Offer accepted by Salford for Ormondroyd from Cas who are now seeking to agree personal terms with the player. First player in the trolley then. And so it begins.......

It seems that Derek thinks that we can win the Challenge Cup this year. Why not? He thought so a couple of years ago and all our dreams came true. A lot of the players that brought home the jug then are no longer with us and we start anew - but we started anew that season too. It’ll prove harder this year as the freshers will have less months to gel (and more Rounds to negotiate). So some early (off-season - and we all know what that means) ramblings on the Cup from Bongser will follow. For anyone that has been sleeping with their cranium up their crevice, Leigh Miners Rangers play from 12.30pm tomorrow (Saturday) in Oldham and Auntie is broadcasting it live on I-player and the Red Button. This pleasure will be denied Bongser as he will be working. Come on LMR! Also denied to this party will be the curiosity of following the 2pm kick-off between Mirfield and The Royal Navy as The Leopards potential third round opponents are whittled down from three to two. What a poodle’s picnic The RFL have made of this; icy weather in January is as good an excuse as the “Leaves on the track” in Autumn that did for SIR Bob Reid of British Rail back in the day. We’ve also seen one club forfeit a tie due to its “calendaring” breaching the RFL’s own rules concerning the health of amateur players. Where are the resignations? Thank Goodness the Beeb relegated the draw to I-player; marketing the game in this country is a task that’s hard enough (and seemingly beyond IMG) already, we don’t need the world to know what a pack of prannocks the governing body are!! Anyway, speaking of marketing, Bongser hopes that the Navy prevail tomorrow and again against Worky in Round 2. The exotic nature of an early trip to a knee-deep quagmire in West Yorkshire or a freezing midden in Cumbria do not appeal. However, a jaunt to sun-drenched (hmmm) Pompey does. Pipe dreams between three of us in The Egerton on Wednesday more than a little reliant on two other major factors: Does Jet2 have any smaller ‘planes (Lear size but less fatal to celebs)? Will there be any aircraft carriers docked in Portsmouth around the 8th of February? All being positive, Degsy (fully regaled in his Leopard suit) should Jet2 it to Pompey, land on the ACC and be breeches buoyed to shore (full bosun’s pipe kerfuffle et al!) to where his pimped Lamborghini awaits. Press & TV in attendance. …And boy there would be a few present should the jet take off from Barton Aerodrome with a mystery guest accompanying - full 2025 kit with an axeman’s hood covering his face (AND HAIR)! Should Mirfield prevail tomorrow (or Worky down the line), this post will dissolve in a swirl of soft focus accompanied by glissandi on the harp! As you can tell, Bongser is bored and cannot wait for the new season to start.