Success is made in York by York for York

The victory was York City Knights’ first in the league away from home since June 2011 and first over arch-rivals Hunslet in ten attempts.

And it’s worth noting that every single one of the six tries in the 28-26 success was scored by a ‘Yorkie’.

Much has been written and said previously about the plethora of local favourites who abounded in the Knights’ halcyon days of 2004-05, and much bemoaned about the periods without such York talent.

It seems now, though, to be picking back up again, thanks in part to the club’s youth policy, bringing through the likes of Ed Smith, Kriss Brining and Ben Dent, and to a desire to bring proven talent back to their home city, such as Lee Paterson and Pat Smith.

Knights head coach Gary Thornton said: “As a club we obviously want to do well, generate interest and get bums on seats. Obviously that comes with being successful but it also helps to have a big local element - York fans supporting York players - and we’re trying to make a big thing of that.”

Of last Sunday’s try-scorers, Greg Minikin hails from Wetherby but has come through the Knights’ youth system, brothers Pat and Ed Smith are Dringhouses lads, Paterson is a product of New Earswick All Blacks, and, just for good measure, Jonny Presley might not be from York but now lives in the Minster city.

George Elliott, from Easingwold, took the number of local lads in the 17 against Hunslet up to seven.

Thornton added: “All that right edge was ‘York’, with Jonny Presley, Ben Dent, Greg Minikin and Ed Smith.

“It just shows what we’re trying to create, to push a local feel to it.”

A quick peak at the U20s reserves team that hammered Keighley on Thursday shows another four York lads in Adam Dent, Tim Stubbs, hat-trick man Tyler Craig and debutant Joe Deighton, plus Scarborough’s Kriss Brining, plus another quartet who might hail from elsewhere but are coming through the Knights’ system in Luke Tomlinson, Steven Batty,Adam Swift and Scott Talbot.

Additionally, in the first-team party for tomorrow’s Challenge Cup tie against Whitehaven are Harry Carter and James Morland, from Harrogate, both of whom are coming through the ranks.

“That’s what we have to be about, finding young local talent, developing it and bringing it through the system to the first team,” added Thornton.

“I think it’s paying off. I also think that if we can keep this group of players together for two or three years, they will be a tremendous side.

“You still need experienced, quality players in there to help them and to make the team better, but if these lads keep improving as they are doing, we’ve got the makings of a very good team and a very good squad.”

Oh, and it might be tenuous, but James Ford, player/assistantcoach, also grew up in Sherburn, which could kind of class as York district.

• THE draw for the fourth round of the Challenge Cup will be broadcast live on BBC 5Live Extra, BBC Radio Manchester, BBC Radio Leeds and BBC Radio Humberside at 3.45pm on Tuesday.

The fourth round sees the 14 Super League clubs enter the competition. Ties will be played on April 5-6.

• THE Knights are inviting all ex-players and ex-staff to a reunion at the forthcoming game against South Wales Scorpions.

The idea is to promote the new York Rugby League ‘X’ Club, a new organisation for former players which they are launching to hopefully bring more interaction between past heroes and the present-day set-up.

As reported, the ‘X’ Club is open to all players, coaches and staff in the entire history of York RL in its various guises, not least those from the 11 years of the Knights.

It will run alongside rather than replace the long-standing York RL Ex-Players’ Association.

The South Wales game is on Sunday, March 23, and anyone interested in attending is asked to phone Jack Stearman at the Knights on 01904 767404.

Further details of the new organisation can be found by looking up York Rugby League ‘X’ Club on Facebook.

• THE Jockey Lane entrance to Huntington Stadium is to remain closed this season.

The club opened it up again as a trial but not enough people went through the turnstile to warrant the need for extra staff and stewards to man it.

• YORK City Knights’ under- 20s reserves victory was marred by injury to looseforward Jack Iley - though tests have since showed it is not serious.

The 23-year-old, recently troubled by an elbow injury picked up last month, was back in hospital on Thursday after suffering a suspected broken cheekbone in the Knights’ 58-0 win over Keighley U20s at Huntington Stadium.

X-rays, however, showed no fracture.The match, as reported on www.thepress.co.uk, was notable for the surprise late inclusion of Castleford half-back Jamie Ellis on dualregistration, alongside Tigers team-mates James Clare and Ben Reynolds.

York’s partner club, Cas, wanted the 24-year-old former Leigh and Hull star to get a run-out as he comes back from injury - he tore a pectoral muscle on the first day of pre-season back in the autumn - and he went on to bag a hat-trick.

Another hat-trick scorer was local lad Tyler Craig, who shone in the back row to earn a call-up to the first-team squad for tomorrow’s Challenge Cup tie.

Others to cross the whitewash were Clare (2), full-back Luke Hardcastle and Tom Rogers, on his return from injury, while Reynolds booted nine of ten conversions.

Knights reserves boss Mick Ramsden was delighted with the attitude of the Tigers trio and, of his own players, was particularly impressed with Josh Nathaniel, the threequarter who put his hand up to help out at prop, Kriss Brining and Craig.

He said: “Tyler is turning heads.

He did a lot of good work aside from his tries.”

Ramsden added of debutant Joe Deighton, the Heworth ARLC youngster: “He played about an hour in total, in the back-row, at loose-forward and for a bit at prop. He did an excellent job.”

Meanwhile, James Morland was omitted from the line-up, with a view to playing first-grade tomorrow, as was Jack Pickles due to a hernia problem.