YOU can take a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.
The English proverb, which dates back some 850 years, popped into my mind a few months ago when the matter of promotions in the Rugby Football League’s National Community Rugby League initiative came to the forefront.
The whole issue is confusing – perhaps inevitably, given that the RFL itself admitted that, in effect, the inaugural year of a competition that replaces the successful National Conference League was something of a ‘suck it and see’ affair and subject to review at the end of its first campaign.
The pyramid structure, I’m pretty sure, was intended to offer a pathway to the pinnacle of the grassroots game (and perhaps even higher) for all men’s open-age teams.
On investigation, though, I found that for a range of often varying reasons, few (in fact, all but one) teams in what used to be the Southern Conference League had any real desire to join a largely northern competition, not at this stage anyway.
More certain is the fact that Wales are due to take part in the autumn’s Wheelchair World Cup in Australia.
Wales had been relying on a £10,000 sponsorship to help fund the significant costs but unfortunately that backing will not now be forthcoming.
Someone in the Wales camp has, however, come up with a brilliant solution, with an open invitation for donations of £1 (yes, only a quid) to help ensure that coach Alan Coran and his players will be able to head Down Under.
It’s a wonderful wheeze and I’ve every confidence that there are 10,000 well-wishers who will fork out a quid each to support a very worthwhile cause.
Closer to home, there’s been precious little Rugby League on offer during the school summer holidays (I’m not totally sure why) but most youth and junior leagues will swing back into action this weekend, as readers will note on our regular youth page.
What’s certain is that the action in each game will (I hope) last longer than last week’s BARLA annual general meeting, which started at 11.00am and finished at 11.06am.
You can’t altogether blame many leagues for voting by proxy, can you?
Meanwhile, congratulations to Dewsbury Moor Maroons on beating Dewsbury Celtic and Shaw Cross Sharks A in Thursday evening’s Heavy Woollen ARL double-header at the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium, Batley.
Two things strike me about the Maroons’ achievement.
The first is that the scoreline was the same in both games, at 26-12. You wouldn’t make that up, would you?
The second is that Dewsbury Moor have proved, in the past (and I’ve seen it myself, more than once, first-hand) that they are ready and willing to ride out the tough times that, in truth, all clubs experience. Such a backdrop will I’m sure make last week’s triumphs all the sweeter.
Another major district league occasion also provided some salient talking points.
I’m grateful to Paddy McAteer for pointing out that Barrow Island, in beating Millom on Friday evening in the Barrow ARL’s Barton Townley Final at the Speed Competitions Stadium (aka Craven Park), were (from their perspective) at last gaining revenge for defeat at the hands of the Woolybacks in the inaugural decider back in 1982.
Wow, that’s a long time to wait and perhaps backs up the maxim that revenge is a dish best served cold – especially as (thanks again to Paddy for this information) Millom had beaten the Island in the only other meeting of the clubs in a Barton Townley decider, nineteen years ago.
Meanwhile there’s a big match this Saturday in Dublin, where Ireland Wolfhounds will be aiming to complete a double over Scotland Bravehearts, who they beat 38-30 in Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago after having been 18-6 behind at the interval. If any grassroots fans can get to the Garda, Westmanstown, do so – the game promises to be an epic.
And, finally, and returning in a way to my first point in this column, there will be plenty to lap up this Sunday at Castleford Tigers’ OneBore Stadium.
The ground will be the setting for three BARLA National Cup finals and my advice is to get there early if you want to monitor some emerging British talent.
The action starts at 11.00am, when Leigh Miners Rangers take on Skirlaugh at Under 14 level. Then, at 1.00pm, East Hull and West Hull will meet at Under 16s in what promises to be a white-hot derby. And, at 3.00pm, East Hull will again be on centre stage for an Under 18 clash with Warrington’s Latchford Giants.
The occasion is not to be missed especially as admission (cash only by the way) is just £5 (concessions £3 and under 16s free).