CAN anyone prevent Siddal from lifting the National Conference League’s coveted League Leaders’ Trophy for a second successive year?
It’s unlikely, because the Halifax outfit are still, following Saturday’s 38-6 win against York Acorn, four points clear of both West Hull and West Bowling and with only three fixtures remaining for each of those sides, it would take something remarkable for the silverware to be prised away from Chevin Edge – especially as the pacesetters have a far superior points difference to their rivals.
Much depends, however – and obviously – on what the remaining fixtures are for each of the three clubs who are now under the microscope.
So let’s took a look – readers can then make up their own minds.
Siddal are at reigning champions Hunslet ARLFC (the very team who scuppered their championship hopes last year by battling through the play-offs and overcoming a deficit – and a yellow card – to win the Grand Final, through which the actual title is determined) on Saturday.
Next up, on the last Saturday of August, Thatto Heath Crusaders travel to Halifax for what promises to be another mouth-watering fixture and, on September 6, Siddal visit Dewsbury Moor Maroons, who have already been relegated but who might well feel they have a point to prove before being demoted.
West Hull start their run-in on Saturday with a trip to Lock Lane, who being third from bottom, have everything to play for in the battle to avoid relegation.
Wests are then at York Acorn (another team striving to avoid going down) before hosting Hunslet ARLFC on the last day of the regular season.
That’s a programme which isn’t exactly straightforward and the same can be said of West Bowling.
The Bradford outfit trek to Rochdale Mayfield (who, like Acorn, are a tad too close to the drop zone for comfort, although a play-off berth is perhaps a more realistic eventuality) on Saturday and back that up with a late-August visit to Leigh Miners Rangers who, like Dewsbury Moor, have already been relegated but might want to exit the top flight with a bang.
West Bowling close their regular campaign by hosting genuine Grand Final hopefuls Waterhead Warriors.
It’s all very tense, particularly if Siddal stumble at all, and vividly illustrates the all-action and competitive nature of the NCL.
For unhappy contrast, I recommend that readers take a look at the weekend’s Youth and Junior results in this week’s League Express.
Looks thin, doesn’t it?
Usually, scores and fixtures from around the land take up a page or more, as anyone who keeps back copies of League Express will be able to attest.
That was certainly the case in, for example, our issue of July 14, when results from some nine competitions featured.
But we’re now in the school summer holidays and it appears as though almost everyone outside adult level is otherwise occupied.
Let’s go through that issue of mid-July, shall we, and see, for comparison, what’s happening a month or so later?
London – nothing, Wales – completed in terms of regular fixtures, Barrow – nothing, West Cumbria – nothing, North West Under 18 – nothing, North West Under 15 – nothing, Hull – nothing.
The only competitions that are continuing – or, perhaps, limping – through the school holidays are the Girls and Yorkshire Juniors.
I find this bemusing, even depressing, and so do others. I retain a vivid memory from one or two years back of one long-serving grassroots club stalwart, whose prime focus was, admittedly, on the men’s open-age arena, questioning why kids had to lay off completely for so long.
He could see, as I could (and still can) that family holidays can get in the way. There can be occasions, perhaps many, when clubs might struggle to get a side out.
But, come on, for six whole weeks? If the will is there (a key point raised by my friend) why cannot fixtures be arranged? It’s what young players deserve, surely.
A month-and-a-half, after all, is a long time for youngsters to be kicking their heels, especially those (and I don’t like saying this) whose families can’t get away for any reason. I bet those kids can’t wait for the schools to return, in that respect at least.
It’s not only the summer holidays either. Leagues seem to shut down from almost the beginning of every campaign, especially for Easter and Whitsuntide.
I’m not at all sure that summer rugby adherents had this in mind when they pushed so hard, ruthlessly even, for us all to move away from so-called winter.
We now have a major problem, in my opinion, and it’s one that needs to be addressed.
Pennine League bosses, meanwhile, are currently addressing the matter of when their 2025-26 season will swing into action, not to mention who will be taking part.
It seems that the Pennine League can’t start until the Yorkshire Men’s League summer swan-around has finished.
I’m struggling to get my head around that. After all, the Pennine League has been in operation since the early 1970s – more than half-a-century – while the YML is a fairly recent innovation.
You’d think, wouldn’t you, that the younger organisation would fit around its older and venerable counterpart, if only out of common courtesy? But not so, apparently.
It’s a situation that’s developed around several competitions run by the Rugby Football League that I find difficult to square, let alone take.
Anyway, I hope to be able to publicise details of the pending Pennine campaign in next week’s issue.
And, in relation to another winter-based competition, the Women’s Amateur Rugby League Association hold their annual general meeting on Saturday (August 16, noon).
The event will be taking place at the traditional venue of the Drop Kick pub, 204 Huddersfield Road, Low Moor, Bradford BD12 0AD – not too far from Bartercard Odsal Stadium – rather than, as previously mooted, via Zoom.
Clubs interested in joining for 2025-26 are more than welcome to attend, chair Steve Manning reminds me.
Also in the female game, it was good to hear from Wales media manager Ian Golden that South Wales Jets Under 14s beat Oulton Raidettes 20-14 in their first match – the curtain-raiser to the Wales versus England Women’s international at Neath. Yet more excellent news from Wales.