A club by club review of the National One season 2004/05
Bristol regain their Premiership status after a two year gap sealing the title with two matches to spare.
Jason Strange top scored for Bristol with an impressive 287 second only to Leigh Hinton in the division. It was a new Bristol record beating the 221 scored by Felipe Contepomi in 2001/02 when the Shoguns were in the Premiership.
His 65 conversions smashed the previous record of 35 kicked by Paul Hull in 98/99
Full back/wing Sean Marsden smashed the clubs try scoring record for a league season with 21 which was eight more than Adam Larkin and Luke Nabaro managed in 98/99 when they were also champions of this division. He also broke the career record of tries for Bristol in the league with a new total of 34 which included eight from last season and five dating back to his first spell at the club back in 98/99.
He scored four tries in the away win at Orrell to fall one short of the club record of five set by Luke Nabaro.
Exeter Chiefs pushed the Champions all the way and up until the final Saturday could have finished level on points with them but would have come second on winning few matches.
This is their highest ever finish in league rugby having finished third for three consecutive seasons 200/01 to 2002-03 and an improvement on last season 6th, although they got more points when finishing third in 02/03.
Tony Yapp finished top points scorer for the Chiefs for the third consecutive season although this time he failed to top the 300 point mark like in his previous two seasons. He has now scored 954 points in three season and closing in on the all time record of 1085 set by Andy Green between 1987-97. He extended his conversions record to 214.
No 8 Richard Baxter extended his club career try scoring record and is now nearing the 70 mark. He topped the try scoring list for the second time with 13, three short of his club record for a season set back in the 01/02 season.
Plymouth Albion equalled their best ever finish in league rugby securing third place in National One for the second successive season, they again registered 19 wins but did manage two more points.
James Pritchard topped the points scoring list for Albion during the season with 256 which is the second highest total ever, four behind the 260 set bay Chris Atkinson back in the 99/00 and but for a late season injury he would probably have broken the record. He was also the clubs leading try scorer with 13, the lowest total to top the list since 98/99 when three players finished on six tries. One behind him was No 8 Dan Ward Smith with 12, the fifth successive season he has reached double figures and his lowest return to date. He also extended his all time record to 93 and is closing in on the 100 tries for one club if he stays at the club next season he will surely pass it to join Eddie Saunders as the only player to score 100 league tries for one club in the National Leagues.
Penzance & Newlyn achieved their best ever finish in the League structure with four spot after a great second half to the season. Last season, their first at this level, they finished 10th.
Former Welsh international Lee Jarvis topped the Pirates points scoring with 235, the best total for three seasons at the club. Another new recruit, Full back Wes Davies topped the try scoring with 12, one better than Matthew Jess managed the season before but some way off the record of 38 set by Richard Newton back in the 99/00 season.
Otley looked like making fourth for most of the season which would have been their highest finish ever in league rugby but had to settle for fifth just like last season although they did manage a record 80 points.
Simon Binns topped scored for the 4th consecutive season with 241 points his lowest total in those four seasons. It took his past Peter Rutledge’s club record of 991 points and he now has 1099 from 99 league starts. He also broke Rutledge’s records of conversions and penalties in a career which stood at 125 and 207 and he now has 153 and 231 respectively.
Winger Waisale Sovatabua topped the try scorers list in his second season for the club, last season he managed just three tries in 26 starts but this time round he improved his strike rate with nine tries in another ever present season meaning he has not missed a match since making his debut.
Coventry made a big improvement on last season’s 12th spot where they faced relegation on the final day of the season to finish 6th.
Winger Kurt Johnson finished top try scorer for Coventry for the sixth successive season with 10 tries, the fifth time he has managed double figures after missing out last season with eight. He also extended his career record for the club to 74.Richard Davies finished top scorer for the club with 92, the first time since Craig Quick (84) back in 95/96 failed to reach the 100 point mark for the season.
Bedford Blues finish seventh for the third consecutive season with 16 wins most number of wins since they were promoted to the Premiership back in the 97/98 season.
