HOLLIDAY Cup holders Moldgreen will have to win away if they are to retain the trophy.
Coach Andy Baimbridge’s side have been drawn at Meltham All Blacks in the quarter-final of the competition, although the date for the Huddersfield Amateur RL Association’s major knockout tournament to get under way has yet to be finalised.
And if the Pennine League Division I side triumph at their Fourth Division rivals, they face a big semi-final test at the winners of the last-eight clash between Division IV Underbank Rangers and Premier Division St Joseph’s at The Cross.
Clearly, Moldgreen and St Joseph’s will start their quarter-final ties as favourites.
But the outcome of the two other games are more difficult to predict.
Division III Slaithwaite Saracens will be hoping to make home advantage count against Division II leaders Newsome Panthers, while second-placed Second Division side Emley Moor entertain resurgent Division III leaders Lindley Swifts at the Welfare Ground.
In fact, the Moor v Swifts encounter is not the only battle between these two teams on the knockout front.
They have also been paired in the quarter-final of the Supplementary Cup, with Swifts boasting home advantage on this occasion.
Their re-match is definitely the tie of the round, with the winners then having to travel to the victors of the Moldgreen A v Newsome encounter.
Under normal circumstances, the Panthers would be expected to be much too strong, but the Supplementary Cup handicap system makes sure the games are far more competitive.
How many points start each side will be given has still to be decided, with competition officials waiting to see how all the teams fair on the Pennine League front before making an assessment.
The full draw for both competition are:
Holliday Cup quarter-final:(A) Meltham All Blacks v Moldgreen, (B) Emley Moor v Lindley Swifts, (C) Slaithwaite Saracens v Newsome Panthers, (D) Underbank Rangers v St Joseph’s.
Semi-final: D v A, B v C.
Supplementary Cup quarter-final:(A) St Joseph’s A v Meltham All Blacks, (B) Lindley Swifts v Emley Moor, (C) Underbank Rangers v Slaithwaite Saracens A, (D) Moldgreen A v Newsome Panthers.
Semi-final: D v B, A v C.
