CLECKHEATON must wish that every day is derby day.

Player-coach Thiu Barnard, casting his eyes over last weekend’s 33-29 home defeat to Bridlington in North One East, admitted: “If we played like we did against Bradford & Bingley before Christmas every week we would hammer everybody.

“It was the same sort of performance against Huddersfield YMCA (won 27-13 in September) but we only seem to be able to play when it is a derby.”

Barnard, who says that he has already tried to forget about the Bridlington defeat, added: “It was a mess and we were poor, including our tackling.”

The bonus for 10th-placed Cleckheaton tomorrow is that they are again playing a derby – at third-placed YMCA – and are likely to have Damien Pearson in the back row.

Bradford & Bingley lost 29-5 at third-placed Morpeth last weekend, with Bees coach Anthony Posa saying: “We were definitely second best but didn’t deserve to lose by such a margin.

“It was a one or two-score match, rather than the four-score match that it turned out to be.

“The only try that we got came after about 20 phases, but we will just have to work hard, analyse and work even harder, and a win will put the smiles back on our faces.”

The Bees, who are at next-to-bottom West Leeds, have lost Gene Te Amo, who has returned to New Zealand due to a family bereavement, but fellow centre Stefan Roguski will hopefully return.

In Yorkshire Division One, Bradford Salem, who are ninth, host leaders Moortown.

Bradford Salem chairman Neil Klenk said: “Moortown have certainly picked up since we played them at their place in September, when we lost 30-26 but should have won.

“All we had to do was kick the ball off the pitch but we didn’t and they scored.

“Moortown out-scrummaged Heath last weekend, which is no mean feat.”

Salem will be without Mike Macdonald (head injury), Danny Belcher (tweaked hamstring) and Kyle Moore, who hobbled off during the 15-0 derby defeat at Old Brodleians last weekend.

Keighley, who have won five of their last seven matches to rise to 10th, host fifth-placed Middlesbrough, who have proved a bogey team in the recent past.

Old Grovians, who are third from bottom in Yorkshire Division Two, are set to hand debuts to two more players off the Woodhouse Grove production line in front-rower Will Robinson and back-rower Harry Green at second-placed Northallerton.

However, the visitors are still missing scrum half Ryan Lister, who has had an allergic reaction to penicillin, and Alex Masterson, who played well at 10 last week in the 26-12 home win over Barnsley.

Baildon, who suffered a disappointing 15-10 defeat at Skipton in Yorkshire Division Three, face a tough trip to fourth-placed Rotherham Phoenix as the visitors are without Andy Magee, Joe Robinson and Marcus Dracup.

“We were the better team,” said Baildon’s player-coach Robbie Hill of the Sandylands setback. “We defended well and only conceded tries to two charge-down kicks.”

Wibsey, who have been awarded the points from their abandoned match against Bramley Phoenix, have already clinched first place in Yorkshire Division Four North West ahead of their visit to cellar dwellers Thirsk which completes the Bradford club’s fixtures ahead of the ‘Super Eights’.

Veteran replacement Rob Greenwood proved influential for the Villagers in their 35-5 victory at Halifax last weekend.

Wibsey scored four tries while he was on the field, including two in the last two minutes.

The match was close for over an hour as Wibsey only led 7-5 then before running in 28 points in 13 minutes via tries by debutant Aidan Scully, Kyle Carter, Scott Smith and Ben Naylor, all of them being converted by Andy Robinson.

Bruce Mpofu got Wibsey’s first try in the fourth minute after a sensational 40-metre burst by prop Simon Birkbeck, with Robinson tagging on the conversion.

Halifax replied with a try in the eighth minute, while the visitors’ Elliot Cousins was sin-binned for retaliation in the 48th minute.

Bradford Salem (home to Moortown) from: J Ashworth, C Baines, L Barker, C Clough, W Collins, N Fontaine, S Gardner, R Green, G Griekis, S Guttenbeil, H Hall, C King, S Savage, J Simpson, R Smith, M Trueman, B Whitaker, C Wood.