NORTH Ribblesdale journey into the unknown again tomorrow when they entertain Bedfordshire side Biddenham in Round Six of the Powergen Vase.

After a weather-enforced lay-off last weekend when their game at Beverley was postponed, the Grove Park men should be rarin' to go, especially since an appearance at Twickenham in the final, with all the attendant festivity, is starting to become a tangible prospect.

North Ribb are certainly on a high at the moment with one of their hot streaks taking them into a position to challenge for promotion and the mood in the camp must be one of cautious optimism.

The Settle side have made a spectacular start to their campaign by scoring 196 points and conceding just 31 in their five matches so far.

The Yorkshire Two side are playing in this competition for the first time, having previously been in the Powergen Intermediate Cup, but they are attempting to become the fourth team from this division to carry off the Vase following Bradford Salem in 1992, Huddersfield YMCA in 1998 and Sheffield Tigers in 2000.

Bradford Salem set the standard for Yorkshire by winning in the first two years of the competition, beating Bicester on each occasion, and it was then Huddersfield YMCA who took up the flag when they beat West Leeds 40-8 in the 98 final.

Sheffield Tigers were 20-11 winners in 200 against Bank of England and the following year Malton & Norton beat Hoylake 36-20 to keep the White Rose aloft before Heath made it a Yorkshire hat trick with a 16-10 win over Bromley two seasons ago.

Last year Old Alleynians from Dulwich beat Shipston-on-Stour 16-10, but they bowed out at the first hurdle this season when the 568-club entry 'went to post'.

But while the statistics paint an attractive picture from a Yorkshire perspective, Biddenham must not be written off as no-hopers.

As Bradford & Bingley will probably testify, Midlands rugby has always to be treated with some respect. The Bees were heavily fancied to turn-over Luctonians in the previous round of the Powergen Intermediate Vase by simply turning up at the Leominster club, but instead were lucky to squeeze home by a couple of points in a tense 16-14 win.

With six consecutive home draws in the competition, North Ribblesdale are bound to be thinking that this could be their year and even the recent weather should favour the Settle men, who have been powering their way through Yorkshire Two of late on the strength of an abrasive, physical forward effort.

Any hint of complacency, however, is sure to be punished by a side which operates at the same level as the Dalesmen, but a fully focused, disciplined effort should produce the right result.

Discipline, of course, has been one feature of the season which coach Peter Nash must have some concerns about. Too often the side has been forced to play with 14 men for a spell because players have overstepped the mark and that kind of handicap is certainly something North Ribb need to keep in mind tomorrow.

The postponement at Beverley last weekend will cause something of a headache for the Yorkshire Two organisers if the Settle side are winners tomorrow.

The next 'free' date on the fixture list is March 6, but a Vase win would take that out of the equation.

Buoyed by their first league win for more weeks than anyone at Sandylands would care to count, Skipton have a break from league action tomorrow when they entertain Clitheroe in a friendly.

They rest Sean Kennedy and Adam Winthrop and have Kieran Coe at full-back and Andy Phillip in the back-row.

The overall picture at the club in recent weeks, however, has been improving, with the return of a handful of injured players. The general picture on the staffing front now looks healthier than at any time this season and while it may be too late for a successful rescue mission, at least there is the prospect of the side becoming more competitive in the closing weeks of the season.

One person who will be welcoming the return of the cavalry is scrum-half Grant Litt. He has been delivering the goods consistently during Skipton's traumatic run and has also been impressing Leeds Tykes in recent weeks.

He has trained with the Tykes Academy and also did well during a half-game outing with the Tykes Second string against Newcastle Falcons at Percy Park last week.

"He's looked very sharp in training and did very well when he came on in the match," was the testament of a Tykes squad member.