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Where Are they Now ?

Where Are they Now ?

Mark Hodgkiss14 Jun 2016 - 19:51
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With the ups and down's of the past decade and a half, where do some of our previous opponents find themselves now ?

Whilst checking the RFU website for the ups and downs in the Leagues around us, for the article on the perils of promotion, (too late now – they’ve gone and done it), that appeared in the Wilmslow programme, I spotted a number of names of those we had played in past seasons. This got me wondering where our opposition from the past are now – who are on the up, and who have sunk down.

With about two rugby free months to go, I thought I would share my findings, in case anyone else was interested, and to fill keep some space on the website. Keep watching as there will be things going on, even if they do not include competitive fixtures.

I started with the 2000/01 season as, it was the start of the National League 2 campaign, it was when I started watching Kendal on a regular basis, and also when I had reliable League table information.

Over that period we have played 79 different teams (and there will be more new destinations next season), and have changed Leagues six times, so over the next few weeks there will be details of where the teams we faced in each of those leagues are now.

Highest are Doncaster (level 2), who just missed out on promotion to the Premiership (losing the play off to Bristol) whilst the lowest are Halifax (level 9) – Kendal are moving back to Level 5 next season.

Not surprisingly off the top of my head I could only place two teams from our National League 2 days. Waterloo, who we face again next season, and West Hartlepool, who are in East 1, the equivalent of the league we are about to depart from.

The easiest was the most recent North West One, but the changing nature of the leagues is demonstrated by the fact that of the 19 teams we have faced over the last three seasons only Kirkby Lonsdale, Vale of Lune, Warrington and Wilmslow, will have appeared in all three seasons, and continue to be in that League again next year.

An interesting footnote to Kirkby Lonsdale’s unsuccessful attempt to join us next season, is that no team from the West has won the playoff since 2009/10 (Burnage) and only three times in the sixteen seasons since 2000/01 has a team from the West been successful. Like us Kirkby have not lost at home in the League for the whole of the last two seasons, but they have now been edged out twice there in Playoff games there.

Coming soon (when I have a moment) the teams from the National League Two years.

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