PLAYER-BOSS Jack Stearman declared himself chuffed with New Earswick All Blacks ARLC’s final placing in the Pennine League after a tumultuous season.

All Blacks are guaranteed to finish third in the championship one division having ended their campaign with 14 wins and six defeats.

Stearman says it meets their pre-season targets, notwithstanding the re-structures and reorganisations that blighted the league after the departure to the National Conference League of several clubs. And they still have silverware to play for, having reached the final of the York & District Community Cup.

“It’s been a difficult year with all the changes but I’m chuffed to bits with how we finished,” said Stearman, whose team ended with a 30-14 win at King Cross to follow up their York cup semi-final win over York Acorn ‘A’.

“The lads have started to believe in themselves and their ability and picking up last week and over Acorn shows people are believing in what we’re trying to do as a club.

“We set a top-four target originally and the way the league’s panned out we’ve done that, and we have a chance of silverware in the York cup, which is great, particularly with such a young squad.”

All Blacks began term in the championship but a November reorganisation saw that division scrapped with some clubs going into the premier division and the rest, including All Blacks, going into championship one.

Asked if that made a difference to the team’s target, Stearman said: “In a way, yes, but we can only play what’s in front of us. We beat Queensbury (on November 1) and they’re now a premier division side.

“I’m disappointed with some results but we were close in some of our defeats and this year of experience for our young lads will help with our goals for next year.”

The other York & District Community Cup semi-final between York Lokomotive and Selby Warriors is scheduled for May 9, with the final later that month.

The Warriors, pipped 18-16 by Brotherton in last weekend’s Selby & District Cup final at Featherstone Rovers, have slowly moved up to fourth place in Pennine League division four but that recent league form will come under scrutiny as they go to unbeaten leaders Crofton Cougars this Saturday (2.30pm) for their penultimate game of term.