The Northern Rail Nines was a one-off rugby league nines tournament held in Lytham St Annes and Blackpool, England as part of a celebration weekend encompassing the Northern Rail Cup Final.
Held over the weekend of 11 and 12 July 2009, it was won by Blackpool Panthers with Halifax winning the Plate final.
The tournament was staged at Woodlands Memorial Ground, Lytham St Annes, the home of Blackpool Panthers with the final at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool.
The event was supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), complementing a three-year £3.5million funding package to support a programme of signature events in Blackpool announced by the NWDA in June 2007. Every English Co-operative Championship and Championship 1 sides not involved in the 2009 Northern Rail Cup Final entered full strength sides into the tournament.
The first day of the competition will saw all eighteen clubs playing in group stages, with the top eight sides going forward to a straight knock-out competition on the Sunday for the Northern Rail Nine's trophy. Meanwhile the ten remaining sides also competed on the Sunday in a competition to win the Northern Rail Nine's plate.
The finals of both the Northern Rail Nine's trophy and plate were played as curtain raisers to the 13-a-side Northern Rail Cup Final at Bloomfield Road on 12 July.
The winners of the competition were awarded a place in the Carnegie Floodlit Nines.
Group stages The teams were divided into five groups on Saturday. The top two teams in group's A, B and C progressed to the Northern Rail Nines Trophy competition whilst the bottom two entered the Plate competition. Each team in Pool D played each team in Pool E with the top side from each group qualifying for the Trophy competition and the remaining teams contesting the Plate.
Group A Swinton Lions Rochdale Hornets Blackpool Panthers Dewsbury Rams
Group B Batley Bulldogs Keighley Cougars Hunslet Hawks Doncaster
Group C London Skolars Leigh Centurions Gateshead Thunder York City Knights
Group D Whitehaven Workington Town Featherstone Rovers
Group E Oldham R.L.F.C. Sheffield Eagles Halifax
Group A RankTeamPldWDLFADPoints1Dewsbury Rams330076403692Blackpool Panthers320158441463Swinton Lions31023452-1834Rochdale Hornets30032668-440
Blackpool Panthers 20–8 Rochdale Hornets Dewsbury Rams 22–4 Swinton Lions Blackpool Panthers 26–10 Swinton Lions Dewsbury Rams 28–14 Rochdale Hornets Rochdale Hornets 4–20 Swinton Lions Blackpool Panthers 12–26 Dewsbury Rams
Group B RankTeamPldWDLFADPoints1Hunslet Hawks330048183092Batley Bulldogs320152223063Doncaster31023460-2634Keighley Cougars30032860-320
Batley Bulldogs 24–6 Doncaster Hunslet Hawks 16–6 Keighley Cougars Batley Bulldogs 22–10 Keighley Cougars Hunslet Hawks 24–6 Doncaster Batley Bulldogs 6–8 Hunslet Hawks Doncaster 22–12 Keighley Cougars
Group C RankTeamPldWDLFADPoints1York City Knights330062303292Leigh Centurions320150262463Gateshead Thunder31024256-1434London Skolars30033070-400
Leigh Centurions 22–0 London Skolars Gateshead Thunder 10–20 York City Knights Gateshead Thunder 10–20 Leigh Centurions London Skolars 14–26 York City Knights Gateshead Thunder 22–16 London Skolars Leigh Centurions 6–16 York City Knights
Groups D & E Group D RankTeamPldWDLFADPoints1Featherstone Rovers321048361272Whitehaven31023654-1833Workington Town30032670-440
Group E RankTeamPldWDLFADPoints1Sheffield Eagles321072403272Halifax320154302463Oldham R.L.F.C.31024450-63
Featherstone Rovers 16–8 Halifax Oldham 4–16 Whitehaven Sheffield Eagles 26–8 Workington Town Sheffield 24–10 Whitehaven Featherstone Rovers 20–16 Oldham Halifax 20–4 Workington Halifax 26–10 Whitehaven Featherstone Rovers 22–22 Sheffield Eagles Oldham 24–14 Workington Town
Plate Qualifying round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Plate final
Trophy Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Trophy final
Winners Trophy 2009 Blackpool Panthers 14–10 Sheffield Eagles 2010 Halifax 16–4 Sheffield Eagles
Plate 2009 Halifax 24–20 Gateshead Thunder
See also Northern Rail Cup
References
External links