YORK International 9s bosses have wished York City Knights all the best for Sunday as the Minster city braces itself for a rugby league feast this weekend.

The ever-growing York 9s annual tournament takes place tomorrow and Sunday at Heworth ARLC's Elm Park Way ground, with the action on both days kicking off at 10.30am.

The qualifying series will be held tomorrow, with the finals series on Sunday, when the top sides fight it out for the Fairfax Cup.

That day will also see the Knights, who currently lead LHF Healthplan National League Two, visit NL1 giants Hull KR for their long-awaited Arriva Trains Cup semi-final, which is expected to see up to 2,000 York fans make the journey to Craven Park (ko 3pm).

Many of those supporters will therefore not be able to attend the finals day at York 9s, but tournament director Stefan Hopewell was upbeat about both events.

He said: "It's unfortunate (that the semi-final clashes with the York 9s) but we wish them all the best. It's York RL's first semi-final for 20 years so we wish them every success.

"But there's something for everyone at the York 9s. We've got two days of fun, starting with the qualifying series on the Saturday."

Among the entertainments at the York 9s include the Rugby League Skillzone and a European food court, and Hopewell added: "The tournament has an attraction of its own.

"It's a whole weekend of rugby, with 24 teams from six nations battling it out."

Champions FC Lezignan-Corbieres, one of three French teams in the event, kick off the tournament against the Academic Lions, and they will both be among the favourites, along with Russian side Strela Kazan and local representative outfit York Ironsides, who are one of three teams from the host city, the others being student side York Tigers and cross-code guests York RUFC.

Sixteen teams qualify via Saturday's group games for the Fairfax Cup knockout stages, with the other eight going into the Collier Waste Solutions Plate. The eight teams who lose the first knockout game in the main competition will battle it out for the York City Knights Shield.

Sunday will also see under-11s sides from York - the Junior Ironsides - Castleford, Leeds and Bradford contest the Canterbury Cup.

The tournament has been promoted throughout the city by posters designed by nine-year-old Finlay Rylatt.

The Hempland Primary School pupil won the competition, run in conjunction with the Evening Press, to design a York 9s poster and in doing so won £500 worth of computer equipment for his school, donated by sponsors PC World, based at Monks Cross.

The four runners-up in the poster competition each won computer equipment for their schools, with a total value of nearly £2,000. Each school received a Lexmark 'all-in-one' printer and various software, plus a few games for the youngsters. The two-day tournament will also see a PC World demonstration and a prize draw for Canon equipment.

The Evening Press will be attending tomorrow when they will be selling newspapers complete with free goodie bags.

York International 9s

Group 1: FC Lezignan-Corbieres, Academic Lions, Worcester Saints, Newcastle Knights.

Group 2: West Indies, South Asia Bulls, Cambridge Eagles, York Tigers.

Group 3: British Army, Royal Navy, Essex Eels, Bramley Buffaloes.

Group 4: Strela Kazan, Les Hussards de Paris, Glasgow Bulls, Lancaster.

Group 5: SO Avignon, Royal Air Force, Edinburgh Eagles, York RUFC.

Group 6: York Ironsides, Montpellier, Bristol Sonics, Cumbria.

Updated: 10:50 Friday, June 25, 2004