YORK City Knights’ almighty scare against Blackbrook ARLC in the Tetley’s Challenge Cup has given lower level amateur rugby league a big shot in the arm, according to Heworth ARLC boss Tim Rumford.

Heworth play in division three of the National Conference League alongside Blackbrook, and Rumford says last week’s third round tie at Langtree Park – in which the Knights only scraped past the St Helens side thanks to a match-winning try with the last play of the game – shows the standard on offer at that level.

Blackbrook, new to the NCL, have won all three of their league games so far but are by no means nailed on for promotion, with Kells and Heworth’s opponents today, Pilkington Recs, among the favourites for the title.

Said ex-York RL player Rumford: “By all accounts the Knights didn’t play well but it’s good that people should see there’s quality in the NCL and in this new division three. Hopefully it will make people sit up and think, ‘Yes there are some good teams at the lower end of the Conference’, with what Blackbrook almost did to York.”

• ALSO on the Cup, it seems this column owes an apology to Championship One newcomers Hemel Stags and Gloucestershire All Golds.

We mused last week that those two expansion rugby league clubs might struggle to overcome heartland amateur clubs Ince Rose Bridge and Skirlaugh, but they prevailed – and in much better fashion than York did at Blackbrook. North Wales Crusaders also saw off West Hull, so maybe it would have been wise to ignore the advice in this column and bet on them going through too.

Fair play to them all, and best of luck in taking the good rugby league fight into new territory.

• IT’S probably best not to dwell on last week’s Knights performance any more, so we’ll simply say that the winners of The Press Player of the Year points this week are Jack Lee (3), Adam Sullivan (2) and Tom Carr (1).

If anyone would like to sponsor the Player of the Year or Player of the Month awards, email peter.martini@thepress.co.uk or phone 01904 567137.

The Press Player of the Year standings: Aldous 10pts, Nicholson 8, Carr 7, Lee 6, Scott 5, Brown 4, Presley 4, Briscoe 4, Sullivan 4, Hadley 3, Lineham 3, Smith 2, Golden 2, Bowden 2, Elliott 1, Ford 1.