Two Cumbrian clubs are involved in National Conference play off action on Saturday – while a third can clinch their place in the knockout stage of the season!
For while Wath Brow contest the Premier Division’s elimination semi-final at home to Siddal, neighbours Kells travel to relegated Wigan St. Patrick’s knowing a win would earn them a play-off trip to Rochdale Mayfield.
Hornets, who finished fourth in the final table, will fancy their chances against a Siddal side who were fifth but some ten points behind the Cumbrians.
Siddal, however, will not be under-estimated by Ian Rooney and his men, clinching their place last week with an emphatic 34-6 win over Rochdale Mayfield.
The Brow warmed-up with a comfortable 42-0 home win over doomed Wigan St. Patrick’s in which scoring phenomenon Jay Weatherill helped himself to another five tries.
Kells were also in good nick, demolishing Thatto Heath 60-10 and ironically it will be the Crusaders they replace in the play-offs if they win at Wigan St. Patrick’s.
The downside for Kells is that victory on Saturday would mean a midweek trip to Rochdale for their clash with Mayfield – and that inevitability creates availability problems.
If that isn’t daunting enough a win at Rochdale would give them a play-off game on the Saturday so they are looking at the prospect of playing three games in seven days – professionals wouldn’t even consider doing.
Coach Peter Smith says: “We will be going there to put up a display and finish our season off well to counteract the six players we lost at the start of the campaign!”
But Cumbria’s play-off hopes are not limited to the Premier Division. Millom start the Division Three play-offs at home to Beverley in the semi-final.
They finished 11 points clear of their visitors in the table and should be confident of going through to the final where they would most likely host Leigh East, who are at home on Saturday to late qualifiers Drighlington.
Millom beat Leigh East last month in a memorably tight game in south Cumbria when the Woolybacks had Fui Fui Moimoi in their side. A repeat game looks on the cards, although it might be unlikely that Moimoi is involved.
Since then Millom‘s centre Naki Saumaki, Moimoi’s nephew and the reason he appeared briefly in Millom colours, has joined Kendal rugby union club and they have a Regional 1 North West game on Saturday.
Also in the south of the county Barrow Island will be sweating on the result of the Division Two clash between Saddleworth Rangers and Myton Warriors.
A Saddleworth win would catapult them into the play-offs, but a Myton win would save them from relegation to Division Three and instead Barrow Island would go down.
