Amateur Focus - Part 3

Amateur Focus - Part 3

Round 11 of the National Conference League took place last weekend and that means we’re now half way through the NCL campaign in two of the four divisions.  Barring the odd postponement and rearranged fixture, most clubs have played 11 games in their respective leagues.  Division One are still a round behind but all 12 clubs have played their ten prearranged games in that division.

We’re also starting to see some gaps appear at the top and bottom of each division now as the teams begin to find out what they will be playing for in the second half of the season.

PREMIER DIVISION

At the last update it was Thatto Heath Crusaders who sat top of the NCL after Round 6 thanks to six straight victories and were looking good for their position.  Since then they’ve suffered couple of defeats in consecutive weeks and now find themselves two points behind last year’s champions Siddal.

Siddal had a couple of games in hand at the time but have now almost caught up.  Having won ten out of ten games they are the first NCL club throughout all four divisions to reach double figures in the win column and have gone top of the division with a game in hand.

Wath Brow Hornets are the side in third, a full three points behind Crusaders but at the head of a chasing pack which includes West Cumbrian rivals Kells, who are level on 14 points with fifth placed West Hull, and Rochdale Mayfield who occupy the last play-off place with 13 points.

Myton Warriors seem to be stuck in the middle of nowhere at this stage.  But, currently in seventh place three points behind Mayfield (and four ahead of eighth placed Skirlaugh) these two sides will meet each other in Rochdale in Round 13 and if the positions remain the same after next weekend, this will be a must win game for the Warriors in their quest for a play-off spot.

As mentioned above, it’s the club from East Hull come next, sitting alone on six points, but are a point ahead of Wigan St Patricks and Leigh Miners Rangers, both separated by points difference on five points with the Miners just inside the relegation zone.

Egremont Rangers moved off the bottom of the Premier Division table with only their second victory of the season last weekend which meant Pilkington Recs prop up the table, both with four points.

DIVISION ONE

Moving on to the second tier it’s a two horse race at the top with both Underbank Rangers and Hunslet Club Parkside level on 18 points.  Rangers have the better points difference so top the table after Round 10.

The four teams in the play-off zone are separated by only three points.  Normanton Knights are leading that group with 15 points and a difference of +90.  Milford Marlins are going toe-to-toe with them so far with the same number of points but a slightly lower difference of +62.

Dropping down slightly, Lock Lane are in fifth place with 13 points and York Acorn occupy the final play-off place a point behind them.

There’s a full four point gap between Acorn and seventh placed Shaw Cross Sharks who look to be slowly slipping away from a play-off place already.  However, they still have a healthy points difference of +46 despite losing six of their ten games, so if they can win a few on the bounce over the next couple of months they should be right back in contention again.

The current bottom five look to be the ones fighting to avoid one of the three relegation spots this year.  Hull Dockers and Hunslet Warriors sit just above the drop zone with six points each with Ince Rose Bridge, Blackbrook and Featherstone Lions occupying the relegation spots as it stands with four, three and two points respectively.

Blackbrook’s three points came from their opening two games of the season and Featherstone only won their first game of the season last weekend.

DIVISION TWO

East Leeds sit at the top of Division 2 after 11 rounds.  They’ve won eight of their 11 matches so far and are currently enjoying a four game winning run.  Close behind them though, occupying the second automatic promotion spot, is Oulton Raiders who are a point behind thanks to seven wins and a draw.

Bradford Dudley Hill could be kicking themselves come the end of the season however as, after being deducted two points for fielding an ineligible player a few weeks ago, they sit in third place also on 15 points.  If they had avoided that oversight they would be top of the league as it stands with eight wins and a draw to their name.

Elsewhere in the play-off positions Crosfields and Thornhill Trojans are neck-and-neck on 14 points each, Crosfields enjoying the better point’s difference, and Wigan St Judes are lying in sixth.  Their 12 points have come from just nine games so have two games in hand over all the teams above them so expect them to climb up the ladder in the next few weeks.

Sitting just outside the play-offs on ten points each are Askam and Saddleworth Rangers respectively.  Both have only played ten matches and the Cumbrian’s superior point’s difference keeps them just above their Lancashire opponents.

There’s a full four point drop to ninth placed Leigh East.  They’ve won just three of their 11 games and are already looking to be in the thick of a relegation battle.  Joining them in that fight is the other South Cumbrian side in the division, Millom, who also have six points from 11 matches.

And currently occupying the relegation places at present are Drighlington, two points behind Leigh East and Millom and with a game in hand, and Salford City Roosters who are bottom with just one win in ten so far.  Of those two teams it’s most likely to be Drighlington who will have a realistic chance of survival come the end of the campaign.

DIVISION THREE

Finally West Bowling give Yorkshire a clean sweep of sides topping their respective divisions as they’ve climbed up Division 3 in recent weeks and, with a points difference of +193 and 16 points, they sit above second placed Stanningley who are level on points but have actually won more games – a record of 8-0-2, compared to West’s 7-2-2.

It’s a tight battle for the play-off spots at the moment though as four points separate third from eighth.  Rylands Sharks lead that group with 15, Dewsbury Moor Maroons and Eastmoor Dragons both have 14 (the Maroons having played a game more than those around them) Woolston Rovers and Gateshead Storm each have 12 points and eighth placed Barrow Island have amassed 11 points, but have played a game more than some of the clubs above them.

Clock Face Miners’ inability to remain consistent means they sit in ninth place with as many points after their ten games and will be watching Oldham St Annes closely over the coming weeks who are just behind them in tenth with eight points and a game in hand.

Waterhead Warriors and Stanley Rangers are locked on six points apiece but Waterhead’s far superior points difference gives them the cushion needed to take eleventh spot.

And in the bottom two spots we find Dewsbury Celtic, who were unlucky to lose by just a point to their cross-town rivals last Friday night, on four points and Elland with three, both having played 11 games so far.

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