WIBSEY have given up on their bid for double glory.

The Yorkshire Division Five champions were hoping to add the Keith Dyas Cup, which also involves clubs from Yorkshire Division Four, to their league silverware, but the intermittent nature of the cup fixtures has proved too much.

"We were playing a game about every three weeks, and my team has the attention span of a gnat," said Wibsey's team manager Steve Brooke.

"Numbers have gone down in training since our league season finished in January and we could have fulfilled our cup fixture last weekend against Knaresborough with nine or ten regulars plus fillers-in, but it wouldn't have been a representative side so we crossed off.

"After we lost to Mosborough, we would have needed a bonus-point win against Knaresborough and to win by 20-odd points.

"It would have been nice to have been the first name on the Keith Dyas Cup as he is one of our members, but the competition was at the back end of the season, like it was in 2015-16.

"The coach of Wibsey Warriors, our rugby league partners, has been very good with us, saying that the lads who had played for us during our season could continue to play for us even though Wibsey Warriors' summer season has started, but instead we will just start building for 2017-18.

"There are all sorts of rumours about what might happen, including allowing some Merit Table teams in.

"For example, Hallamshire (who used to play in the division) are fielding two teams but playing in a Merit League because they say that they don't want to be fined for non-fulfilment of league fixtures, but that never happened to us when we crossed off - we got points deducted but were never fined.

"But hopefully we will be playing in a league that will have a full fixture list next season."

On next season, Brooke added: "We have had a couple of players approach us already and we might have two players returning for us who haven't played for a while, though I am not naming them yet as they haven't registered.

"But our recruitment is likely to centre on people playing for Yorkshire Division Three second teams who fancy a go at league rugby.

"We also want to enter the Yorkshire Silver Trophy next season."

Wibsey are holding their prize presentation evening at Bharat Restaurant, Great Horton Road on Saturday, April 29 (7pm).

Tickets are £15 including curry and a raffle ticket.