York Wasps coach Lee Crooks has admitted disappointment at the outcome of the Challenge Cup fourth round draw.

The Wasps, who beat amateurs Oulton Raiders in round three on Sunday, were drawn to play Villeneuve Leopards - the only French side left in the competition - in the fourth round in 12 days' time.

Villeneuve had been drawn out of the hat first, but under terms of their participation have to give up home advantage, meaning the game will be played at Huntington Stadium.

However, the financial rewards of the tie, with the French club not likely to bring many fans, was not what Crooks was wanting.

"I'm disappointed," the Wasps chief said, after the draw was made at Leeds Rhinos' Headingley Stadium.

"To be brutally truthful, we wanted some money and it would have been good to get one of the big-guns purely and simply for the financial rewards.

"On those terms, this is a poor draw. We're in a position where we're looking to make money out of the competition and we're not really going to do that with this tie."

However, on the plus side, although the Leopards will be something of an un-known quantity, Crooks believes it is a tie the Wasps can win and thus progress to round five.

"They came second in their championship last year and won it the year before, but we're going into the game quite blind. I will have to see if I can get a tape of them," he said.

"But ultimately their division is probably a bit weaker than the NFP so it's a game I feel we should be confident of winning."

Coached by Australian former Keighley second row Grant Doorey, the Leopards, with half a dozen French internationals in the side, are former French champions and currently top their league having lost once in 16 games this season.

They won 42-10 at English amateurs Halton Simms Cross - the side that knocked out York Acorn 18-0 in the first round - in round three of the Challenge Cup, and are no strangers to NFP sides, having beaten Keighley Cougars 16-14 in round four last year before going out 35-10 to Dewsbury Rams.

However, current French champions Toulouse were hammered at the weekend by a Hull KR side that only managed a 2-0 win over Wasps earlier this season. And Crooks is hopeful that could be a pointer for their tie.

Updated: 09:45 Tuesday, January 30, 2001