YORK Rugby League Club have bought more time in their bid to fight off the threat of closure.
The club was subject to winding-up proceedings in the High Court yesterday brought by the Inland Revenue. At the hearing, Counsel representing the Revenue applied to the court to adjourn the petition and Mr Registrar Buckley adjourned the proceedings for five weeks to Wednesday, January 12, when they club are confident the petition will be withdrawn.
The original petition to compulsorily wind up the club was presented to the court on November 4 by Commissioners of Inland Revenue over unpaid tax, thought to be in the region of £82,000. Since then talks have been held between the club and the Revenue and an agreement had been reached between two parties about a payment plan.
Although it is 'business as usual' at the club, plans for a York Under-21 team to join rugby league's newest competition have been shelved. The Wasps had been hoping to enter a side in the new reserve league when it kicks off in February but finance has prompted them to wait until the following season.
All Super League clubs, with the exception of newcomers Gateshead Thunder, must have a team in the Under-21 Championship in the coming season.
But first division clubs, who will compete in division one of the league, were given the option of waiting until the Millennium campaign.
However, York are one of only three clubs along with Bramley and Doncaster Dragons who have opted out of an immediate start, a situation which coach Dean Robinson knows could backfire.
"Unfortunately finances dictate that it has to be postponed for 12 months. It loses us a year of developing local talent but it allows us to progress this season and put the club on a firm financial footing.
"Then when we do start it, it will hopefully be run along the lines that I want it to be" he said.
But he stressed that the new team would be up and running by the year 2000. He said: "It will be foolish not to continue developing our own youngsters.
We have a lot to do in that area, in the schools, the Academy and the Under-21s, and it is an area we must look seriously at.
"We must have for the first team a conveyor belt of local talent coming through, and although we will lose some of those to Super League clubs, if we can make sure we produce enough local players to fulfill our needs then that's the way to go."
Whitehaven and Workington will operate a joint West Cumbria side in the competition, which allows five over-age players in each team, but there is no place for last season's Alliance division one champions Hemel Hempstead.
Meanwhile, York's Academy coach Brian Kellett has not yet finalised plans for the new season, which is again likely to be an Under-19 competition despite proposals to bring it down to Under-18. He will be contacting last season's crop of youngsters to see who is available for the 1999 campaign before scouting the amateur scene for new talent.
Kellett expects to have more details by the start of next year in preparation for the competition which gets under way later than the senior season to allow youngsters to complete their amateur commitments.
Two clubs who are definitely planning for the new Academy campaign are Dewsbury Rams and Batley Bulldogs. The Heavy Woollen neighbours have begun talks aimed at merging their Academy sides, which could also lead to a combined Under-21 side in the future.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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