Out-of-practice York Acorn to face in-form Norland Sharks in cup (From York Press)

Out-of-practice York Acorn to face in-form Norland Sharks in Challenge Cup

11:17am Thursday 2nd February 2012 in Rugby League By Peter Martini, peter.martini@thepress.co.uk

MATCH practice could be key as York Acorn ARLC look to avoid a big banana skin in the preliminary round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup.

That was the view of Norland Sharks head coach Rob Gardiner, who brings his in-form side to Thanet Road on Saturday (1.30pm) knowing they have a good chance of pulling off a so-called cup giant-killing.

The National Conference League’s switch from a winter to a summer season – which starts in March – means Acorn have not played since the end of the short interim campaign in late October, although they have been in pre-season training for almost a month.

Norland, though, have played regularly over the winter and lead the Hull & District League’s premier division after ten wins and one draw from their 12 games. And Gardiner said: “That will maybe play a part.

“They are used to playing at a higher standard but they haven’t got any match practice so that maybe evens it up a bit. There is a difference in standard but it’s about what happens on the day.”

One of their key men could be scrum-half Danny Gardiner – the coach’s nephew – in a team packed with players aged from 20 to 23, with a few old heads thrown in.

Gardiner senior said “It’s a one-off game and our lads are up for it. We’ve got a lot of young lads and they’re looking forward to it.”

Norland have been regular champions of the Hull league and are that city’s Council Cup holders.

They were pipped to last season’s title by West Hull ‘A’, but the latter’s switch to the summer season – plus the fact their first team, a NCL club, are already entered in the Challenge Cup – means Norland, as runners-up, are their league’s representatives in the competition.

They have reached round three – when professional clubs enter the competition – a few times, including meeting York Wasps in 1998, when they lost 37-5, after having captain Darren Hutchinson, a former Wasps half-back, sent off.

Asked whether they could reach that stage again, Gardiner added: “You’ve always got to hope.”

If Acorn come through this tie, they will go to Shaw Cross Sharks in the first round on February 18.

NCL division two outfit Shaw Cross, whom Acorn beat 56-0 and 32-0 in the interim season, were due to play Valley Cougars this weekend but the Welsh champions of the RL Conference National summer competition withdrew from the cup.

As reported by The Press in December, Heworth, of the NCL second division, have not entered the cup this year.