2023/2024 Season

[MartinCarpenter]

York D are amazing. It is scary to see how this younger ones are leaping on passed us!

Having played in Manchester for some time - with 3C's of course! - you get very used to it. I'm just about strong enough to have a slight grace period, but that just slows it down

The York C - D showdown is on the 17th of Feb, we're hosting Leeds so I'll get some popcorn into stock to watch! York C were quite strong this week so it could be very close.

Interesting to see what we do in the medium term actually, we were short early season but last week we definitely had enough players for a good A team and two solid Woodhouse teams.

I suppose we'll eventually send a few older juniors off to solidify other teams and refill York D with fresh juniors That's always tended to be York B - get them a higher board, some good games pre Uni etc. They could easily get very strong again.

[Stephen Westmoreland]

The pace they develop is remarkable and I am sure you will be backfilled soon. The York E board one is someone to watch out for, beating 1700s already and new to competitive play. You have the kids on a conveyor belt!

[Carl Hibbard]

And Stevie just so u know it's not a search for a club... the clubs are SEARCHING FOR ME

I turned down offer to play for Huddersfield because I didn't feel prepared enough. Hopefully I'll be ready in future.

I have offer to play in 4NCL.

Mark Howitt has been removed from the forum after continuing to ignore my guidance on postings.

[Mick Norris]

Thank you Carl

[Stephen Westmoreland]

Oh thank goodness. Thank you Carl.

[MartinCarpenter]

The pace they develop is remarkable and I am sure you will be backfilled soon. The York E board one is someone to watch out for, beating 1700s already and new to competitive play. You have the kids on a conveyor belt!

The alternative option is letting the juniors keep doing their own thing Given a good junior system I think you'd expect them to eventually reach a state where they can sustain themselves in the Woodhouse. We shall see!

Plenty of juniors outside York too, so hopefully the IMB will be a chunk stronger and healthier in ten years.

[Andrew Wainwright]

The pace they develop is remarkable and I am sure you will be backfilled soon. The York E board one is someone to watch out for, beating 1700s already and new to competitive play. You have the kids on a conveyor belt!

The alternative option is letting the juniors keep doing their own thing Given a good junior system I think you'd expect them to eventually reach a state where they can sustain themselves in the Woodhouse. We shall see!

Plenty of juniors outside York too, so hopefully the IMB will be a chunk stronger and healthier in ten years.

I think the IM Browne and the Silver Rook are already healthier than they have been for some time due to two main reasons (i) new clubs entering the league in the last 2-3 yrs such as Settle, Meltham, Saltaire and Ilkley, and (ii) the resurgence of our junior structure in the county. If we can raise another 2-3 teams this summer then I fully expect that we will be up to 4 standard play divisions next season, and who knows how many junior teams in the u18s league.

Our junior circuit is absolutely booming at the minute with events selling out weeks in advance, a range of individual and team based competitions and juniors filtering into both the county teams and YCA standard play league teams on a regular basis.

Our u18s team league (now up to 2 divisions and 20 teams from across the county) is a prime example of what can be achieved with some basic level of co-operation and communication. We have a great set of junior coaches across the county, and a growing number of players and clubs. The quality is improving year on year and I am really excited to see where we might be in just a couple more years!

[MartinCarpenter]

Well another round - York had a trip to Calderdale and had a very tight win 4.5 - 3.5 against a very solid team with a full hand of lurking Lancastrians. Hull won vs Harrogate and Sheffield Vs York B both by a par 5.5.

Lower down, Bradford beat Ilkley to get started this season. Huddersfield - fielding some handy 3C's flavoured top board reinforcements! - won against an also strong Leeds team. Huddersfield and York B probably have enough points for safety already, Leeds might.

Calderdale are bottom - and there's a fair bit riding on Calderale - Harrogate in earlyish January. So between Calderdale, Bradford, Ilkley, Harrogate and just maybe Leeds for two spots. That'll be really tough on someone or other.

It's intriguing to contemplate W Yorkshire's myriad of strongish teams vs the more concentrated teams in the E and S

Down in the IMB Forgrove do seem to have got their groove back this season and are cruising to promotion. Not quite sure who else will go up, maybe Hull B. York D lost to Alwoodley so are back to fifty per cent.