# 1998–99 National League 2 North

The 1998–99 National League 2 North was the twelfth full season of rugby union within the fourth tier (north) of the English league system. It is counterpart to National League 2 South, which covers the southern half of the country.
As with the previous season, the battle for the league was very competitive, with Preston Grasshoppers edging out Stourbridge by just 2 points to claim the title and only promotion spot to the 1999–00 National League 1. At the other end of the table Winnington Park, Lichfield, Hinckley were the three sides to be relegated, with newly promoted Hinckley being the most competitive of the three. Winnington Park would drop to North 1 while Lichfield and Hinckley fell to Midlands 1. The reason National League 2 North had so many relegation places compared to National League 2 South (3 to 1) 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

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 three sides dropped to either North 1 or Midlands depending on locality.

## Participating teams and locations

| Team | Ground | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season |
| Aspatria | Bower Park | | Aspatria, Cumbria | 9th |
| Hinckley | Leicester Road | 2,000 | Hinckley, Leicestershire | 12th |
| Kendal | Mint Bridge | 3,000 | Kendal, Cumbria | 3rd |
| Lichfield | Cooke Fields | | Lichfield, Staffordshire | 14th |
| New Brighton | Hartsfield | 2,000 | Moreton, Merseyside | Promoted from North 1 (champions) |
| Nuneaton | Harry Cleaver Ground | | Nuneaton, Warwickshire | 7th |
| Preston Grasshoppers | Lightfoot Green | 5,000 | Preston, Lancashire | 4th |
| Sandal | Milnthorpe Green | | Sandal Magna, Wakefield, West Yorkshire | 8th |
| Sedgley Park | Park Lane | 3,000 | Whitefield, Greater Manchester | 5th |
| Sheffield | Abbeydale Park | 3,200 | Dore, Sheffield, South Yorkshire | 10th |
| Stourbridge | Stourton Park | 3,500 | Stourbridge, West Midlands | 6th |
| Walsall | Broadway | 1,150 | Walsall, West Midlands | 11th |
| Whitchurch | Edgeley Park | | Whitchurch, Shropshire | Promoted from Midlands 1 (champions) |
| Winnington Park | Burrows Hill | | Northwich, Cheshire | 13th |

## League table

1998–99 National League 2 North table :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Preston Grasshoppers (C) | 26 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 822 | 341 | +481 | 46 | Promoted |
| 2 | Stourbridge | 26 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 895 | 413 | +482 | 44 | |
| 3 | New Brighton | 26 | 20 | 0 | 6 | 703 | 329 | +374 | 40 | |
| 4 | Kendal | 26 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 635 | 347 | +288 | 36 | |
| 5 | Nuneaton | 26 | 14 | 2 | 10 | 597 | 533 | +64 | 30 | |
| 6 | Sheffield | 26 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 496 | 455 | +41 | 30 | |
| 7 | Sandal | 26 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 697 | 611 | +86 | 26 | |
| 8 | Sedgley Park | 26 | 12 | 1 | 13 | 710 | 553 | +157 | 25 | |
| 9 | Walsall | 26 | 10 | 1 | 15 | 515 | 720 | −205 | 21 | |
| 10 | Aspatria | 26 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 578 | 675 | −97 | 20 | |
| 11 | Whitchurch | 26 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 450 | 599 | −149 | 19 | |
| 12 | Hinckley (R) | 26 | 7 | 1 | 18 | 445 | 733 | −288 | 15 | Relegated |
| 13 | Lichfield (R) | 26 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 371 | 950 | −579 | 6 | Relegated |
| 14 | Winnington Park (R) | 26 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 310 | 965 | −655 | 6 | Relegated |

## Sponsorship

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