Skipton'S appeal against a two-point penalty for playing Mike Richards against Beverley in September before he had been properly registered with the Northern Leagues has been thrown out by an RFU Disciplinary Committee.

The penalty was initially implemented by the Northern Leagues committee in accordance with custom and practice where players take the field when their names are not on the definitive register of players which has always been held as sacrosanct by administrators.

The Sandylands club then appealed against the decision on the grounds that they had done nothing underhand and genuinely felt that the player would have had his transfer from Wharfedale processed in time for him to play at Beverley.

The North rejected Skipton's claim and they in turn took their appeal to the RFU.

A Disciplinary hearing in Brighouse was then adjourned on December 4 to give Skipton time to consider further documentation supplied a short time before the meeting, but when the club met with the RFU at the same venue on Monday night, the appeal was again turned down.

The penalty is not a major blow for the Reds, who should have enough distance between themselves and the relegation-threatened clubs to sleep easy.

However, mid-table limbo is a difficult place to operate from and there is always a measure of uncertainty regarding where the axe will fall in the Yorkshire Leagues at the end of the season because of the way events nearer the top of the league structure impact lower down once the geographical element is applied.

A six-match ban for Rotherham's Alfie Tooala for striking suggested the committee of Robert Horner, the RFU Disciplinary Officer, and committeemen Robin Wannop and Brian Baister were in no mood to hand down too much clemency, but an appeal by Wharfedale's Andrew Baggett against the yellow card he received in the match at Sedgley Park on December 14 was favourably received.

With the weather so variable, rugby action is in the balance tomorrow.

Games at The Avenue and Sandylands will no doubt hinge on the temperature overnight, but there is slightly more hope for North Ribblesdale.

Matches at Selby, where they are visitors, usually fare better than most others in the county on frosty days because of the sandy sub-soil at Sandhill Lane. Ribb have Simon Spensley and Marc Driver resuming.

If their home game with Newbury goes ahead, Wharfedale expect to field an unchanged line-up, the only adjustment being that Craig Ingram starts at prop and Philip Peel goes onto the bench.

Andy Hodgson did well enough at Stourbridge to retain the fly-half berth, while David Whitfield will go onto the replacement bench if he gets medical clearance.

Skipton's game at West Park Bramhope was a casualty of the weather last weekend, but they have another important fixture tomorrow when title chasing Malton & Norton are visitors to Sandylands.

The Reds rely on the same line-up as last week, their only change also being on the bench, where Jack Morgan resumes.