I SUSPECT there were a few sore heads in Halifax, Leeds and Keighley on Monday morning.

Three sides – Siddal, East Leeds and Keighley Albion – secured, respectively, the National Conference League Premier Division, Division Two and Division Three titles on Saturday, and hearty congratulations go out to all of them.

Their triumphs have been so very different, which is what I suppose sport is all about.

East Leeds, for example, have long looked pretty much nailed-on to top Division Two, despite having had Dewsbury Celtic in their slipstream throughout.

And they could feasibly top the standings with a 100 percent record, although pending opponents Drighlington and Barrow Island might have plenty to say about that, while the NCL have yet to confirm that the 40-6 win at Thornhill two days ago will stand, although I reckon it will, as an hour of the game had elapsed before the match official called time because of a brawl.

That says much about their quality and their dominance. 

By contrast, the Division Three championship chase has been a nip-and-tuck affair throughout and, to revert to the phrase I used in the last sentence, although from a very different perspective, it says a great deal that any of four teams could have finished in pole position on the season’s final day. 

One of those – Myton – had looked in danger during the early stages of the campaign of having to seek re-election, but the adventure went right down to the wire and NCL administrator Alan Smith made a pertinent observation when he pointed out to me, late last week, that at that stage only one team (Featherstone Lions) were certain to feature in the promotion play-offs.

Of the others Bentley, Keighley Albion, Myton Warriors and Saddleworth Rangers were hoping to be automatically elevated through finishing in the top two, while Leigh East and Distington (the latter admittedly hamstrung by a vastly inferior points difference) were aiming to make the top six. 

Smith also reflected on how, a couple of seasons ago, Millom were promoted through the tightest of points-difference margins, only to be relegated twelve months later despite having been well-placed in the standings as the programme went into the final day.

I’d like to think that we can have more of the same, or at least something similar, in each of the flagship league’s four sections in future years, although I suppose I’m hoping for too much there. 

Back to Siddal, though, who have won the League Leaders’ Trophy following their victory over Thatto Heath Crusaders.

Given that every team will have, by this time next week, played every other side in the Premier Division once at home and once away, that makes Siddal the best team in the top flight during the league campaign as a whole.

And I now hope that – with all due respect to West Hull, West Bowling, Waterhead Warriors, Thatto Heath Crusaders, and either Hunslet ARLFC (the current champions) or Rochdale Mayfield – the Halifax side who missed out to ARLFC in last year’s Grand Final, after having headed the standings, go one better this time.

To stress, that’s not bias on my part in favour of one particular club, it’s merely my view that the team finishing first should be duly recognised as champions. And I’ve written in that vein for more years than I like to remember.

Talking about sore heads, there will be a few this time next week, I’m sure.

The Southern Conference League Grand Final is taking place this Saturday (September 6) at a different venue to usual, incidentally, because Hemel Stags’ ground at Pennine Way is unavailable, I think because of pitch remedial work.

Chiswick RUFC will host this year’s clash, at Dukes Meadows, and the finalists will be old adversaries Hammersmith Hills Hoists and West Warriors, who won the weekend’s semi-finals against, respectively, Bedford Tigers and London Chargers.

Both sides are of a high standard, as proven yet again by their exploits in the Betfred Challenge Cup in recent seasons.

Wests toppled their SCL rivals Eastern Rhinos and the British Army last winter while both clubs have seen off leading northern outfits in the last couple of years, with Newsome Panthers and Rochdale Mayfield succumbing to the Warriors and West Bowling slipping to the Hoists. Expect a thriller between outfits of high pedigree.

It’s a triple-header, too, with the Plate final (Bristol All Golds versus Eastern Rhinos) and the Harry Jepson decider (Medway Dragons versus Telford Raiders) also taking place, so Chiswick is certainly the place to be on Saturday.

Meanwhile (and there won’t be sore heads involved here – I hope not, anyway, because we’re talking about schoolchildren) it’s good to feature some significant youth and junior fixtures again after the general hiatus for the summer holidays.

Welcome back kids, and enjoy your Rugby League!

Folk in Bradford, incidentally, can relish two Rugby League matches, with a soccer fixture sandwiched in-between, on Saturday.

The opportunity stems from the fact that West Bowling play at Bradford Park Avenue AFC’s home ground the Horsfall Stadium.

Avenue are set to play an FA Vase tie at 3.00pm and what I find ironic (although I might very well be in a minority of one) is that Park Avenue are, historically, a Rugby League (or, more accurately, Northern Union) club.

Going way back to the early stages of the last century, Bradford were leading lights in the Northern Union but opted to emulate their neighbours Manningham (our sport’s first champions) by accepting overtures from the Football Association and switching codes. 

Bradford therefore became Park Avenue, then their home ground (Manningham had changed their name to Bradford City) and Northern Union stalwarts launched Bradford Northern, in homage to their preferred code (largely for that reason, I’ve always lamented the change of moniker to Bulls).

Anyway, I think ironic is an apt word to describe Saturday’s situation, which follows several weeks of discussion and negotiations between Bowling, Waterhead and the NCL management.

Park Avenue’s opponents, Redcar Athletic, have – as they are entitled to – held absolutely firm over their right to play on September 6 while Friday night or Saturday lunchtime options weren’t, apparently, agreed to by Waterhead.

Given that Bowling’s second team are at home to Castleford Panthers in the Yorkshire Men’s League’s First Division, we now have the fairly bizarre prospect of that game starting at 12.30pm, the football match at 3.00pm and West Bowling facing Waterhead in a very important NCL fixture in which Premier Division play-off placings will be at stake at 6.00pm.

Come to think of it, it’s a fairly attractive prospect for the general sports enthusiast, isn’t it?

It was good, meanwhile, to hear last week from the veteran referee David Asquith, for whom my recent article about the 1996 Student World Cup evoked happy memories. 

Typically, David hopes that his reminiscences, which feature elsewhere in today’s issue, will help persuade anyone thinking of becoming a referee to take up the whistle.

I’m sure that anyone who chooses to follow in his footsteps won’t be disappointed – he has certainly enjoyed a memorable few decades!