Odsal Sedbergh

An interesting development in rugby league’s oldest competition mean there’s been a late twist to this Saturday’s Second Division fixture against Sharlston Rovers A. Sedbergh have an eventful history with the Wakefield side as the two clubs have been league rivals for the past few seasons and Saturday’s match up will be the TENTH time they’ve crossed swords in just over four years.

This fixture is traditionally a rough ride for Odsal – Rovers have been triumphant in three of their previous four visits to the Rec – and this week’s game could be even more difficult than usual because Sharlston’s first team have been given a bye into the first round proper of the Carnegie Challenge Cup after their scheduled opponents, Ormskirk-based Edge Hill University, dropped out of the competition. The Pennine League have quickly filled the void by scheduling the Rovers first team to play Queens in the Premier Division, but there will still be an immense feel-good factor running through the club which can only enhance their A-team’s performance.

Elsewhere in the Challenge Cup there’s local interest down at Parry Lane as Dudley Hill take on Castleford Panthers, where one-time Sedbergh three-quater Martin Southwell will be making is bow in the competition – and in so doing quite possibly becoming the first former Sedge player to grace the competition (citation needed).

In the other Division Two fixtures the key game for Sedge is the relegation six-pointer between the two clubs directly above and below us – Illingworth and Wyke. The black and whites will travel over to Halifax in confidence after scraping the reverse fixture by six points back in October. At the top of the table Yorkshire Cup Runners-Up Thornhill Trojans are taking on Selby Warriors. Both sides are tied on 14 points; however the Trojans do have four games in hand.

Of the other Pennine League games the tightest tussles could well be involving Bradford sides, as the top four sides in the First Division are locking horns. Leaders Bank Top travel to third placed Moorends, whilst fourth-placed Birkenshaw hosts Crigglestone All Blacks - who currently sit second in the division. However, a Birky win would see them move within two points of Crigg with a game in hand. These two fixtures could go a long way to seeing who’ll grab those coveted top two promotion spots come the end of the season.

Walkover wise there should be heavy wins for Dewsbury Moor over basement boys Emley Moor in the Championship, Sherburn Bears over Kings Cross Park A in Div 6 and Thornhill A over Underbank A in Div 7.