LANCASTER WIN AGAIN – A TRIUMPH FOR ALL-ROUND TEAM PERFORMANCE, SAYS COACH

Lancaster claimed their sixth National League title in eight seasons with an emphatic 12-8 victory over Bristol Central in the finale to the Loughborough weekend.

Lancaster's triumphant team : Back row (left to right): Rysz Detko (coach), Paul Haworth, Jamie McIlquham, Andrew Squires, Steven Knowles, Jim Lafferty, Ryan Pinington, Neil Bowers, Tom Curwen, Dougie Campbell, Colin Burgess. Front: Chris Hartley (captain) and Dave Bush.

Success, says coach Ryszard Detko, was due to a consistently high level of team performance in the second half of the programme after a slightly shaky start. The team reached a peak at Loughborough when “by the half-time whistle we were 8-1 ahead of Rotherham, who ended up third-placed in the league, and 8-2 up against Bristol in the title decider.

“It would be unfair of me to mention individuals. I can only issue well-deserved praise to all the players.”

Lancaster are clearly determined to remain a power in the land in the longer-term future.

Ryszard added: “We are aware that we have a number of older players whose playing time for one reason or another is limited. Therefore, we will be looking to continue to develop the integration of our younger, less experienced players into the team in order to maintain the standards that we are currently setting.

”We all know a number of teams who in the past have neglected the development side of their squads and suffered accordingly when key players disappeared.”

Bristol finished runners-up followed by Rotherham, Penguin and Cheltenham.

DIVISION TWO TITLE GOES TO HUCKNALL

Six seasons after joining the National League, Hucknall have clinched the Second Division crown and can look forward to facing the likes of Lancaster and Bristol in Division One next season.

The title was guaranteed once the Nottinghamshire club convincingly beat Newton Abbot 14-10 in what was effectively the promotion decider at Basingstoke.

Coach Tim Dunsbee was delighted. “Apart from bringing in a couple of players from other clubs, this success has been achieved with the squad we started out with in the Third Division in 1998,” he said.

“The Second Division has been a much stronger competition this year. Last season, we were runners-up to Birkenhead. We’re a better side this season yet none of the games in the second half of the programme was easy – as proved by our defeat early on against Otter, who finished in fifth place.

“Division One will be a massive step-up. We’ll need to work hard on fitness and go into it with the sort of confidence we have shown this season.”

When Hucknall entered the National League in 1998, they finished third in the Third Division behind Newton Abbot and Wroughton. They were runners-up in each of the next two years. But both Wroughton and Hucknall were promoted in 2000. In 2001, Hucknall began a rapid rise, taking third place in Division Two behind Nova and Invicta.

WARLEY CLINCH DIVISION THREE TITLE

Warley are celebrating promotion to Division Two after clinching the title in a tense final weekend at Walsall (see Results page).

Back row, L to R - Chris Dickenson (Coach), John Halstead (G/K), Gareth Cheadle, Paul Martin, Carl Smith, Dave Lane, Tony Hall, Chris Carty, John Pridden, Adam Whitehall.
Front - Ian Wilkins, Edward Smart, Nick Covington, William Merryweather, Nick Burrows.

No one was more delighted than Chris Dickinson, the former Great Britain captain who enjoyed a 12-year international playing career up to 1976 and was a key member of the Aston team that enjoyed a number of successful seasons in National League Division One through the 1970s.

Chris took the helm at Warley more than a decade ago. And the Midlands club, National League members for 19 seasons until they dropped out in 1995, re-entered Division Three three years ago. “Perhaps the most pleasing aspect is that the bulk of the players – for example, Gareth Cheadle, Nick Covington, Eddie Smart, David Lane and Adam Whitehall – are products of the successful junior system run by club secretary Martin Wilkins,” he said. “These lads have blended well with long-serving Warley players like Chris Carty and Tony Hall.

“We realise that Division Two will be a big step up and that we will need to work on our fitness in preparation for next season. Whatever happens, we’ll be sticking with the youngsters who have performed so well. I was with the Warley squad that briefly made it to Division One in 1991. The big mistake we made then was to bring people in from other clubs to boost our strength. When we dropped down a division, they left – and that’s a situation when clubs really suffer.”

Warley beat Bedford in their title decider at Walsall and dropped only four points in a 15-match programme – all from drawn games, including two earlier on against Bedford, who are now entitled to challenge the next-to-bottom Division Two team to a promotion play-off.

BIRKENHEAD RETAIN DIVISION ONE STATUS

Newton Abbot, runners-up in Division Two, have decided not to bid for promotion through the end-of-season play-offs.

It means that Birkenhead, who finished ninth in Division One, remain in the top flight in 2004.

The play-off between City of Leeds, who were ninth in Division Two, and Bedford, the Division Three runners-up, will take place at Walsall on Saturday, 13 December at 3.45pm. The pool is booked from 3.30pm for the warm up.

LEEDS LEAVE IT LATE FOR PLAY-OFF VICTORY

City of Leeds will retain Division Two status next season after defeating Third Division runners-up Bedford 11-8 in the end-of-season play-off at Walsall.

Bedford had high hopes of success after building an 8-6 lead towards the end of the third period.

But a goal by Armitage brought Leeds back to 8-7. Then Leeds dominated the final quarter, equalising through Gomersall and racing clear with a penalty by Clark and further goals by Hagen and Wilson.

Bedford scorers: Chinnock 3, Irvine 3, Simpson, Adam Monico. Leeds: Clark (4), Armitage (2), Hagen (2), Wilson, Bendelow, Gomersall.