With five games left in Regional 1 North East, Penrith are in a desperate fight to avoid a relegation play-off scenario.
Cleckheaton (14pts) look doomed to the drop but it’s tight above them with Penrith among three clubs battling to retain their league status.
The Cumbrians have 28 points, after a depressing run of results have tumbled them down the table from a solid top-half position.
Just above them are York and Middlesbrough (both on 29).
Penrith travel to Sandal who are next in line above the three battlers on 34 points and will prove a stern test on their own ground.
York have a home game against bottom side Cleckheaton while Middlesbrough have a lot tougher challenge at home to second-in-the-table Alnwick.
After that the respective fixture lists are:
- York: Harrogate away; Driffield home; Heath away; Ilkley home.
- Middlesbrough: Penrith away; Blaydon home; Cleckheaton away; Harrogate home.
- Penrith: Middlesbrough home; Alnwick home; Blaydon away; Cleckheaton home.
That might suggest York have the tougher fixtures left but at this time of the season anything can happen and Penrith will hopefully have more players available to see them through the most testing season they’ve had for a while.
Kendal, clear of the mayhem below them, have five games left and a cup final against Keswick to look forward to when they will come up against their former coach Garry Holmes who has done a splendid job since taking over at Davidson Park.
In Regional 2 North it’s one of those weeks when all four competing Cumbrian sides have to travel.
The key one involves Aspatria, fighting to avoid a relegation play-off game, who are away to Percy Park, currently third in the table.
The Black Reds are third bottom on points differential, ahead of Durham City who entertain Morpeth in a game where young Alex Harding is going across to referee on an exchange.
Guisborough, who are some five points better off than Aspatria and Durham City, have Cumbrian visitors in Keswick – back again as Cumbria’s best-placed side in fifth – and contemplating that Cumbria Cup final on Easter Saturday, April 4.
Upper Eden are on the road to leaders Northern looking for a good performance again as they were the first to beat them in the league when they visited Pennine Park earlier.
Wigton face a trek to Sunderland as they continue a tough learning experience before they have to drop back to Counties 1 Cumbria.
Kirkby Lonsdale lead the way currently in Counties 1 Cumbria and continue their fight for a quick return to the higher level with a trip to Egremont where Paddy Loughrane will have the whistle.
Hawcoat Park lie second, three points behind from the same number of games, but they don’t have a fixture tomorrow.
Carlisle have a game in hand of Kirkby Lonsdale but trail by four points and they will want to take full advantage of home soil when they host Keswick 2nds (Jonny Watson).
The other games are: Ambleside v Workington (Dan Shovelton); Creighton v Whitehaven (Martin Denvir); Windermere v St Benedict’s (Simon Barker); Penrith 2nds v Millom (Martin Maughan).