Leigh Hinton topped the division and Bedford’s points scoring with an impressive 347 having finished second last season in the division whilst playing for Orrell. It was the fourth highest ever total in the division some way of the record held by another Bedford player James Pritchard, now playing at Plymouth Albion. Hinton also topped the try scores for the Blues just like he did last season at Orrell although his 10 this season were some way short of his 23 last season.
Rotherham had their lowest league finish for many years with eighth place, in the last five seasons they have topped this league three times and twice finished bottom of the Premiership, suffering two relegations along with two promotions and one season they won National One but failed to meet the entry criteria. .
Despite leaving half way through the season Ramiro Pez finished top points scorer for the club for the third time in four seasons after his year out at Leicester Tigers where he failed to make the mark. Pez scored 581 in 45 matches for the Yorkshire side and just broke the club record for career conversions with 142 one more than Kevin Plant managed between 87/96.
Winger David Strettle was leading try scorer with an impressive 18 tries, equal second on the all time record for a season after the 22 scored by Michael Wood in the 02/03 season.
Pertemps Bees finished a disappointing ninth their worst finish since their first season at this level back in 2000/01 when they also finished ninth after last seasons fourth spot and the semi final of the Powergen Cup the club failed to move forward on the pitch.
The started the season well but had a terrible run in the new year losing nine in a row before winning on the final day against Sedgley Park.
Australian Tim Walsh topped the points scoring in his debut season for the club with 192 points, the highest total since 97/98 when Matt Birch set a club record of 296.
Winger Nick Baxter topped the try scoring list for the third time in four seasons running in 15 tries for a four season total of 54 as he extends the Bees all time record.
10th placed Sedgley Park would have settled for this at the start of the season as they played their first ever season of rugby at this level.
New Zealander Blair Feeney a summer signing for Park topped the scoring list with 253 and set a new record for points in a league season beating the previous record of 244 set by Colin Stephens in the 01/02 season.
In that total was a record 54 penalties in a season passing the 47 kicked by Arno De Jager in the 02/03 season.
Another new boy winger Join Feeley was leading try scorer with 13 of which 11 came in the first half which is way against the trend.
Nottingham achieved their objective of staying in National One with a 11th placed finish. They managed just seven wins, their lowest total since they managed just two in the same division back in 96/96 and were relegated.
Flanker Richard Lloyd topped the try scorers list for the second time in three season with another double figures total of 12 to go with his 19 form his first season back in 02/03. Last season he managed seven in a season which saw him miss 10 matches injured to make it 38 in three seasons. He also passed the clubs all time career record in the league which was 40 by former scrum half Alan Royer with 40, Lloyd now has 49 since making his debut back in 98/99.
Neil Stenhouse top scored for the second successive season with 147 which was the lowest total since 95/96 when David Evans scored 55 as Nottingham were relegated.
London Welsh in six previous seasons in this division they have never previously finished lower than eighth place until this season when they struggled and finished 12th.
For the fifth successive season London Welsh had a different player top the points scoring list with Dylan Pugh doing so this season with 139.
Pugh along with Mark Meenan topped the try scorers list with just six tries the lowest figure since Peter Walter scored the same amount back in the 93/94season.
Henley Hawks return to National Two after two seasons in the top National League. They have spent five of the last six seasons in this division but been relegated twice.
Barry Reeves extended his club career league record 692 with 58 points during the season. He also extended his club record for conversions and penalties to 122 and 199 respectively.
Nnamdi Obi topped the try scorers list for a third consecutive season with nine tries, his lowest return in those three seasons. He now has 41 tries which leaves him just behind Peter Davies who with his three tries in the campaign to move onto 42.
Orrell are relegated back into National Two after just three seasons in National One and have fallen from grace quickly going from second place last season and challenging Worcester for the right to Premiership rugby to relegation a dramatic a turnaround as we have seen over a two season spell.
Simon Mason on his return to the club top scored with 106 points in a season curtailed by injury for the lowest total since 94/95 when Simon Langford top scored with just 81 points.
Chris Briers and Oliver Viney topped the try scorers total with just five which is the lowest total since winger Jim Naylor also scored five in the 96/97 season and a long way short of the club record of 23 set last season by Leigh Hinton.
|
