Less than two-and-a-half miles separate the grounds of Bradford Salem and Bradford & Bingley – but the contrast between them at various stages this week could hardly have been more marked.

“I am walking on the first-team pitch now,” said Salem’s manager Neil Klenk tonight.

“We had it vertidrained a couple of weeks ago and I would say it was on the good side of soft.”

Meanwhile, Salem’s president Tony Rae was at Wagon Lane at 9pm last night and said: “You couldn’t distinguish where the River Aire ended and where the pitches either side of the river began.

“The boundary rope was floating on the cricket pitch, but less than 12 hours later the main area of concern was the area in front of the rugby changing rooms.”

The Bees’ ground and changing rooms manager John Fletcher said: “A decision will be made early on Saturday morning.”

At least the two points the Bees gained in losing to Kendal last weekend lifted them out of a relegation berth, which was a major morale booster.

While the SSE National League Three North derby between the Bees and Harrogate is therefore in grave doubt, no such worries seem to be affecting the Yorkshire Division Two derby between Salem and Yarnbury.

Salem have prop Simon Davies and No 8 Kris Falwasser back but missing are centre Jonny Robinson and full back Danny Belcher.

Cleckheaton are giving former junior Danny Nolan a chance in the second row at Pocklington in North One East, switching Ryan Piercy to the back row, and have also promoted Jonno Marshall to full back off the bench.

Keighley’s squad is still a bit threadbare with Will Armitage and Adam Sutcliffe joining a lengthy casulaty list, and director of rugby Graeme Sheffield admitted: “We are holding our own in the division but we are under no illusions about going to leaders Wheatley Hills.

“We lost to Northern two weeks ago and they were beaten by Wheatley Hills last weekend.”

Wibsey, meanwhile are at home to Sheffield Oaks in Yorkshire Five, hoping the psychological damage caused by their 100-0 defeat to Stanley Rodillians last time out isn’t too severe.

Keighley (at Wheatley Hills) from: A Brown, S Brown, B Blackwell, R Clarke, S Dyson, G Fletcher, J Hannah, D Iliff, S Minikin, D McGee, M Phillips, P Sinfield, C Spencer, L Sugden, A Sutcliffe, H Titley, L Uren, A Waligura.

Cleckheaton (at Pocklington): Jonno Marshall; M Woodhead, I Gordon, Matt Piper, R Hayden; J Toulson, J Bickerdike; B Thrower, S Worsley, P Turner, G Turton, D Nolan, R Piercy, O Akroyd, R Piper. Replacements: J Wilson, L Goldthorpe, R Bennett.

Bradford Salem (home to Yarnbury) from: C Walker, R Jolly, S McLelland, S Gardner, S Savage, A Robinson, D Howcroft, J Bradbury, S Markey, S Davies, S Leach, J Cunliffe, D Pearson, D Hutton, K Falwasser, J Ashworth, D McNicholl.