It might be a reduced National Conference League programme this weekend, but there are still two big Cumbrian derby games to savour.
In fact with one on Friday night and the other on Saturday afternoon the local enthusiasts can get a full fix of their usual amateur rugby league entertainment.
The action starts at Hensingham tomorrow night when the home side entertain Seaton in a Division Three fixture which was postponed a few weeks ago because of a waterlogged pitch.
Both sides have struggled in the opening weeks of the season and already it is being billed as a basement battle.
Seaton’s poor start has been in contrast to their highly encouraging debut season last year when they were strong promotion contenders until the very end.
It isn’t hard to diagnose their current ills – five players moving into the professional ranks and a crop of injuries have put a dampener on their start this time round.
For tomorrow Seaton will be without Jon Carl Bryan (shoulder); Joe Curwen and Brad Bouch who picked-up head injuries in last week’s feisty clash with Eastmoor while young Byron Coulson suffered a broken leg playing for Hensingham Under-16s.
Lewis Brown, the former Town and Whitehaven forward is 50/50 after damaging fingers against Eastmoor.
There is some brighter news for the Rangers, though, as Liam Kirkbride, Lewis Mason, Levi Wallbanks and Mark Surtees are all ready to return.
Like Seaton last week Hensingham lost at home to a side in the bottom five and need to collect the points tomorrow to escape the bottom two. They, Seaton and Bentley have only won one game each so the winners of the derby will certainly improve their position.
With the Maudling brothers Gordon and Kurt to boost their pack and the know-how of player coach Jessie Joe Parker, Hensingham will hope that their experience will be a key factor against what will inevitably be a young Seaton side.
On Saturday the attention will switch to the Premier Division derby between Kells and Wath Brow, the game should have been played earlier in the season when Hornets had Challenge Cup commitments.
Kells will go into the game on the back of two consecutive defeats at Rochdale Mayfield and at home to leaders Hunslet Amateurs.
But they have won three games since their return to the top flight and this season was all about consolidation for coach Peter Smith following last season’s title win in Division One.
Making sure they stay in the Premier Division and watch the younger players coming through gaining valuable experience, will be Smith’s brief.
By contrast Wath Brow’s Ian Rooney will expect to see his side contest for honours. They lie third, three points behind leaders Hunslet Amateurs and two behind West Hull, the only team to beat them so far.
It’s probably an indication on how far Wath Brow have developed in that the A team will be challenging Distington for the CARL title. It’s a mixture of former Conference regulars and promising youngsters.
The Brow go into the derby at Kells on the back of two very good away wins – at Siddal where they didn’t concede a try and last Saturday at Leigh Miners Rangers, who had beaten high flying West Hull the week before.
