I DOUBT you can class it as a silver lining, but Jamie Bovill's red card might just have broken a record.

As all Knights fans will know, Bovill was sent off just five minutes into the season when he was red-carded by referee Ian Smith against Hull KR last Sunday.

It was by no means the fastest sending-off in a match, nor was it the fastest sending-off in a season. Anyone remember Jason Smith getting red-carded after about 40 seconds of Hull's opening game of 2003, in the Challenge Cup against Halifax?

However, it might just be the fastest sending off for a debutant, especially by a debutant at the start of the season. Against his previous club.

I say it might be, because there are no records for this kind of thing but no-one I've spoken to can think of a faster one.

DON'T FORGET, fans wanting to buy tickets for the Huntington Stadium Main Stand throughout this season are advised to book their seats early.

Season ticket sales - which are more than double previous years - and allocated seating for sponsors means only about 150 seats will be free on match-days, and these will go on a first come first served basis.

Therefore, there may only be a few, if any, seats left available on a match-day so tickets should be bought via the club office on weekdays, telephone 01904 758234.

RUMOURS that former Knights captain Chris Levy was forced out of Belle Vue due to the imminent arrival of top recruit Paul McNicholas are unfounded.

Australian Levy left the Knights for Doncaster Lakers in the close season but has since quit the club. The Lakers then brought in fellow Aussie McNicholas, a forward released by Hull, in a big coup, and it was suggested Levy had been moved on to make room.

However, McNicholas does not figure on the overseas quota as he has a European passport and the fact remains Levy left for the personal reasons he outlined in the Evening Press.

As an aside, Levy might have joked at the time that he would support Doncaster this season above York, the Lakers having been his last club, but he was at Huntington Stadium rather than Belle Vue last Sunday following the Knights against Hull KR.

KNIGHTS fans who went to the pre-season games may have noticed the club has a new physio.

Paul O'Connor, who was with the Knights in 2004, has returned to Huntington Stadium following the departure of Hannah Gray, who did the duties last season.

WE had a bumper entry for our competition to win 'League of Their Own' DVD, the behind-the-scenes look at Great Britain at last year's Gillette Tri-Nations, which was released this week.

The correct answer to the question, "Who won the 2005 Gillette Tri-Nations series" was, of course, New Zealand, who memorably shocked the Aussies in the final.

All the entrants got the right answer and the lucky five pulled out of a hat were: Allan Paul Coyle, of Nunthorpe Drive, York; K Malarkey, of Stockton Lane, York; M Elliott, of Thanet Road, Dringhouses; K Cattle, of Walton Place, Acomb; and R Hutchinson, of Manor Park Close, York.

THE opening rounds in the Collier Plant Hire Evening Press Player of the Year competition will be updated on this page next week.

Updated: 09:43 Saturday, February 18, 2006