YORK Acorn ARLC 'A' team will be out to prove the Thanet Road club have the second-best amateur team in the city as well as the first.

After opening games in the Yorkshire Men's League Forty-20 Cup were wiped out by wet weather, Acorn 'A' kick off their season this Saturday at home to cross-city rivals Heworth (2.30pm) before facing York Lokomotive next weekend.

The Blue and Golds, whose first team are among the amateur game's elite in the National Conference League premier division, are looking to reach the final of this pre-season competition for a fourth consecutive year - and in doing so see off both derby rivals.

The competition involves 18 teams in one big pool, each playing four matches, with the top four teams after those fixtures going into the semi-finals. The final will be at Heworth on Friday, May 27.

Acorn 'A' coach Leigh Paul-Rientoul said: "I've won it as a player and it'd be great to win it as a coach. We lost to Sharlston in the final last year but I'm hoping we can go one better this time."

Heworth used to vie with Acorn's first team in the NCL but now play in the YML.

Said Paul-Rientoul: "We are in the premier division (of the YML) and Heworth are in division one so I'd like to think we're favourites this weekend.

"Both sides will definitely be playing for pride. After what happened with our first team the other week (a 66-0 Challenge Cup defeat to the city's professional club, York City Knights), there's been a bit of banter flying around. We're keen to make sure we shut people up with a good performance.

"At the moment, Acorn are ranked the number one amateur team in York and I believe our second team are number two but we need to make sure we put the performance in to prove it."

The Lokos, whose clash with Heworth last week was among those to fall to waterlogged pitches, kick off at home to Featherstone Lions 'A'.