A MAJOR rugby league roadshow to promote the forthcoming York Nines event is set to scrum down on the city centre streets - and it could well give the 'Keep Wasps Buzzing' campaign a boost.

The original idea of the roadshow, which is planned for some time in May, was to champion the prestigious nine-a-side rugby league festival which will be held in York on Bank Holiday Monday, June 3.

But organisers are also keen for fans of York Wasps to get involved in a bid to raise the profile of and drum up support for the out-of-action professional club.

Wasps supporters are trying to raise funds and sponsorship to get the club readmitted to the Northern Ford Premiership, preferably in June when the league campaign resumes, or otherwise in time for next season.

And the pledge by organisers of the York Nines to work with the Wasps in the run-up to the festival has been met with delight by fans' leader Gary Hall.

"We would be keen to be involved with that," he said. "It's important that all of rugby league works together in York and I'm sure this kind of thing can only be of benefit to both the Wasps and the festival."

The inaugural York Golden Jubilee Rugby League Festival, backed by the Rugby Football League and City of York Council, will be hosted by Heworth ARLFC.

Given an English Civil War theme, the festival will see 16 teams from all over the British Isles and France, including a unique York select squad called the York Ironsides, compete for the Fairfax Cup.

Cheltenham-based festival organiser Lionel Hurst, the former London Broncos supremo, said he was keen to help the Wasps get back on their feet and as such was happy to link the York Nines event with the 'Keep Wasps Buzzing' campaign.

"We don't want to work on our festival without consideration to the plight of the Wasps," he said. "We want to give the great game of rugby league a boost in this great city.

"We think this festival will be a great success and if we can help the Wasps in the meantime then that will be great.

"We've got a tremendous working party for this festival and if the Wasps fans feel they want to join us in this kind of thing we would be very positive about that.

"We want to work with them. We are in this together because we love the game."

Updated: 10:22 Saturday, April 06, 2002