A CRACK team of York City Knights coaches past and present have thrown down a gauntlet to would-be challengers - come and have a go if you think you're good enough.
Current assistant-boss Jason Ramshaw has put together a team of Knights luminaries for the forthcoming York adult tag rugby festival, which will be held on Sunday, November 27 (2-4pm), the day after the Gillette Tri-Nations Final.
That team will comprise former Keighley legend Ramshaw himself, current head coach Mick Cook, ex-chiefs Paul Broadbent and Richard Agar, fitness guru Colin Sanctuary, development officer Ian Wilson and recently retired player Mick Ramsden, who is a scholarship and new Academy assistant-coach. And if that isn't good enough, they have even brought in a ringer in the shape of former Challenge Cup winner with Sheffield, Martin Wood.
Eight teams have already entered the inaugural seven-a-side tournament but more are wanted and Ramshaw reckons getting this high-profile side together will encourage new teams to have a go - even though it leaves his crack outfit open to ridicule should they lose.
"We're a bit older now and maybe a young, fit team can beat us," he reasoned when asked if they would wipe the floor with everybody.
"There is a difference between tag rugby and contact rugby league. The basic skills of catching, passing and running are the same but defensively it is really different and there are different ways to beat a player, so I'm not going to overestimate our chances."
This mixed adult tag tournament, to be held at Oaklands School, is seen as a forerunner to a new league in the city should it prove successful.
Ramshaw said its main focus was fun. "It's open to anybody, from sporting clubs to works teams and it will be a friendly festival to give everyone a bit of a taster," he said.
The entrance fee for squads of ten is just £10 and anyone wanting more details or to enter a team should contact Ramshaw at the Knights on 01904 758234 or Tony Gargan on 07736 040804.
As expected, former York player Danny Brough has agreed an improved two-year contract extension that keeps him at the club until the end of the 2007 season.
He said: "I had a special debut season with the club and am looking forward to many more. I feel that I have a lot more to prove in the future."
Updated: 10:00 Saturday, November 19, 2005
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