gMb CLUB SPONSOR GMB BRITAINS BEST UNION £2.00 B U D D I E S N A T I O N A L C U P Hunsist Hawks Versus Oldham Roughyeds 2l.04.OS 3.30pm —V / / \ Haughton M a t c h d a y H o s t . EhciNaitiNG iN5uuNa siKvias uuirto NATIONAL L E A G U E C U P COMPETmOh Hunslet Hawks Protect your - 'm Rights at Work m - ■ Newofferemployment protection andlaws securitymean that in GMByour work¬can place even if your employer does not recognise trade unions. Remember you have the right. To Be aMember of the GMB -Britain's Best Union To Official GMB Support in Your Workplace 35 To Find Out What GMB Can Do For You Phone Free on 0800 138 4462 Committed to delivering Excellence Grove Flail -60 College Grove Road -Wakefield -WFl 3RN Tel: 01924 -882255 Fax: 01924 -881231 AWARM WELCOME TO TODAY’S HUNSLET HAWKS R.LF.C VISITORS SOUTHLEEDS STADIUM MIDDLETONGROVE LEEDSLSI 15DJ OLDHAM Enquiries; Tel: 0113 271 1675 !Commercial: ’ ROUGHYEDS Tel; 0113 271 2730 ' ■ !Fox: 0113 270 1198 email: www.hunslethawksFI.co.uk Today we welcome our old friends from across the Pennines, the Oldham Roughyeds. We did not have the pleasure of their company last season, so many of our fans will not have seen them now for acouple of years, and will be looking forward with interest to today’s fixture. Please allow me time to reflect on the Hawks’ performance against ahighly- placed and, at times, over -physical Whitehaven Warriors outfit. “Superb” is the only fitting adjective for our boys who produce adisplay of passionate enthusiasm, unquestionable courage, and burgeoning skill, which augurs well for our future. It did my heart good to hear the vociferous encouragement from our fans. We have not had much to “shout about” since our NFP achievements of three seasons ago. But we have signs of resurgence and our “youth policy” received complimentary recognition from BBC Radio Leeds presenter John Boyd on his rugby league round -up following the match with Whitehaven. He named us as one of the clubs to adopt the system of “giving youth achance as opposed to signing overseas players who had seen better days.” Another man from the media John Helm attended the match. He was suitably impressed and it will not be long before he is aspectator at another of our home fixtures. John said “whenever Ihave aSunday evening duty at Yorkshire TV Iwili pop in to South Leeds Stadium if Hunslet Hawks are playing. Iam iost in admiration of the youngsters. Mick Coyle must feel like agranddad in such youthful company. Mick has been agreat servant to the club.” It is always good to have John Helm with us. He loves rugby league even though his principal duties are related to soccer. He is now adirector and vice president at Bradford Park Avenue PC so he is fully conversant with the problems of governing aclub in the lower echelon of sport. We don’t often merit more than adozen paragraphs or so in our locai leading newspaper. Super League clubs appear to dominate the columns but we had quite alengthy show on the Yorkshire Evening Post’s letter page recently. Iam grateful to Alan Stephenson for the points he made in awell-written and sincere missive responding to aRugby League article. Well done Alan! Sentiments expressed by “Our Al” prove that we have afaithful following and a determination that Hunslet Hawks will never face the fate, which has befallen Bramley and York. Hopefully Bramley will return, there seems to be avoid in the fixture list without the name of our oid rivals. Many clubs are facing financial problems. We are keeping afloat and have the backing of directors and loyal supporters who will always battle to ensure the presence of Hunslet Hawks in the Rugby League sphere. We must maintain our resolve to bring back the “stayaways” .Teil them about our youngsters, impress upon them that we have astrong team in the making and that we will eventually return to the glory days. Again our boys showed great courage and tenacity against Batley Bulldogs but unfortunately did not have the strength to hold onto the lead they gained at the start of the game. Today we welcome Oldham Roughyeds, who have often had to weather afinancial storm and other problems. But they live to tell the tale and we expect another tough confrontation today. Enjoy the game. Yours sincerely Grahame Liles a. 2 CLIVE WALKER (Timber) Ltd. MERLIN STOCKISTS OF: HEL.ST ON ROAIT MIITDLETON SAWN &PLANED SOFTWOOD SHEET