HEWORTH ARLC have been left angry and perplexed by the Yorkshire Junior League’s controversial decision to call off all of their club’s junior games last weekend – all for the sake of £5.

The Villagers were fined that amount under league rules for failing to phone through a result – for an under-11s game – on time.

An acounting oversight meant the fine was likewise not paid on time, and so in response league chiefs axed all six of their junior matches last weekend, meaning about 140 kids – from Heworth and their opposition teams at each age group – were prevented from playing rugby league.

What makes the situation even more galling, according to the club, is the fact the league owed them £45 for registration overpayments.

Heworth spokesman Ken Sykes said: “I was pretty upset when I found out about it.

“People spend a lot of time trying to do all they can voluntarily for young kids to play rugby league, and for the sake of five quid and maybe a phone call this happens.

“I’m sure if someone from the league had just phoned me up and said, ‘Do you realise you owe a fiver... even though technically they owe us... I would’ve got in my car and taken them a fiver.

“It’s bureaucracy gone mad.

“You’re talking in the range of 70 players from our club and 70 from the other teams, all young lads not getting a game. It’s so stupid I can’t actually believe it.

“I tried to contact Yorkshire Junior League officials before last weekend and left messages and never got a phone call back. To be fair, one lady did ring back later and said she’s been on holiday. But I was fuming last Thursday.”

Sykes admitted there had been “an oversight on our part” as regards phoning in the result and paying the £5.

But he added: “It’s complicated by the fact they owed us £45 after we paid too much in registration. They could have just taken that £5 off that amount and let the games go ahead.

“Carl Deighton, from our junior section, got through to the league treasurer and they accepted they owed us but said the games were still suspended. In the end they took the fiver off that £45 but said it was too late to get the games on.”

He added: “It’s pretty poor really. I know there are rules for a reason and maybe our club was even one who voted for these rules. From time to time there might be trouble with a club not paying fines, which I understand. But a fiver? If it had been £100 not paid for three months I could have understood, but £5 – when they owed us £45?”

It was yet to be confirmed whether the games would be rearranged or if Heworth also lose the league points. Sykes added: “There’s the revenue clubs get from games as well which has been lost. It’s all over and done with now, thankfully, and games are on.”