It seems we have survived the worst our life sized model of the European Wine Lake could throw at us; we still have a club house and we are still in business. February may bring a second deluge of another key commodity and the European Butter Mountain might come snaking down the Aire Valley to swamp us in further gloop. However, for the moment, a spring has returned to our collective step and we march with trousers pulled high over our wellies to Cougar Park for this week’s return to league action.

The flood was worse than the deluge we experienced back at the start of the century which last caused us to play league fixtures at Cougar Park and because the Sports Club was not insured against flood damage, there was a very real danger we might not be able to bounce back. However, the generosity and tireless hard work of innumerable folk has us up on our knees if not yet quite proudly back on two feet, but with the rebuilding still grinding away in the background we will surely get there.

For those who weren't able to shovel some shirt over the Festive Period, you missed out on a life affirming few days…but I don’t fancy a repeat any-time soon.

To move along to on field matters, our visitors this weekend are bottom of the pile West Park Leeds, who have only a single league win to their name this term, but before we all start pocketing the victory before a ball has been kicked, it is worth considering their recent upswing in form which has seem them performing on a higher level recently.

In the games they have played since the start of November they were within 7 of Salem (6-13), seven of Selby (12-19), beat Yarnbury 22-12 and then just got pipped by Scarborough last week by a single point, although to temper this it seems that the East Coast Milky Bar Kids have dipped even further back into their crèche for team selection last week. Notwithstanding the relative strength of the opposition, the last four games is a tremendous up lift in performances from the WPL boys as their previous 11 games had all been defeats, with only the 18-11 loss to Yarnbury raising a toothless grin on the club’s face, which only a mother could love.

As the WPL website likes to keep statistics secret, I can’t tell you anything about their side, other than they will start with fifteen.

As the Fox and Gynaecologist has been shut this week to mourn of our sad loss of 16 barrels of mild and Red Eric, the Tap Room Communist, who was swept away to Saltaire, a shandy strapped to his snorkel, I have been sober long enough to have a backward look at our game over in Bramhope earlier this season and it struck me what a hugely different side we are fielding this time out compared to the squad which came home with a 49-7 win earlier this season.

It is all change in the front five. In September we started with Crotch, Brown, Peglau, Clark and Booth. This Saturday Crotchy and Eddie start on the bench with Brownie unavailable due to work commitments. Baz Clark was stepping into the side after being retired for about four years and Tom Booth will be starting at his more usual station of number 6. Boothy moving to 6 forces out Dan Cookson, but at 7 and 8 we see some consistency with Greg and Tommy C still in situ. Roger and Ryan resume at prop.

The backs see Shaun shift from scrum half to wing, Sculls coming in from 13 to Scrum Half. The G man is still there at 10 and Nick Gore is at 15, but the three quarter line changes from Genty, Moore, Scull and Peltier to Driver, Greaves, Fiddes and Sutcliffe.

The Bench is all change as Evan Wadworth, Andy Smith and Josh Seal are replaced by Eddie, Crotchy and Mitch.

I will let you draw your own conclusions as to whether the side we are fielding this Saturday represents an upgrade to that which trotted out at Bramhope earlier in the year as any comments from me will get me a hard stare from MW, followed by a cuff up the side of the head from one of his giant paws.

There was a full league programme played out last week, barring our fixture against Heath. Unfortunately all our near rivals won, although Hullensians barely squeaked past Selby, in a single point 15-14 verdict. The A64 Rapping Crew, M+N, posted a solid regulation, bonus point 37 to 3 win over The Old Corsodylians while Brid were in the surgical business, opening a second cavity deep into the buttocks of a forlorn Yarnbury.

Alongside our opposition this weekend, those three clubs, Selby, Corsodylians and Yarnbury form the bottom four of the division and even at this stage in the season with between 11 and 13 fixtures to go, it looks like relegation will be the only game in town for the majority of those clubs, as the nine point gap to York who are in 10th Spot is probably a step to far for those sides covered in baby oil and trying to climb the greasy pole.

At the business end of the table, Hullensians, Brid and the Rappers are the only sides contending the playoff place with us and there is hope that points may be dropped by any or all of that pursuing pack this weekend.

North Ribb will be tenacious beggars charging down the dale into that bottom corner of theirs, so will give Marshall Mathers a run for his money when M and N come to town. The assorted Teenage Dirt Bags who form the Milky Bar Kids will want to prove a point in the local derby against Brid and also I don’t think Hullensians will be able take their game as a “gimme” either as Heath are no pushovers in their own swamp.

So as we edge towards the regulation 1,000 word mark, what do we know about this Saturday, January 16th?

I notice in the Religious Section of the T’interweb that this Saturday the Coptic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. I bet that’s a right laugh. I do feel sorry for old Joseph, though. He pulled the blinking donkey all that way, but when I was a pup, he barely got a mention. I believe now there is a movement to big up old Joe, known as the Josephologists, but it’s far too tedious to go into here and I bet they get all bitter and twisted at Christmas parties.

While I am still browsing the religious section of the Information Superhighway, this Saturday is also the day we remember Pope Marcellus. He’s not one who had a lot going for him and he lasted less than a year in the old pointy hat, back in the year 309. Apparent he is rated as a third division Pope, sort of like Plymouth Argyle.

I best get back to some colouring in.

Scoop