Lancashire Cup? : Tue Nov 20, 2018 10:56 am  

In Yorkshire, some teams have replaced their friendlies with a Yorkshire Cup pre season tournament. I'd like us to do similar, here's what I'd do:

2 groups of 3 (2 SL and 1 Champ in each, idea being that the SL teams use their first team against the other SL team, and reserves against the Champ side).

The top of each group then play against each other in the Lancashire Cup final, with 2nd v 2nd and 3rd v 3rd as curtain raisers, in a full day of games. The whole thing could be done within 2.5 weeks (Weds 9th, Sat 12th, Sat 19th, Sat 26th)

Clearly I have too much time to think now there's no rugby to distract me! Would you prefer this to the current system?

Re: Lancashire Cup? : Tue Nov 20, 2018 3:50 pm  

Sounds like great fun, I like the idea. Having something to play for also adds a little spice to the games.

Re: Lancashire Cup? : Wed Nov 21, 2018 10:15 am  

The winners of the Lancashire League could play the winner of the Yorkshire League for the League Cup

Re: Lancashire Cup? : Mon Nov 26, 2018 3:48 am  

In an era where fans, players, coaches and clubs alike all complain about the number of games being played (and overplayed in some fixtures) I’m not sure whether this would have any legs in it at all and I doubt it would even get off the ground to be honest.

Personally I think it’d be good for a few years but then as we as a sport always do, mess around with it, make fans and players disillusioned and it’ll die a quiet death with hardly anyone, Sky/BBC included giving little to no attention to it whatsoever regarding it as a glorified sideshow of little value to anyone.

Re: Lancashire Cup? : Mon Nov 26, 2018 8:14 am  

100% Warrior wrote:

In an era where fans, players, coaches and clubs alike all complain about the number of games being played (and overplayed in some fixtures) I’m not sure whether this would have any legs in it at all and I doubt it would even get off the ground to be honest.

Personally I think it’d be good for a few years but then as we as a sport always do, mess around with it, make fans and players disillusioned and it’ll die a quiet death with hardly anyone, Sky/BBC included giving little to no attention to it whatsoever regarding it as a glorified sideshow of little value to anyone.

I was thinking of it to replace pre season friendlies rather than as extra fixtures. For example:

Group A - 1st Saints 2nd Wigan 3rd Leigh
Group B - 1st Warrington 2nd Salford 3rd Widnes

Wigan Reserves play Leigh midweek. The first team play Saints, then on the finals day in this instance the first team would play Salford in one of the curtain raisers (2nd v 2nd). So two first team games, and one reserves. That's only the same amount as they have organised anyway.

I just think it would stick an extra thousand on friendly gates and make the games a little more interesting, rather than trying to make it a big deal. That finals day (Leigh v Widnes, Wigan v Salford, then Saints v Wire in the final) would get an OK crowd and be worth watching. I could see them having a good crack at each other in the final, not so much in the group games and curtain raisers.