Nick Wright previews this weekend's clash between York City Knights and Hull FC
Alex Reid looks at whether the once ever-present appearance of English clubs in the later stages of the Champions League is set to become a thing of the past
Craig Dobson looks at QPR's decision to sack Neil Warnock and replace him with Mark Hughes
James Tompkinson reviews an excellent pre-season victory for the York City Knights against Yorkshire rivals Leeds Rhinos
The group stages saw Goodricke finish top of Group A, seeing off the challenge of Derwent in the fifth and final pull in the first round, and beating James convincingly in the second. With byes being awarded to the other colleges due to a lack of a Wentworth team, these two victories saw Goodricke claim a place in the final.
In Group B Halifax had to compete for pole position with the strong competition provided by Alcuin. Both teams beat Langwith and Vanbrugh without much difficulty in the first two rounds, and so it came down to a face-off between the two colleges in the final round to decide who would claim top spot. Despite the strong opposition, Halifax managed to overcome Alcuin, winning by a 3-1 scoreline. The other tug of the round saw Langwith unable to get their hands on any women to face Vanbrugh, and so despite a brave effort put up by the four Langwith men, Vanbrugh emerged victorious, with Langwith finishing bottom of the group.
The third/fourth play-off finished with Alcuin winning 3-1 against Derwent, who had come through from Group A after two byes and a loss had given them sufficient points to progress. Derwent appeared to have won the first tug in the tie, but lost the point thanks to two of their players who were illegally wearing studs.
The final saw the two sporting heavyweights of York University face each other, both knowing that the result of this tug could prove key in this year’s chase for the college championship. Goodricke took the first pull with help from their position on the drier side, but Halifax immediately hit back once they had gained the dry ground themselves. However, Goodricke took the lead again and then, despite being positioned on the slippy side, with fatigue perhaps beginning to set in amongst the Halifax ranks after their three group fixtures, Goodricke won the fourth pull of the tie, winning the final 3-1 and claiming a significant victory over their college sport championship rivals.
Results
Group A
Group B
Third/Fourth Play-Off
Final
