PROUD York Wasps will play their part in the 'last' Challenge Cup final to be held at Wembley Stadium next week.

Every club which has played under the Twin Towers has been asked to send five representatives to take part in a parade around the famous turf before Saturday's final between Leeds Rhinos and London Broncos.

York, who made their lone Wembley appearance in the 1930-31 season when they were beaten 22-8 by Halifax, have elected to send former players Geoff and Ken Hunter, two current Wasps stars who will be drawn out of a hat, and a supporter.

All will wear Wasps shirts and be led by a Silk Cut representative bearing a York flag.Both the Hunters played during the 1950s and 60s, centre Geoff at one time holding the record for the number of first team appearances.

Ken, a hooker or prop during his playing days, will attend the parade as a member of the current board of directors.

It is part of the celebrations to mark the last cup final to be played at the stadium before it is demolished and a new stadium erected.

Also involved in the big day is York's former Grade One referee Dave Asquith who has been chosen as the video referee for the historic encounter.

FORMER York favourite Steve Crooks has been thrust back into frontline action once again - at the age of 40.

Crooks, assistant coach with Hull Sharks, has been forced to put his boots on once again to help out the injury-stricken club's Alliance side.

And he could be in line for a taste of silverware - the Sharks are currently sitting proudly at the top of the Alliance Championship with 10 wins from their opening 10 games. SPOTTED at Huntington Stadium last week was former Hull Sharks chairman and RFL committee man Roy Waudby.

After watching York demolish Bramley, the wealthy businessman said he had been very impressed by the Wasps who "have some very good players" and was particularly pleased to see old Hull favourite Leroy McKenzie settling in so well with his new club.

Waudby, who stepped down as Hull chairman when David Lloyd bought out the Sharks, has this week been linked with a return to the Boulevard club which Lloyd is reportedly keen to off-load.

If that falls through, perhaps he would like to consider putting his money behind a certain talented Premiership club!

WORD has it that Darren Callaghan has acquired a new nickname.

Young Daz has apparently been christened Buzz by his team-mates, not because of his busy style of play but due to his striking resemblence to the leading character from a certain hit film about toys.

On the subject of Callaghan, fans have been enthusing about his stunning display against Bramley but it has raised fears that the Wasps may face a difficult job hanging onto him.

However, Bramley's former GB star Garry Schofield knows how important it is that young players join the right club. With reference to Callaghan and Mark Cain, he said: "It's all a matter of the players around you. There are probably four teams in Super League who are out on their own - the rest you can forget about. If they were to go somewhere like Leeds or St Helens where there are class players they'd get looked after. But they might struggle at other clubs."

The Wasps pair would do well to heed those words from a man who knows what he's talking about.

Yorkshire Evening Post racing correspondent John Morgan will be the guest speaker at the first of the Wasps' monthly luncheon clubs next month.

It takes place at Huntington Stadium on Friday, May 7, the same day as the Wasps' match at Dewsbury Rams.

The cost is £20 per ticket or £200 for a table of ten and tickets are limited to 90. Ring the club on 01904 634636 for details.WASPS fans, it seems, are everywhere.

The Evening Press this week received an e-mail from Mark Seaman, who lives 4000 miles away in Bahrain, and had seen the new mascot on the Evening Press website.

Unfortunately he was less than impressed and said: "It's a girl in an embarrassingly bad head wearing oversized marigolds. Or am I being old and cynical? I could think of a name for it, but I guess the Evening Press is still a family paper!"

The Wasp has been received more warmly by other fans though, with a bumper entry for the naming competition.

You still have until next Saturday to get your suggestion in to the Evening Press sports desk. FRENCH connections could be made by the Wasps later this year - all they have to do is win the Northern Ford Premiership Grand Final.

The winners of the September 25 Grand Final will play the French champions the following week for the European Treize Tournoi trophy at an English venue yet to be decided.

JOHN Stabler is thoroughly enjoying life with Super League newcomers Gateshead Thunder.

The former York chairman, now a director with the north-east club, said the new venture was going "fantastically well" and was expecting the team to gain even more followers in the coming months.Stabler said the club currently had around 1,500 hard core supporters based around the region's amateur game - "the development programme is one of the success stories" - and he believes fans of Newcastle Falcons RU and Newcastle United will be tempted along to the Thunderdome during their close season.

Wasps Supporters Club is running a coach to tomorrow's game against Oldham at Spotland, leaving at 12.30pm, and Wednesday's match against Rochdale at the same venue, leaving at 5pm.

Both leave from Huntington Stadium with various pick-up points. Cost is £6. Ring Ann Garvey on 01759 380298.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.