A SWITCH to summer rugby is not on New Earswick All Blacks ARLC's immediate agenda despite another "frustrating" Pennine League winter campaign.

All Blacks, who had begun the season targeting the top two spots in the championship division, finish their term at home to third-placed West Leeds Eagles on Saturday (2.30pm) already guaranteed to finish third-bottom after a second successive stop-start season.

Regardless of their position, though, there is likely to be another restructure of the league given the number of clubs that have quit for summer rugby, which has left this tier down to eight teams and the premier division with only five.

But while New Earswick player-coach Jack Stearman has bemoaned another bad year on and off the pitch, which has included forfeiting two matches, he has intimated his club - the last one in York left playing winter rugby - are unlikely to follow suit.

"We've not talked about it," he said. "A lot of teams, and good teams, are going that way so the summer league must be doing something right to attract them, but it's not been on the agenda here."

Stearman has previously said he couldn't wait for the season to end but wants to finish it on a high - not only tomorrow but in the York & District Cup that follows a fortnight later with a semi-final against York Lokomotive.

"It's been a tough season on and off the field," he said. "It's not been a great winter for the league in general with games off because of the weather and some teams leaving to go summer, which has all affected our fixtures.

"We've had our injury problems too, but we're looking to finish on a positive.

"We're not happy with our position and some of our performances have not been good enough, but we've been beaten a few times when if decisions had gone our way or if the bounce of the ball had gone our way we'd have won.

"It's been frustrating for the players and club officials but we've got through it and we've had 17 on the field in the last couple of outings and put in some decent performances so there are positives."

Sherburn Bears's season, in stark contrast, has been a cracker, with the division four east title sewn up with two games to go.

They host bottom club Leeds Underdogs in their penultimate outing on Saturday, while Selby Warriors go to second-placed title-chasers Ovenden in division two.