NEW Earswick All Blacks ARLC player-coach Jack Stearman has admitted being perplexed by the latest Pennine League reshuffle - and fears their season has become a costly farce.

Confusion also reigns at present, with Stearman reckoning his side, who previously had six games left in their campaign, now have only one to go, while chairman Paul Pallister thinks they have three.

Either way, their scheduled fixture this Saturday at home to Newsome Panthers has been cancelled.

League chiefs announced in midweek that the championship one division, despite it being so late in the campaign, was being split into an east and west format, with All Blacks in the former.

However, the fixtures remaining, league standings and promotion format - if there is to be one - are yet to be confirmed.

The decision was taken due to the amount of games - up to 11 or 12 - that some clubs still had left, a backlog and disparate situation caused by the reshuffle earlier in the season which saw four championship clubs put into the premier division and the remainder, like All Blacks, merge with championship one. This followed the departure of several leading clubs to the National Conference League.

Said Stearman: "I'm not sure what's going on. As I read it, we've gone from having six games left to one. That seems like a joke.

"It's certainly not fair on the lads, or the competition. This season seems to have turned into a bit of a farce really.

"Some lads have only got ten years at open age, and it almost seems like this one has been a waste of a year. We're almost playing for nothing and all the hard work they've done has been for nothing."

Clubs will carry results forward from games already played against teams from their own new division.

Alongside New Earswick in the east section are Allerton Bywater, Bentley Good Companions, Brotherton and leaders Doncaster Toll Bar, while the west division comprises Batley Boys, King Cross Park, Morley Borough, Newsome Panthers, Odsal Sedbergh and St Joseph's.

Not only does this wipe out several All Blacks victories, meaning they will tumble from second place, but there is also a financial cost, with the club having had to pay for travel to certain games but without now having the return fixtures to bring money in through bar sales.

"We've lost about five home games after the last reshuffle and now this," said Stearman.

"We're also going to lose points. We had a great record at home but the points we've picked up away - at Odsal and an excellent victory at Batley Boys - are now wiped off. What does that reward?

"Not including the games before the previous reshuffle, we've won nine and lost five but, as I understand it, our new record will be won three lost four.

"We're awaiting confirmation of what's going on but it's hard to work out the reasoning behind it all."

The other divisions in the Pennine League are not affected, with Sherburn Bears looking to kickstart their promotion tilt in division four at lowly West Bowling 'A'.

Sherburn have suffered successive defeats to leaders Crofton, with last week's 38-10 reverse coming in the Supplementary Cup quarter-finals.

But there were several positives as an under-strength Bears team, with captain Ray Boyes man of the match, battled on and were only undone by four late tries as they ran out of steam.

Sherburn tries came from young winger Layton Orford, from an excellent cross-field kick by scrum-half Martin Leahy, and impressive prop Dom Edwards, who charged through from 40 metres and held off three players to score, Leahy converting.

Selby Warriors' scheduled home game with Wortley Dragons has been postponed.