MATERIALS, HARDWOOD FOR AGOOD NlGl ITOL^T. DOORS, WINDOWS, STAIRCASE PARTS, GOOD UliFR, GOOD FRICFS. M O U L D I N G S & H A R D W A R E SOMFTHING HAI'PUNINC; TRADE &RETAIL WELCOME EVFTtY NlGtn.. MON-SAT 12.30 -11.00 Registered office: Unit 3Beza Road SUN 12.00 .10..30 Hunslet LEEDS LS10 2BR TTL. 0113 2700570 Tel 0113 270 4928 Fax. 0113 270 5327 CAROL S; COl.iN SUPPORTING THE HAWKS! www.clivewalkertimber.co.uk Dawn &Brian SKELTOR pARkiAVy -rAVeRM 1. SKIP HIRE AND WASTE RECYCLING SERVICES J 1Middleton Road, ri9| Tel. 0113 2712322 /0113 2770918 S I T E 4 6 K N O W S T H O R P E W A Y E-mail, [email protected] C R O S S G R E E N I N D E S T . Small Buffets catered for: L E E D S L S 9 O S W GOOD LUCK TO HUNSLET HAWKS TEL. 0113 249 3950 FAX. 0113 235 0459 T H I S S E A S O N Tony Wainwright Plumbing J.J.Stephenson &Co (Leeds) “Denholme" 41 Scatcherd Lane, Motley. Leeds. West Yorkshire LS27 OIN For afull range of Wallpapers Tel. (0113) 2536863 Mobile. 0777 8740163 and decorating essentials Specialising in Bathroom 337-5 Hunslet Road L e e d s L S I O I N J conversions Tel: 0113 270 5389 N O R F O L K P L U M B I N G &HEATING D.i.y. &Building Materials Wish 215A Bradford Road, East Ardsley Hunslet Hawks EVERYTHING FOR THE HOME &GARDEN IF WE DO NOT STOCK IT, WE GET IT IPLEASE ASK All The Best TIMHIiR CUT TO SIZI: 40 Years POWl* TOOLS AND HAND TOOI.S DHCORATING GARDI-N .FT-NCING F o r T h i s S e a s o n LLl'CTRICAL PLUMBING DIY HOUSEWARli of Service B O T T 1 . E D G A S . 3 PATIO FLAGS CABINCT HEATl-RS mm '>7?- Premiership m I GARETHWALKER calls forsome HEP clubs to[ take agood look at themselves. ^ With Gareth Walker BARROW Raiders became the latest Northern Ford Premiership club to publicly admit their financial troubles last week. But surely over-spending this year isn’t The Raiders have taken out whet they going to aid their cause in anyway. describe as a"suhstantiaf loan to see them to the end of the current Premiership season. They could be relegated from National And they have also stated that If they do not League One in its first season. manage to add Z,500 extra memhers to their There are afew people with the game existing lottery, the cluh will not he viable that feel National League Two will have to come winter. be run on almost an amateur footing, with Barrow are certainly not on their own, payments limited to amatch basis only. But with recent months highlighting the plights would that be abad thing? p. ■■ of Swinton Lions, and most notably York In my opinion, no -the whole ethos behind Wasps, who are now battling to regain the new structure of the game is that it is a entry to the Premiership when the league pyramid, and clubs can work their way up campaign restarts on June 2. from the bottom. Past years have also seen Keighley Cougars, National League Two can act as astepping Hull Kingston Rovers, Gateshead Thunder and stone for clubs ■and players -with ambitions Doncaster Dragons hit financial difficulties, of operating at ahigher level. while Workington Town have been quick to There are also, of course, plenty of clubs point out that their crowds need to increase if running asteady ship. In many ways they are to continue operating at their current Whitehaven have pointed the way by level. concentrating their efforts on recruiting What is the answer? As we are seeing in local players and working hard in the soccer at the moment, there will always be community. Similarly one of the main points professional sporting clubs that spend to come out of aSheffield Eagles' press money they haven't got, it seems to be conference last week -held Incidentally to almost standard practice in some areas. launch aground-breaking charitable trust to But that doesn’t make it any more fund their considerable development work - acceptable, and the quicker NFP clubs w a s t h a t t h e i r s u c c e s s a s a c l u b i s n o t learn to budget sensibly, tbe better for measured purely by matters on tbe field. both the competition and the game as a It is an attitude that must be applauded. whole. And replicated elsewhere. Several clubs have spent money this year in order to try and secure aplace in the much-coveted National League Bne. To guarantee aspot meansfinishing in the top nine. They claim that relegation to National League Two will be afinancial disaster for them, possibly signalling tbe end of their existence.