HALIFAX, Huddersfield Union team manager Chris Mear has warned that if more young players don’t break through to the first team it will prove difficult for the Union to challenge for Yorkshire Inter-Union honours.

Mear laid it on the line at the annual meeting of the Union at Meltham, saying positive moves needed to made if the Union team was to avoid ‘just making the numbers up’.

In his report on last season, he said: “The position that we find ourselves in at the moment is not ideal. We are not getting enough new blood into the team.”

Mear, whose side open the 2009 campaign against Leeds at Wetherby on May 17, added: “Our better players are all getting older together but yet there are insufficient juniors coming through and establishing themselves in the senior team to replace them.

“I feel that we need to coach the talented junior boys more intensively to try and stop this current shortfall in talent, and make the transition from junior to senior team seamless.

“It is actually quite worrying and something the Union needs to address if we are looking to compete at the higher level and not just make the numbers up.”

Looking back at last season’s record, Mear said he had had a feeling of deja vu after a disappointing performance in the singles in the opening fixture at Ogden where for the second year running Bradford scored a19-17 win.

The foursomes were shared but Mear said: “The singles did not start well.

“We lost the top three which was going to prove to be synonymous for the rest of the season.”

The match with Leeds at Howley Hall was level at the halfway mark then the singles again went against Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds running out 23-13

The singles proved kinder against Teeside in tough weather at Bradley Hall and a 22-14 success was recorded but against East Riding, who dominated the foursomes at Driffield, Iain Powell was a lone singles winner up to the stage at which the match was lost, though late wins were recorded by Ben Crowther, Frank Greaves, Frazer Scholefield, Matthew Colcombe and Andy Appleyard. The singles bogey was evident when York, then thereigning champions, were 21-15 victors at Heworth.

After taking the foursomes 7-5 they won seven of the singles, though Meltham15-year-old Jamie Bower contributed winning points.

Harrogate came next at Bradley Park where the course was barely playable after a week of rain. The foursomes were halved then yet again the top singles was lost and despite fine wins by Andy Shaw, Ryan Greenwood, Sam Bridges and Greaves, Harrogate led 14 – 12. Recovery was around the corner, however, with young Bower winning 6&5, David Stafford making a winning debut and Crowther sealing a 20-16 victory.

Sheffield had clinched the league title by the time they were due at Meltham for the final match but the wet weather forced an abandonment.