East in for the Euro

The Tadcaster-born flanker, whose career has taken him from Harrogate and Leeds Tykes to the Principality, has enjoyed a fruitful time since joining Llanelli in 1999.

Success in the league and cup, plus his call-up to the full Ireland side, have made it a profitable move to the Scarlets, however his luck hasn't quite stretched to European stage

His past three campaigns in European rugby union's premier event have all ended in last-minute disappointment and with a quarter-final draw at Stradey Park against Perpignan in April he is determined the same thing doesn't happen again.

Against Northampton in the semi-finals in May 2000, Paul Grayson made the most at an indiscretion in the last seconds of injury time to knock the Scarlets out 31-28.

A year later, Gloucester ended their hopes in the group stages when Elton Moncrief's attempted drop goal seemed harmless enough until it hit Dafydd James on the head and went over to complete a 28-27 win for the Cherry and Whites.

And the hat-trick was completed last season, when Tim Stimpson's late, late penalty kick hit the post and then the crossbar before dropping agonisingly over to complete a 13-12 semi-final victory for eventual winners Leicester Tigers.

Easterby, whose brother Guy also plays for the Scarlets, told the Evening Press: "We are going well in the European Cup at the moment so I hope it continues.

"Perpignan at home is a better tie for us. We know how good we are at home, whereas the French teams don't travel as well.

"But when you get to this stage of this sort of competition then there are no easy games.

"After the last few years it would be good to go one step further. We've suffered in the final minutes of a few big games in this competition. There was Leicester last season, Gloucester the season before when they scored a drop goal that hit our player on the head then Northampton, when we kicked the ball out of the scrum-half's hands at a scrum."

While Easterby will have to wait until April for a return to European Cup action, the announcement of the Irish Six Nations Championship squad is just around the corner.

And despite missing the autumn series of internationals - including Ireland's historic victory over Australia - with a damaged shoulder, Easterby is hopeful of making the squad.

"The squad is announced next week with 30-odd players invited to training," said Easterby, who has been watched by Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivan since his return. "Hopefully I will be involved, but because I missed out on the autumn internationals I feel out of it slightly.

"I'm competing with Alan Quinlan and Victor Costello, who came in and has played too well for my liking! But seriously he has been outstanding for Leinster and Ireland.

"I'm disappointed to have missed out, but the shoulder feels really good now the injury has settled down."

THERE are few certainties in life other than being born and the prearranged meeting with the Grim Reaper, but bizarrely you can add the guarantee of Selby and Pontefract serving up a nail-biter whenever they meet.

Saturday's clash was the 15th meeting between the old foes since the inauguration of the league set-up in 1987 - with seven wins each and one draw.

However, so tight have the meetings been that after 1,200 minutes of action on various rungs of the rugby ladder, only four points separate their total scores.

Selby, despite their 19-17 defeat against Ponte last weekend - again a game that went right to the wire with the winning try scored in the eighth minute of injury time - currently have the edge, scoring 221 points to their rivals' 217.

On only three occasions has more than a converted try separated the scores, with Selby boasting the biggest winning margin and the biggest score when they thumped the Moor Lane club 31-14 four seasons ago.

THE presence of Pocklington skipper Darren Smith cannot be underestimated with the powerful prop having an impressive wins-to-games ratio this season.

Smith, the cornerstone of the side that took Pock up the league standings and to their impressive 2000 treble - the North Two East, the Yorkshire Shield and the Rugby World Team of the Year - has been blighted by injuries since returning to Percy Road after a brief spell at Wagon Lane with Bradford and Bingley.

First a damaged ankle - something that still troubles the farmer - and then a neck injury have forced Smith to spend more time on the sidelines this season, than his entire career at the club.

However, his first start of the season coincided with Pock's first win of the term, a victory over Beverley, while his second full game, this time on Saturday against Heath, saw a second maximum points haul.

In between, Smith managed a brief appearance against Malton and Norton before he injured his neck and he marked his return to action as a substitute against Beverley in the return fixture.

How Pock could do with their talisman remaining fit for the rest of the season.

ALTHOUGH irrelevant to the Malton and Norton squad now, but had they won their last 16 Powergen Junior Vase tie last week their reward would have been a trip to Midlands Four East (North) promotion chasers Mellish.

Mellish, whose only defeat this season has come against their title rivals West Bridgford, toppled the highly-fancied West Yorkshire outfit Knottingley.

Seven-up for York

SEVEN York Under-15s players have been selected for the North Yorkshire Clubs' rugby union squad following trials held at York RI.

The selected boys were, Henry Appleton, Thomas Bewick, John Bird, Steven Greenwood, Matthew Rowson, Matthew Turp and Christopher Woolley.

The boys will participate in a series of squad training sessions at venues throughout North Yorkshire during this month followed by inter-county festivals on February 2.

Robert Woolley, York U15 team manager, said: "We are delighted to provide nearly one third of the North Yorkshire squad.

"The boys' dedication to their rugby has been suitably rewarded through their selections. North Yorkshire is a stepping stone to the full Yorkshire County U15 side and we are hopeful that one or two of the York boys will achieve this goal."

Updated: 10:11 Saturday, January 25, 2003