Time-out for Higgy

RUGBY:

CLUB secretary John Mellor is hoping Higginshaw ARLFC will rise again in the spring after the team was forced to quit the North-West Counties League, Upper Division.

Player numbers have dwindled alarmingly over recent weeks, leaving club officials to pull out of the league competition half-way through the season after fixtures continually went unfulfilled.

Mellor said: “It’s such a shame, the coaches, Chris Tomlin and Gaz Brindley, and I are devastated, but if players are not turning up there’s very little you can do.

“We’ve got the use of excellent training facilities and the 3G pitch at Royton and Crompton School, but we can’t seem to tempt the lads back.

“It all started about five weeks ago. We had 19 lads at training during the week, but when the weekend trip to Dalton came around, only 13 turned up.

“Three of them were injured, so we didn’t travel and forfeited the match. It’s gone downhill from there.

“We called a players’ meeting and eight turned up, then we had five at training last week.

“We can’t go on like that, so we’ve pulled out of the league competition with half of the fixtures still to play.”

With three walkovers in four matches last weekend, including Higgy’s home fixture against Whitworth Spartans, the league officials have decided to review the competition after Christmas.

Higgy will regroup to compete in next year’s North-West summer competition.

Mellor added: “That’s the plan, but I suppose there’s no telling what might happen over the winter.”

Higgy have been told by North-West Counties League officials that they would be welcomed back into the Summer league next year.