | Keighley | 45 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Hunslet | 12 | ||||||||||||||||
| Keighley | 35 | |||||||||||||||||
| Bootham Crescent | ||||||||||||||||||
| Barrow | 26 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | York | 30 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Barrow | 50 | ||||||||||||||||
Grand Final
5 October 2003 |
| Keighley Cougars | 13 – 11 | Sheffield Eagles |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: M. Foster, Robinson Goals: Ashton (2) Drop goals: Firth |
[3] |
Tries: O'Reilly Goals: G. Brown (3) Drop goals: Reilly |
National League Three
National League Three was won by Bradford Dudley Hill, with the play-offs being won by the Woolston Rovers (Warrington).
Table
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | Pts for | Pts agst | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bradford Dudley Hill | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 545 | 178 | 26 | Qualifying Semi Final |
| 2 | Teesside Steelers | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 343 | 273 | 21 | |
| 3 | Woolston Rovers (Warrington) | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 480 | 244 | 19 | Elimination Play-off |
| 4 | St Albans Centurions | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 410 | 284 | 18 | |
| 5 | Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 395 | 246 | 15 | |
| 6 | Underbank Rangers | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 412 | 396 | 14 | |
| 7 | South London Storm | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 274 | 362 | 12 | |
| 8 | Coventry Bears | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 273 | 385 | 9 | |
| 9 | Manchester Knights | 14 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 228 | 584 | 6 | |
| 10 | Hemel Stags | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 160 | 568 | 0 |
Playoffs
| Elimination play-offs | Qualifying/Elimination semifinal | Elimination final | Grand Final | |||||||||||||||
| Halton Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Bradford Dudley Hill | 8 | Woolston Rovers (Warrington) | 42 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Teesside Steelers | 10 | Teesside Steelers | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| Bradford Dudley Hill | 12 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Woolston Rovers (Warrington) | 18 | ||||||||||||||||
| Woolston Rovers (Warrington) | 34 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Underbank Rangers | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| Woolston Rovers (Warrington) | 24 | |||||||||||||||||
| St Albans Centurions | 10 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | St Albans Centurions | 20 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
References
- ^ Wilson, Andy (6 October 2003). "Clinch ensures Salford book return ticket to top flight". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ a b Tim Butcher; Daniel Spencer (November 2011). Gillette Rugby League Yearbook 2011–12. League Publications Limited. ISBN 978-1-901347-24-1.
- ^ "Cougars edge Eagles". BBC Sport. 5 October 2003. Retrieved 20 February 2024.