IN most recent seasons, Wibsey have crossed off from either the Yorkshire Silver Trophy or its new younger brother, the Yorkshire Vase, due to a lack of players.

It used to be difficult enough for the Villagers to get teams out on a league Saturday, never mind a non-league Saturday, but they are a different animal these days.

“We want to win everything,” said Wibsey’s chairman Steve Brooke ahead of their Vase quarter-final at home to Wensleydale tomorrow.

“That is the influence of our player-coaches Andy Robinson and James Brown, and anyway it is the road to Twickenham, and getting there next season is part of my retirement plan!”

Wibsey have already won Yorkshire Division Four North West and, with points carried forward from matches against fellow qualifiers from that section, they are second in the Yorkshire Division Four Premier ahead of those fixtures starting next week.

The top two teams are promoted, and Ossett have 29 points and Wibsey 26, with Knaresborough third on 17 points, with eight matches remaining.

Wensleydale are top of Yorkshire Division Three, and Brooke added: “If we do go up, it will give us a good idea of if we need to recruit and how much.”

There are some league matches as the programme bids to catch up, primarily after the freezing rain of December 15.

One is Bradford Salem’s trip to Middlesbrough in Yorkshire Division One, which is doubling up as a Yorkshire Shield quarter-final.

Salem’s chairman Neil Klenk said: “If it is level after 80 minutes it will be a draw in terms of the league, but we will play the golden-point rule, involving a maximum of ten minutes extra time each way, to decide the Shield match.”

Middlesbrough, beaten 29-10 at Keighley last time out, were Klenk’s favourites for promotion ahead of the start of the season, but are only seventh, albeit with two games in hand on four of the teams above them, and seem to be fighting for third place.

Klenk, whose side are ninth with one game in hand on most in the division, said: “Middlesbrough have been without their two main players in coach Andy Baggett, the former Wharfedale captain, and Pete Homan due to injury.

“They obviously haven’t got strength in depth, and you will find that the teams who are most consistent in our division have that strength in depth.”

Old Grovians, who have won their last three matches in Yorkshire Division Two, have another winnable match at home to Roundhegians.

The hosts, who are tenth, are set to be without hooker Matthew Worrall, who has a mysterious shoulder injury, with Adam Crooks stepping in.

Lock Charles Cockshott, prop John Oates and flanker Jack Hartley are also due to bolster the pack against the Leeds-based visitors, who are next to bottom in 13th.

Bradford Salem (at Middlesbrough) from: J Ashworth, C Baines, L Barker, C Clough, W Collins, N Fontaine, S Gardner, G Griekis, S Guttenbeil, T Hopper, C King, S Markey, K Moore, T O’Sullivan, S Savage, B Scholefield, J Simpson, J Tenniswood, B Whitaker, A Wood, C Wood.