LET’S all salute the Royal Air Force.
The Blue Bombers have topped the 2026 Military Inter-Services table following the 36-26 result between the British Army and the Royal Navy on Saturday at Heworth, York.
The Army needed to win by 12 points to go exactly level with the RAF in the final standings, on both points accrued and points difference, and I’m not sure who would have been hailed as top dogs if that had happened.
But, according to the information I’ve received – and as reported elsewhere in these pages – the British Army, despite winning, fell just short of their target in what was a real thriller against the Navy who, despite two sterling performances as reigning champions, have nothing concrete to show for their efforts.
I’m indebted to Al Boyle for providing details of the game(s), which brought an enthralling competition to a close.
Boyle, incidentally, was made an MBE some time ago for his huge contribution to services Rugby League, which is a far cry from the situation that pertained when he signed up in the early 1990s.
Back then, Rugby League was banned in the Services, while similar tales can be told of the Police and of the Student arenas, hard as all that may be to credit for younger readers.
I’ve long believed, and have written quite often, that Rugby League – a sport in which no one can hide, after all – is ideally suited to the Forces and to the Police, and it was gratifying to learn from Boyle that Armed Forces Day in June is by some distance the biggest grassroots Rugby League event in this country.
Rugby League is also the third-biggest team sport (behind football and rugby union) in the Armed Forces, which really does augur well.
Congratulations, too, to the RAF’s Women’s side who have ended the British Army’s dominance to win the Women’s Series. These are heady days for the Air Force…
Stuck for a Rugby League ‘fix’, meanwhile, between November and the arrival of spring?
You don’t have to be.
A regular reader bemoaned, last week, the demise of the Pennine League and I have to agree that the closure of that competition is, indeed, a sad loss.
But there’s plenty of action taking place in midweek in the College League (from this Wednesday) and, from the Wednesday after, in the Student League.
And then, towards the end of October, the Sunday-based Women’s Student League will swing into action.
There will be much to get excited about and while Sunday fare is, as we all know, all well and good, there’s something very special about watching Rugby League on a Wednesday afternoon.
This week’s opening College fixtures are listed elsewhere in this issue and I really do recommend that readers get along, if possible, to their nearest side and enjoy the action.
The National Leagues, meanwhile, hits the last Saturday of the ‘regular’ season this week, with the play-off stages beckoning seven days later. The Grand Final will be played at the DIY Kitchens Stadium in Wakefield on Saturday, October 24 and, seven days later, we’ll have the BARLA National Cup and 1973 Cup finals double-header to savour at Castleford’s OneBore Stadium.
West Hull are already in the National Cup decider and will meet the winner of this Friday’s ‘derby’ between Leigh Miners Rangers and Ince Rose Bridge. Either Blackbrook or Hunslet ARLFC, who meet this Saturday, will take on Fryston Warriors in the first-ever 1973 final. The occasion promises to be extra-special.
Wests, meanwhile, have carried all before them in the inaugural season of the National Leagues and, until a couple of weeks ago, boasted a 100 per cent winning record to deservedly snare the League Leaders’ Trophy.
The Green & Golds, though, will enter the play-off stages, through which the championship itself will be determined, on the back of two games without a victory.
Hunslet ARLFC snatched a draw in Hull nine days ago with a late penalty and, last Saturday, Wests sustained their first – and only – defeat of the regular season with a 16-10 reverse at Wath Brow Hornets.
The question being asked around the circuit is whether Wests’ bubble has burst? Maybe, but I doubt it. The last two results could be just what Ryan Steen’s men have needed to avoid any complacency when the play-offs begin on Saturday, October 10. We’ll find out about that, but there’s no doubt that four of the other five teams involved (Hunslet ARLFC, Waterhead Warriors, Thatto Heath Crusaders and Wath Brow themselves) are in fine form while the other – Siddal, who haven’t prevailed in any of their last three outings – have, like West Hull, a strong pedigree and certainly shouldn’t be discounted.
Congratulations, meanwhile, are due to Dewsbury Celtic, who have topped the Division One table courtesy of Saturday’s head-to-head clash with Kells, who before the last match of the regular season had headed the standings through a slender advantage in the points difference column.
Celtic will now operate in the top flight next year and will be joined by the winner of the forthcoming play-off series (unless Celtic win that themselves in which case Kells, as the second-placed side, will be promoted). Complicated, but interesting!
It must have been a special occasion in Barrow on Friday when the sage journo Paddy McAteer was made a Life Member of the Barrow & District League. It’s an honour that is richly deserved and Paddy, who will hit 80 at the turn of the year, shows no sign of slowing down. He’s a glittering example to so many.
And my thanks go, yet again, to Pete Tyson, who has his nose close to the ground on what’s happening on the field of play in Cumbria.
There were no fixtures listed for September 26 by the Rugby Football League’s GameDay agency but Pete kindly emailed me last Tuesday, stating: “Hi Phil, it looks like nobody’s told you again.
“The two results (for September 19) from the Cumbria League were Top-Four semis, and the divisional finals are at Lowca on Saturday. Aspatria v Egremont A and Askam v Wath Brow A.”
For readers’ possible interest, all GameDay sent me regarding Cumbria Men’s League results on the evening of Saturday, September 19 was: PREMIER DIVISION: Askam 24 received forfeit from Cockermouth Titans 0; Wath Brow Hornets A 22 d. Lowca 8; DIVISION 1: Aspatria Hornets 24 received forfeit from Dalton A 0.
And here’s what GameDay sent me in relation to Cumbrian fixtures for Saturday, September 26: Premier Division: BYE; Division 1: Aspatria Hornets – BYE.
That doesn’t bear comparison with the reality, does it? Pete further explained, a couple of days later when I ventured, that the games two days ago were in fact Grand Finals: “I don’t know what they are calling it but according to Cumbria crack, Askam are champions on account of their aggregate scores v Wath Brow in the league (equal on points).
“I think this is a continuation of the longstanding Cumberland Amateur RL end-of-season top four play-offs, but I have no idea who is organising things, I just saw the fixtures for last week, but it is definitely a double header at Lowca.”
I’m just so grateful to Pete Tyson, and to others like him on other parts of the country, who are ready and willing to cut through the confusion and let me know what’s actually happening regarding results and fixtures.
Finally, it was striking how four of the teams in Saturday’s twelve National League games scored 56 points. Two matches closed at 56-6 (another odd quirk) with Leigh Miners Rangers beating visitors Shaw Cross Sharks by that score and Stanningley enjoying the same result at Pilkington Recs. Elsewhere, Thatto Heath scuttled Lock Lane 56-16 and East Leeds disposed of Oldham St Annes 56-28.
You wouldn’t make it up; nor Waterhead’s walloping of York Acorn (who had 17 men) 94-0, especially as Acorn had prevailed 26-4 at Thanet Road.