RUGBY union followers in the Bradford area will not have to travel far to watch their teams tomorrow.

Of the nine clubs in the vicinity from North One East down to Yorkshire Division Three, an incredible eight are at home – and even Bradford Salem are only at Alwoodley to face Leodiensian.

Bradford & Bingley’s coach Hugh Gumbs certainly relishes his team playing at Wagon Lane – something that he has sampled as a player, assistant coach and now as the main man.

Ahead of their match against eighth-placed York, he said: “It is a special place in terms of history (the Barbarians were formed in Bradford in 1890 and played a centenary match against the Bees at Wagon Lane) and we have a strong record of success there.

“Wagon Lane has seen a lot of development over the years. The facilities are good and the pitch is good.”

The unbeaten Bees are without Mat Cochrane, Michael Crotch, Ali Macdonald, Kati Tuipulotu and Jack Malthouse so may have to again call on their youngsters, but fielding players such as Will Bentley and Ryan Wilson does not worry Gumbs, as developing talent is part of his ethos.

The Wagon Laners were buoyed by a rare victory at West Hartlepool, and the latter are at fifth-placed Cleckheaton tomorrow.

Cleck’s player-coach Thiu Barnard said: “We made one or two silly mistakes in our 22-22 draw at Moortown but if you told me that we would have won two and drawn one of our first four I would have been pretty happy.”

Back-rower Brad Marsden is back for the hosts.

Tenth-placed Salem, who expect to have scrum half Harley Robertshaw and skipper Christian Baines back, did the double over Leos in their Yorkshire Division Two promotion season of 2014-15, including a 35-3 away triumph the last time they met in January 2015.

However, the Yorkshire Division One club are set to be without former Bull Glenn Morrison for a while as he broke and tore ligaments in a thumb last weekend, playing on with it strapped up before going to hospital.

Keighley, who are 12th, will need to improve their mentality for the home match against ninth-placed Goole.

Surprise packages Old Grovians, whose three wins out of four have seen them rise to third in Yorkshire Division Two, host tenth-placed Ripon.

“I would have bitten your hand off for that record,” admitted Grovians’ head coach Andy Hinchliffe, who was expecting unavailabilities to badly hamper his team in September.

Out, however, are props Alex Dodd-Jones (ruptured bicep) and Ben Pearson (ribs) but back come front-rowers Adam Crookes and Matthew Worrall, plus Will Robinson.

Also third are Baildon, who are at home to fifth-placed Harrogate Pythons in Yorkshire Division Three.

Dave Duxbury, whose players are still recovering from a 57-minute second half at Aireborough, said: “The referee was stopping his watch for every scrum, every line-out and every injury – they don’t even do that in the Premiership – but Pythons will be a real test.”

Wibsey, who have dropped to ninth, have influential No 8 Michael Kite back for another derby – against bottom-of-the-table Aireborough, who only have one point.