2001–02 National Division Three North

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2001–02 National Division Three North

Overview
The 2001–02 National Division Three North was the second season under that name in England’s fourth-tier northern rugby union league. Doncaster dominated the division, winning the title with just one defeat and earning automatic promotion to National Division Two for 2002–03. Dudley Kingswinford finished as runners-up and entered a promotion playoff but were defeated, so they remained in National Division Three North.

New teams this season
- West Hartlepool: relegated from National Division Two
- Scunthorpe: promoted as Midlands Division 1 champions
- Darlington Mowden Park: promoted from North Division 1 (champions)
- Blaydon: promoted from North Division 1 (playoffs)

Promotion and relegation
- Promotion: The champions of National Division Three North and National Division Three South were promoted automatically. The runners-up from North and South played a one-off promotion playoff to decide the third promotion place to National Division Two.
- Playoff: Launceston (South runners-up) hosted the playoff against Dudley Kingswinford (North runners-up) and won 26–0, so Dudley Kingswinford did not get promoted.
- Relegation: Four teams were relegated. West Hartlepool, Sandal and Morley were relegated to North Division 1; Whitchurch went to Midlands Division 1.

Attendance and statistics
- Average attendance: 323 per match; total attendance recorded as 20,025.
- Highest attendance: 2,000 (Doncaster vs Dudley Kingswinford on 26 January 2002).
- Lowest attendance: 100 (Sandal vs Dudley Kingswinford on 24 November 2001, and Sandal vs Whitchurch on 16 February 2002).
- Top point scorer: John Liley (Doncaster) – 359 points.
- Top try scorer: Shaun Perry (Dudley Kingswinford) – 25 tries.

Season highlights
Doncaster led the table throughout much of the season, finishing with a strong position and earning automatic promotion. Dudley Kingswinford, despite a solid campaign, fell short in the promotion playoff. The season also featured a straightforward relegation process, with four teams dropping to lower divisions.