These are worrying times in West Cumbrian rugby league circles – both at professional and amateur levels.
Workington Town announced this week that they are taking major steps to ensure the club survives the current cashflow problems as relegation from the Championship looks a near certainty.
Whitehaven are holding an open meeting at the LEL Arena tomorrow night, disappointed by poor attendances and with a number of supporters’ questions and concerns to be answered.
In the Holmen and Iggesund Cumberland ARL the weekly question has now become – how many fixtures will actually go ahead?
Unbeaten Distington and Ellenborough appear to be the stand-out teams, well ahead of the others in a dwindling number of competing clubs.
Like Hensingham and Seaton in recent years, a switch to the National Conference would seem to be the logical step for Distington or Elbra.
However, it’s proving a frustrating period for Distington who feel that they could compete at the highest level of the Conference.
Carl Hewer, the club’s respected former head coach says: “We still don’t meet the criteria to join the Conference. I believe that we are far too good to play locally but the NCL turned us down because we don’t have teams at every youth level.
“But neither do most of the big NCL teams these days, so it is massively frustrating and is not allowing our club to grow.
“To be fair, and with all due respect, I do think we have a better team than Hensingham and Seaton who have joined recently from west Cumbria.
“I believe we are capable of competing in the Premier Division, albeit in the lower half of that League so it is massively frustrating.
“I think they should look at a Regional Conference with all the current, and possibly a few more, who can compete such as ourselves.”
In the current Premier Division Egremont Rangers are battling to avoid the drop and are currently six points off safety.
They were encouraged by last week’s 52-12 home win over Thornhill Trojans which allowed them to leapfrog the Dewsbury side on points differential with York Acorn three points better-off in the final relegation place.
So Saturday’s game at York Acorn has to be a must win game for Rangers or they can say farewll to the top flight.
Wath Brow are currently fifth but are without a game at the week-end.
Kells are on course for promotion back to the Premier Division and will take a huge stride towards that aim on Saturday if they beat Wigan St. Patrick’s.
Kells are second in Division One, two points behind Hull Dockers with a game in hand and a better points differential.
Lying third two points behind Kells and with a game in hand are Wigan St Patrick’s – who visit the Whitehaven side on Saturday.
Having beaten the Dockers two weeks ago it would be an outstanding and important double success to follow up against St. Pats and put them well on course for promotion.
It’s been a disappointing down-turn for Barrow Island in Division Two after they had led the table earlier in the season.
They are down to third and can’t afford to lose to second placed Crosfields who visit south Cumbria.
With big games in Division One and Division Two it’s no different in Division Three where Seaton Rangers (fourth) entertain Oldham St. Anne’s (third).
The two sides are level on points but importantly Seaton have a game in hand so a home win would go a long way towards pushing Rangers to promotion at the first attempt.
Interestingly second-placed Waterhead Warriors entertain leaders East Leeds on Saturday as the top four battle it out.
Hensingham should have entertain Batley Boys but that fixture is cancelled as the scheduled visitors have resigned from the League.
Mid-table Millom have a home game against Shaw Cross Sharks who still have an outside chance of making the top three.
There are two games scheduled for Friday night in the Holmen Iggesund Division One – Hensingham A v Ellenborough A and Seaton A v Egremont A.
Saturday’s games: Premier Division: Maryport v Cockermouth.
Cumberland Cup semi-finals: Ellenborough v Distington; Wath Brow A v Kells A.
