IT’S about this time of the season, isn’t it, that the National Conference League’s four divisions begin to take proper shape?
Okay, there’s a long way to go yet in each section, admittedly. All but two of the twelve sides in the top-flight (Siddal and Thatto Heath Crusaders) have played seven of the 22 fixtures each scheduled in each of the Premier, First and Second Divisions.
Oulton Raiders and Wigan St Patricks have mustered five games each in Division One (all the others have totalled six) while, in Division Two, all have played seven save for Heavy Woollen rivals Dewsbury Celtic and Thornhill Trojans, who are on six each.
Division Three is more varied, with Milford notching four fixtures, Myton Warriors six and everyone else five in what is an 18-match programme.
Whichever way you look at it, though, most teams are pretty much a third of the way through the regular campaign and it’s fairly safe to say that, bar the odd exception here and there, the sides that are currently in the title or promotion placings will be in the same situation come September, and those that are in the various relegation or re-election dogfights will, in the main, still be seeking to avoid the drop five months from now.
I stand to be corrected in making that statement, of course, in fact I could end up having plenty of egg to wipe off my face. But I doubt it, certainly in general terms.
One area which has certainly attracted my attention is Wigan. I’ve focused, elsewhere in today’s issue, on the battle for supremacy in Division One, where Ince Rose Bridge, Wigan St Judes and Wigan St Patricks have been setting the early pace.
It will be fascinating to see whether that remains the case at the business end of the campaign.
It could well be although the likes of Heworth, Shaw Cross Sharks and Oldham St Annes – not to mention any of the teams that went into Easter in the bottom half of the section – could have plenty to say about that.
For now, and looking solely at the more positive ends of each section rather than risk opprobrium by discussing teams in the lower end of each division, it would be no surprise if any of West Hull, West Bowling, Siddal or Lock Lane (with nods, also, to Thatto Heath Crusaders, Waterhead Warriors, Rochdale Mayfield, Wath Brow Hornets or York Acorn, although all have some ground to make up) take the Minor Premiership.
I’ve touched on the trio of Ince Rose Bridge, Wigan St Judes and Wigan St Patricks as impressive pacesetters in Division One. So, as mentioned in dispatches, are Heworth, alongside Shaw Cross and St Annes.
The top two are automatically elevated in each of Divisions One, Two and Three, with the next four playing off for a third promotion spot, which really does open things up and makes speculation at this stage of the campaign near to futile.
Futile as that may be it’s hard to see East Leeds, who are running riot in Division Two, not going up.
It will be a tight battle among the rest, though, with Normanton Knights, Clock Face Miners, Dewsbury Celtic, Barrow Island, Pilkington Recs and Drighlington all, at this stage anyway, harbouring serious ambitions of a top-two finish. Throw in the third-to-sixth play-offs and promotion might not be beyond just about anybody.
What of Division Three, which is invariably hard to call?
Saddleworth Rangers, despite their first defeat this time, at reviving Featherstone Lions, look set to go all the way under recently installed head coach Miles Greenwood, while Keighley Albion are making their mark on their return to the amateur game’s flagship league.
Bentley and Leigh East also appear to be in good form while it seems to me that just a little fine-tuning could transform Distington into real challengers.
Time, however, will tell on those observations!
More dispiriting news, meanwhile, regarding the adverse impact of the Scholarships, which I touched on last week.
I reader who I especially respect told me, late last week: “I totally agree (with your comments) about the Scholarship schemes. This week, the Yorkshire Year 10 Boys final wasn’t played as planned, as many of the boys involved are on Scholarships and were unable to be released to play. I’m not sure when it will be played. It’s a sad state of affairs.”
It certainly is, although the word ‘sad’ might not be quite appropriate. Unless there’s a very good explanation, ‘scandalous’ might well be a better fit.
On which subject, we’re in the ‘silly season’ when matches don’t take place for a whole range of reasons.
Apart from the aforementioned schools game not happening because of the pernicious Scholarship system, we have already had a pretty much ‘blank’ weekend because of Easter, followed quickly by the forthcoming week’s fairly barren programme, caused by a mix of Magic Weekend and, I think, the May Day bank holiday.
Phew, it’s almost as if it’s getting to the point where it’s more usual for teams not to play than for players to get their boots on.
Finally, I’m certain that Rugby League folk around the shires will join me in wishing Les Wigglesworth all the best.
Most will probably know him as the long-serving Oulton Raiders stalwart, in fact Les was the club’s secretary for many years.
It’s nearly three decades ago now since he was diagnosed with cancer which, as a tough-as-teak Rugby League man, he brushed off in his own inimitable style.
Cancer is a bugger of a disease, though, and all too often cannot be permanently kept at bay. Les’ daughter Amanda (best known as ‘Wiggy’), who administers the Women’s Amateur Rugby League with great aplomb, tells me that the medics had to treat, last year, a growth on his lung which was a cancerous tumour.
She says: “Since stopping the treatment it’s grown in size and there’s some spreading of cancer around his chest and neck area, which could be his lymphoma coming back.
“Doctors have done all they can for him and now they’re making him comfortable by steroids and morphine. He’s still upbeat and gets out and about when he can, which isn’t often. I know he’s planning a trip to Oulton Raiders clubhouse at some point.”
Let’s hope he gets to Raider Park some time soon and (with all due respect to whoever their opponents will be) that Oulton will be able to mark the occasion with a victory in the NCL First Division.
