A DECENT turnout of Knights fans is expected at Hunslet Hawks’ John Charles Stadium tomorrow – and it will be bolstered by the old guard that played in Hunslet’s last-ever game at the famous old Parkside ground.

The regular reader(s) of this column will know that tomorrow’s Kingstone Press Championship clash is being used to commemorate the 40th anniversary of that historic duel, on April 21, 1973, which York won 22-5.

As we reported, Hunslet invited the York team of that day to the Hawks’ present-day home for tomorrow’s game, to meet up with their old opponents back then.

As it happens, The Press understands there’ll be more from the Minster city attending than from Hunslet, with 12 of the 15 lads who donned the York shirt that day getting together to make the short trip to south Leeds.

Dave Rippon, of the York ex-players’ association, phoned up to say they were looking forward to the occasion.

“We (the association) have our ex-players lunches, which 200-odd people usually attend, so we do stay in touch with each other and we stay in touch with other clubs too. We might have been enemies on the pitch but we keep in touch and it’s all actually growing.

“It will be a good day. Hopefully York can win it again, too.”

The 12 attending are Keith Gullen, Clive Hill, Rippon, Steve Quinn, Gary Smith, Tony Sullivan, Ian Payne, Colin Forsyth, Charlie Hillman, Danny Sheehan, Brian Meillam and Pete Cookland. Those who can’t make it are Mick Major, Mal Dixon and Frank Dunham.

Rippon added: “Clive Hill I think is living on a farm in the East Riding somewhere and he took some finding.”

Hill, and a few others dotted around the place, will be making their own way to Hunslet, but some of the York-based lads will be convening at the York Tap at York Railway Station at 11.30am, before heading to the match. I’m sure they’ll be happy to say hello to fans, too, if any fancy meeting up for a nice ale at the Tap.

 

• PLAYING cards on the bus used to be standard fare en route to games. If it’s still the case at the Knights, the players may start queuing up for a game of poker with Jack Pickles.

The 21-year-old finally proved his fitness last week ahead of the Toulouse game after suffering concussion against Barrow at Easter – but not before failing the ‘head test’ five times. For anyone unaware, these tests, to check out a person’s memory and reaction times, are currently based on playing-cards.

Using a computer, a player has to press different keys when either a black or red card is shown, and different keys again key the same card or a different card comes up.

Apparently Pickles was fine with all that, but struggled on the next test where you have to remember if a card had come before.

Said head coach Gary Thornton: “That one isn’t actually that easy. I think with Jack, the more he failed it, the more anxious he got.

“Rather than being concussed still, there’s just anxiety.

“After about 20 cards you can’t remember if one’s been before and then you just press anything.”

Eventually, Pickles was checked out thoroughly by doctors and, when shown to be compos mentis, was given the okay to play.

“He passed that with flying colours and he trained with no ill-effects,” added Thornton, who said after the game how well the back-rower had played too.

“It was just that one bloody test. If anything, it probably just shows he’s no good at poker.”

 

• PROP star Jack Aldous has achieved a notable feat.

The 22-year-old has lifted each of the last three awards handed out by The Press – the 2012 Player of the Year trophy, which he is holding in his right hand, and the first two Player of the Month rewards of the 2013, as voted for by The Press readers, with the one for March being held in his left hand after he was presented with it before the Challenge Cup win over Toulouse.

He is probably an outsider for the April gong, however, which will be decided after tomorrow’s trip to Hunslet. Vote for your Player of the Month here. You can also tweet @PMartiniPress or email peter.martini@thepress.co.uk.

Whoever wins the monthly accolade gets three bonus points to add to their The Press Player of the Year tally. The movers on that leaderboard this week were hard to pick following the fine showing against Toulouse.

James Ford, as our man of the match, gets three points, while the other points went to Tom Carr (2), who joins Jack Lee in second place, and Craig Potter (1), who gets onto the ladder.

If anyone would like to sponsor these awards, email peter.martini@thepress.co.uk or phone 01904 567137.

The Press Player of the Year standings: Aldous 10pts, Lee 9, Carr 9, Nicholson 8, Sullivan 6, Scott 5, Brown 5, Ford 4, Presley 4, Briscoe 4, Hadley 3, Lineham 3, Smith 2, Golden 2, Bowden 2, Elliott 1, Potter 1.

 

• SUPER League has its Man of Steel – and now Knights fans have the chance to name the award presented to the players who make the biggest impact on the Kingstone Press Championships.

The Man of Steel has been crowned every year since 1977 and, from 2013, at the Championships awards dinner, the sport will celebrate the counterparts in the semi- professional competitions.

The winners will be determined by the Championship and Championship One coaches, who are canvassed after every round, but the name of the actual award will be selected by fans, who have until May 6 to submit their suggestion.

“There are some exceptionally talented players in the Championships and it is only right and proper we name an award which encapsulates all they stand for,” said Rugby Football League chief operating officer Ralph Rimmer.

Once all the submissions have been collated, the three most popular options will be put to a public vote. The trophies will then be created ahead of the end-of-season awards dinner, which takes place in Leeds on September 26.

The names of all the fans who have submitted a suggestion will go into a draw, with the winner receiving two invitations to the black tie event.

To submit an entry, enter details at www.rugbyleaguechampionships.co.uk/opinion_form

 

• DO you want to help make the draw for the first round of the Northern Rail Cup at The Shay, Halifax, on Wednesday?

Rugby league legend Robbie Hunter-Paul will conduct the draw alongside one rugby fan picked out of a hat. To be in with a chance of being that fan, tweet @RLChampionships stating which clubs Hunter-Paul played for when he won his two Northern Rail Cup finals.

The draw for the knock-out stages of the competition will be held live on BBC Radio Leeds at 6.20pm when all 14 Kingstone Press Championship clubs will join London Skolars and North Wales Crusaders in the competition’s final stages.

Let’s hope this draw isn’t quite as controversial as the one for the Challenge Cup fifth round, which was broadcast on the Richard Bacon Show on BBC Radio 5Live last Monday and received a fair amount criticism.