When Wigan Warriors take on Leeds Rhinos in the inaugral Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford tomorrow, some of the most crucial calls could be made by a York man.

Former rugby league referee David Asquith has been selected to be the video referee for the titanic tussle which is expected to draw a crowd of over 40,000.

Asquith, 45, who retired from officiating at the top level in 1997, has been acting as a video referee all through the summer, and performed the role for the Great Britain v Australia Test at Wembley last November.

But he is thrilled to have been selected for this massive occasion. He said: "It's a tremendous honour for me and the York Rugby League Referees' Society."

Asquith believes the use of the new technology to assist referees in making decisions has been a good move.

"It has extended my career for one thing," he joked, adding more seriously: "It is a high intensity, high speed game, and it's an incredible testament to the referees that the video replays usually prove them right."

Just because Asquith is not in the full gaze of the crowd does not mean he can sit back and relax while the game is in progress.

He said: "I still get the tension and adrenalin. I just don't get the pain in my knees afterwards now.

"I can tell the producer which angles I want to see an incident from and see it as many times as I need, in slow motion, or freeze frames."

Asquith revealed that the most times he had been called on to rule on decisions in one match was five during the Wigan v Hunter Mariners world Club Championship game last year.

So as the Warriors and the Rhinos charge into each other on Saturday, fans can rest assured that come what may, nothing is going to escape the eyes of David Asquith.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.