NEW Earswick All Blacks ARLC have quit the Pennine League and are to switch to summer rugby next year.

The winter season in amateur rugby league has kicked off but All Blacks have been conspicuous by their absence in the top echelons of the pre-eminent Pennine competition.

Player-coach Jack Stearman has confirmed the club will instead sit the next few months out and then begin pre-season for action in the spring. They are to officially apply for the Yorkshire Men's League in November.

New Earswick's last two campaigns have been disrupted by various Pennine League reorganisations, some in mid-season, plus the departure of other teams to summer rugby and bad weather causing several other games to be postponed. The knock-on effect saw players become unavailable when matches finally came around, with All Blacks having to forfeit points after failing to raise a side.

The decision to switch to summer was made by the players and backed by club chiefs.

Said Stearman: "We had a meeting between the players at the end of last season and discussed how we thought it had been.

"It was pretty disappointing. We had 12 weeks off without a match at one point, from December to February, and we just asked if we wanted to carry on or switch to summer.

"The majority of them said they were in favour of summer.

"We took that decision to the club and they agreed. Everyone is buying into it."

He added: "You tend to get more continuity in the summer league now. Sometimes with how things were going in the Pennine League we didn't know who we were playing until the Tuesday or Thursday which makes it hard to organise games.

"We had a lot of good times in the Pennine League but the lads want to know what they're doing from one week to the next. It makes it easier to train and play.

"We've played winter rugby a long time, but summer is the way the game has been going for a while. I think it's the right time for us to make this decision and we can move forward from now.

"I think we'll get more players with the switch. There's been a change in ethos in the kids as well. The juniors all play summer rugby now and so there'll be continuity for them when they come into open age."

All Blacks hope to be placed in the Yorkshire Men's League premier division but may have to start at the bottom.

Said Stearman: "When you look at results in the York Cup in the last couple of years, we beat York Lokos (a YML division two side) and Heworth (division one) by 40 points. Heworth have had a change of personnel since but we know we can compete with them.

"The premier division would be nice but maybe we will have to make our way up."

Selby Warriors and Sherburn Bears are the York area's only remaining clubs still playing winter rugby league.

Selby have lost their first two games in Pennine League division four and will hope to get off the mark at home to Siddal this Saturday (2.30pm).

Sherburn edged Greetland All-Rounders 25-24 in a thrilling division three opener last week and go to Allerton Bywater on Saturday.