BAILDON head coach Jake Duxbury says his club are delighted that they will be playing in Yorkshire Two next season.

After the RFU announced that the remainder of the season would be decided by a formula based upon teams’ home and away records, the Bradford side were handed promotion.

Duxbury’s men sat on top of Yorkshire Three, a point above Leeds Corinthians, before the season finished early due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With the system adopted, Baildon (100.68) fell short of Corinthians (101.40), but did narrowly beat off fellow challengers Knottingley (100.10) into second.

Duxbury is just glad his team have secured a place in a higher division next season.

“We are ecstatic,” he said. “There was always going to be someone who was disappointed.

“It is a real shame that we didn’t get to play the second game against Knottingley. If we had played that game, then I think there was a fairer chance of making the decision.

“I am sure Knottingley are as gutted as we would have been if we didn’t go up. Thoughts go out to them, they are a great set of lads.”

He added: “We hit form at the right time and they (Corinthians) had the National Cup to face. That is a big distraction.

“We have played them twice and some of their players are a cut above. I am sure they will go on to prove that next year in Yorkshire Two.

“It is anyone guess as to how the season would have played out, but we would have backed ourselves, as would the other two teams.”

It is a remarkable turnaround for Baildon after battling to safety last term, and Duxbury believes it was all down to his players.

He said: “We added a few new players, but the ones that were already at the club were quality players.

“A little bit of guidance and structure and they have come on leaps and bounds. Every credit has to go to them and they are the key behind it.

“They are a group of lads who want to play a brand of rugby which breeds success. We have done that this year and it is really impressive.”