Beverley ARLC are finally starting to look forward to season 2016 after a longer close season than in previous years.
Their application to again compete in the Yorkshire League and also an application to enter an ‘A’ team in the entry league has been lodged with the RFL.
Club officials will be attending the usual pre-season meeting of clubs at Shaw Cross shortly, where they will learn the likely line up of teams in the league. A number of new sides are likely to be added to the competition.
Training has been ongoing since November with optimism high for the season ahead. Head coach Pat Howdle believes that there is a lot more to come from his youthful squad, which finished fifth in Division One in 2015.
Lewis Poskitt, Jack Howdle, Glen Anfield, Jack Humphries and Josh Pooley were very much mainstay players last season with Jake Hart-Fisher very much finding his feet in the forwards towards the end of the season. All of them are in their very early twenties with their best rugby ahead of them.
More seasoned campaigners Steve Connolly and the returning Tom Radley from West Hull will provide the experience in the squad. Furthermore, returning from last years well documented injury will be free scoring centre Adam Robson. Howdle is continually scouring the market and hopes to announce fresh signings ahead of the season’s commencement in March.
The blue and golds are looking for some testing pre-season friendlies with Loughborough University, Scarborough Pirates and National Conference outfit Castleford Panthers all likely to be lined up as opponents.
Beverley are also looking for much greater depth to the squad which is central to their plans to start up an ‘A’ team.
To that end, old and new players are welcomed down to training sessions at the Longcroft 3G pitch on Thursday evenings at 7pm.
