IT’S just the second week of the new Pennine League season.
But there’s already a clash about to take place tomorrow which is guaranteed to capture the imagination.
That’s in the new Championship I, with Lindley Swifts ready to do battle at home with Huddersfield rivals Newsome Panthers.
And the aim for both clubs is to get off the mark after the duo opened their campaigns with defeats, with Newsome losing 36-20 at home to Morley Borough and the Swifts suffering a 30-6 loss at Birkenshaw.
There was also a very disappointing opening-day Championship I defeat for fellow Huddersfield club St Joseph’s, who went down 30-20 at Brighouse Rangers.
So they’ll be hoping for much better at home to Illingworth.
There’s also an intriguing game up at Slaithwaite as the Saracens open their campaign with a Championship Division encounter against Pontefract-based Nevison Leap.
The Saracens did, of course, opt to drop out of the Premier Division due to a lack of squad members for the 2013-14 campaign, so it will be interesting to see how they fare in the second tier.
Another side about to play their first game of the season are Division IV side Meltham All Blacks, host Victoria Rangers.
Underbank Rangers’ National Conference League Third Division promotion-chasing side have this weekend off.
But they return the following week with the tough trip to leaders Kells for their final game of the campaign, when victory is vital in their bid to secure Second Division status next season.
Two days after the Kells trip (Monday, September 23) Underbank are holding their annual meeting in the clubhouse.
All members are being encouraged to attend.
