YORK Wasps have been guaranteed some bumper home crowds thanks to the new Rugby League Premiership fixture list.

The Premiership season, like last year, will see all 19 teams play 28 games, facing ten teams twice (home and away) and the other eight teams only once (home or away).

And the fixture programme sees Wasps assured of home games against crowd-pullers Hull KR, Oldham, champions Leigh Centurions, Doncaster and Sheffield.

They will not have to travel to league favourites Leigh, and have been drawn to face Gateshead, Hunslet and Chorley - a trio of potentially poor teams - both home and away, giving them a better chance of more points.

The Wasps will have to make the daunting journey to relegated Huddersfield Giants without the benefit of their bringing a large crowd to York for a return fixture, and they have not been granted a home match on Boxing Day, which traditionally brings in the crowds.

However, they are at home on New Year's Day, another good day for attendances, and will kick off the season, on December 2, with a home game, against Whitehaven.

There are also a number of free weekends for each club so that any games postponed over the winter because of bad weather can be rearranged for Sundays rather than midweek, as agreed by the league.

The inaugural National League Cup, which pierces the league campaign, sees Wasps on their travels for two of the five group games, but all in all the club have looked favourably on the fixture list.

Chief executive Ann Garvey said: "There have been one or two alterations from the initial list we were sent and we're delighted with the way it's come out.

"We're disappointed not to have been given a home draw on Boxing Day, which was one of our requests, but we've had one for the past two years so we have to take our turn.

"We do get a home draw on New Year's Day, against Swinton, so that should bring in a decent crowd.

"There are some teams we don't get to play at home who would have possibly brought in bigger crowds, such as Huddersfield, but we do get to entertain the likes of Hull KR, Leigh, Oldham and Doncaster so I don't think we can complain."

She added: "We're quite happy with the cup draw as well. Although we've only got two home games, they're against Doncaster and Featherstone so the crowds should be good."

Meanwhile, most of the York-based players were starting pre-season training this evening.

With coach Leo Epifania not yet arrived from Australia, assistant coach Martin Flynn was to take charge of the first close-season session.

Updated: 12:29 Tuesday, October 16, 2001