Pudsey clubs are the worst hit by weather

It brings the total of abandonments in the first eight weeks of the season across the league’s four divisions to 73 and takes it past last year’s figure of 58 for the entire campaign.

The worst hit is Division One where 19 games have been called off, while each of the other three divisions have all lost 18 matches.

The two clubs who have been hit the hardest are Pudsey Congs and Pudsey St Lawrence. Their first teams have had four of their nine league fixtures abandoned.

The number of abandonments is almost three times the combined figure for the same stage of the previous two seasons.

That might surprise some people as the 2012 campaign saw 130 games called off in total, but at the same point in that year just nine games had been lost. Last season, there were 16 games called off by June 8.

The clubs will be hoping for a break in the weather next weekend as Saturday’s Division One programme sees leaders Woodlands take on third-placed Pudsey St Lawrence, while second-placed Cleckheaton host Farsley, who are fourth.

Woodlands and Pudsey St Lawrence will also meet again at Albert Terrace on Sunday when they face each other in the quarter-finals of the Sovereign Health Care Priestley Cup.

Division 1: Woodlands 107, Cleckheaton 104, Pudsey St Lawrence 93, farsley 88, Hanging Heaton 88. Morley 75, Bradford & Bingley 73, Lightcliffe 73, East Bierley 58, New Farnley 58, Yeadon 49, Pudsey Congs 43.

Division 2: Undercliffe 119, Saltaire 109, Keighley 103, Idle 86, Baildon 80, Gomersal 78, Spen Victoria 76, Bowling Old Lane 73, Hartshead Moor 71, Brighouse 66, Bankfoot 61, Great Horton 60, Windhill 37.

Priestley Cup quarter-finals: Undercliffe v Pudsey Congs, Cleckheaton v H Heaton, Bradford & B v East Bierley, Woodlands v Pudsey SL.