YORK Wasps were today waiting on tenterhooks to discover if the city is still home to a professional rugby league club.

Former vice-chairman Russell Greenfield was this afternoon representing the Wasps in the High Court in London where he was opposing a winding-up petition by the Inland Revenue.

If he fails in his attempt to force a stay of execution then the club will fold immediately without fulfiling its four remaining fixtures.

That would have repercussions on the rest of the Northern Ford Premiership, as well as individuals involved with the Wasps.

As part of the winding-up proceedings, the Court could decide to send in a receiver or administrator to take over the running of the club.

It will be their job to find as much money as possible to satisfy the creditors, the two biggest of which are the Inland Revenue who are owed £77,000 and City of York Council who are owed £46,000.

The Wasps shareholders are not classed as preferred creditors so they would be the last in line to be repaid and could therefore lose their personal investment.

The players could also miss out on unpaid wages.

Having assessed the club's situation, the receiver or administrator could opt to close down the club if the assets are insufficient.

Alternatively they may decide it would be in everyone's best interests financially to continue until the end of the season.

The other clubs in the NFP will certainly be hoping York are given the green light.

If they are unable to fulfil their fixtures the Rugby Football League may opt to expunge all results from matches involving York.

That could affect play-off issues, particularly as the Wasps are still due to play top four candidates Featherstone, leaders Dewsbury and play-off hopefuls Swinton.

The RFL council and board of directors have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow when such issues would be discussed.

However, the RFL have restated that they are not in a position to come to York's aid if the worst comes to the worst today.

They have been offering assistance and their club financial controller David Wood, who has since been made redundant in a shake-up of the RFL's administration. went through the club's books to assess their plight.

But RFL spokesman John Huxley said: "While we are very concerned about the future of York Rugby league Club we are not in a position to affect a rescue bid on behalf of them. It has to come from York themselves or it doesn't happen.

"We very much want York to survive because the people of York want their own club and it has a lot of tradition in the game. It would be an absolute tragedy for the professional game to lose York.

"But a club has to be responsible for its own debts."

However, he said there could still be a route back into the league for York at a later date.

"Over the last few years we have proved that we are prepared to assist by providing advice and help to new clubs, as we did with Oldham, Doncaster, Gateshead and Bramley," he said.

"If a club goes out of existence and re-applies there is a route back in but the finance and initiatives have to come from the locality, not the Rugby League."

Huxley added that any club reapplying for league membership would have to meet the minimum standards, including proposals for development and marketing.