| 2003–04 National Division Three South | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  |
| Champions | Blackheath |
| Runners-up | Launceston (also promoted) |
| Relegated | Old Colfeians,Basingstoke |
| Attendance | N/A[a 1] |
| Top point scorer | Derek Coates (Blackheath) 368 points |
| Top try scorer |  Gert De Kock (Westcombe Park)19 tries |
The2003–04 National Division Three South was the fourth season (17th overall) of thefourth division (south) of theEnglish domesticrugby union competition using the name National Division Three South. New teams to the division includedLaunceston who were relegated from the2002–03 National Division Two while promoted clubs includedSouthend (champions) andHaywards Heath (playoffs) coming up fromLondon Division 1 andDings Crusaders as champions ofSouth West Division 1.[1][2][3] The league system was 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw with the league champions going straight up intoNational Division Two and the runners up playing a playoff against the runners up fromNational Division Three North for the final promotion place.
The season saw an incredibly tight title race betweenBlackheath and Launceston. Both sides would finish dead level on 44 points each but Blackheath finished as champions thanks to a better for and against record.[4] Launceston would join the London side in the2004–05 National Division Two, making an instant return by defeating2003–04 National Division Three North runners upHalifax in their promotion playoff in what was a very tight game played at the Yorkshire-based club.[5][6] At the other end of the table the relegation battle was much less close withOld Colfeians and Basingstoke being the two sides to be relegated.[4] Both Old Colfeians and Basingstoke would be demoted to London Division 1 for the next season.[7]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackheath(C) | 26 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 839 | 350 | +489 | 44 | Promoted |
| 2 | Launceston(P) | 26 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 832 | 371 | +461 | 44 | Promotion play-off |
| 3 | North Walsham | 26 | 19 | 0 | 7 | 674 | 435 | +239 | 38 | |
| 4 | Redruth | 26 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 581 | 473 | +108 | 32 | |
| 5 | Barking | 26 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 648 | 522 | +126 | 30 | |
| 6 | Southend | 26 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 702 | 703 | −1 | 26 | |
| 7 | Old Patesians | 26 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 614 | 659 | −45 | 26 | |
| 8 | Weston-super-Mare | 26 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 555 | 570 | −15 | 24 | |
| 9 | Westcombe Park | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 639 | 584 | +55 | 23 | |
| 10 | Haywards Heath | 26 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 491 | 578 | −87 | 20 | |
| 11 | Tabard | 26 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 537 | 676 | −139 | 20 | |
| 12 | Dings Crusaders | 26 | 8 | 1 | 17 | 386 | 624 | −238 | 17 | |
| 13 | Basingstoke(R) | 26 | 6 | 0 | 20 | 456 | 940 | −484 | 12 | Relegated |
| 14 | Old Colfeians(R) | 26 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 469 | 938 | −469 | 8 |
| 18 October 2003 |
| Dings Crusaders | P - P | Launceston |
| 1 November 2003 |
| Haywards Heath | 43 - 16 | Old Patesians |
| Report |
| Whitemans Green Referee:Richard Parker-Sedgmore |
| 20 December 2003 |
| Dings Crusaders | 8 - 12 | Old Patesians |
| Report |
| Landseer Avenue Referee:Richard Parker-Sedgmore |
| 17 January 2004 |
| North Walsham | 27 - 19 | Westcombe Park |
| Report |
| Norwich Road Attendance: 450 Referee:Rob Sawyer |
| 17 January 2004 |
| Weston-super-Mare | 15 - 16 | Dings Crusaders |
| Report |
| Recreation Ground Attendance: 300 Referee:Guy Steel Bodger |
| 31 January 2004 |
| North Walsham | P - P | Old Patesians |
| 31 January 2004 |
| Tabard | P - P | Launceston |
| 28 February 2004 |
| North Walsham | P - P | Blackheath |
| 20 March 2004 |
| Old Patesians | P - P | Old Colfeians |
The league runners up of National Division Three South and North would meet in a playoff game for promotion to National Division Two.Halifax were the northern divisions runners up and as they had a superior league record than southern runners-up,Launceston, they hosted the play-off match.
| Club | Home Games | Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barking | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Basingstoke | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Blackheath | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Dings Crusaders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Haywards Heath | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Launceston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| North Walsham | 1 | 450 | 450 | 450 | 450 | 38% |
| Old Colfeians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Old Patesians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Redruth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Southend | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tabard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Westcombe Park | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Weston-super-Mare | 1 | 300 | 300 | 300 | 300 | 10% |
Top points scorers[edit]
| Top try scorers[edit]
|
Team[edit]
76 - 10 Westcombe Park at home to Dings Crusaders on 20 March 2004
60 - 6 Westcombe Park away to Basingstoke on 20 December 2003
80 - 25 Launceston at home to Old Colfeians on 7 February 2004
Rosslyn Park at home to Basingstoke on 11 January 2003
Launceston at home to Old Colfeians on 7 February 2004
Blackheath away to Launceston on 22 November 2003
N/A - multiple teams Player[edit]
N/A - multiple players | Attendances[edit]
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A As only two attendances were listed due to poor media and club tracking it is therefore impossible to give any insight into attendances for this season. |
