HALIFAX, Huddersfield stand out as the lone district union not to have a player involved in the first Yorkshire county matches of the year.
And no players from the district have been called into the county first-team coaching squad, though a number are involved at boys level.
Yorkshire’s first team eased to a big win over Derbyshire in the opening match of the season, a non-league meeting at Kirkbymoorside, and the Yorkshire boys also scored an emphatic win over Derbyshire at Hickleton.
Sheffield provided a total of six players to the first team, Bradford and Leeds two each and York and East Riding one each. Leeds had five players in the boys team, Sheffield three and Bradford, Harrogate, East Riding and Teesside one each.
It was the same when Yorkshire today took on Lincolnshire in another non-league meeting at Holme Hall, Scunthorpe, matches which give some fringe players chance to impress before Northern League action gets under way next month.
“It is disappointing not to have players involved at county match level,” said Halifax, Huddersfield Union secretary John Lawrence, a member of the county executive.
“When you look at the list of players off scratch and lower handicaps we fall short of some other unions.”
Jamie Bower, from Lightcliffe, was selected for Yorkshire’s Under 16 side but matches against the North East and Wales were cancelled.
Halifax, Huddersfield are working hard to bring on players and they spend heavily on coaching. Work starts at the grass roots with the juniors and this year junior team chief Frank Greaves will be aided by Andy Shaw, who has offered to help out on match days, the first of which comes tomorrow against Harrogate at Ripon City.
Greaves named this line-up:
Ryan Greenwood (West End), Alex Battye (Meltham), Nathan Scott (Crow Nest Park), Sam Town (Queensbury), Adam Cryer (Hebden Bridge), George Bamford (Hebden Bridge), Adam Webster (Hanging Heaton), Mark Hepworth (Woodsome Hall), Michael Lawrie (Crosland Heath), Charles Ryan-Hicks (Longley Park), Ben Simpson (Saddleworth), Steve Pullan (Saddleworth).
Bower and Sam Bridges (West End) are unavailable as they are on county boys coaching with John Eyre at Woodsome Hall and Michael Colcombe (Longley Park) and Joe Hill (Fixby) are competing in the National College championships being held at Loughborough.
All will be available for selection for the match with East Riding at Allerthorpe Park tomorrow week.
Bradley Hall’s Shaw, off plus one, is one who might have been expected to be included in the county coaching squad, but junior players are the only ones to have been called up for sessions with Graham Walker, at The Oaks, Steve Robinson, at Malton & Norton, and at Woodsome Hall, with Eyre.
