VETERAN Pete Lowth admits Baildon have surpassed their own expectations as they resume their promotion push at home to Ossett tomorrow.

Lowth revealed that the Jenny Laners' 15 wins from 18 matches, which has left them in second place in Yorkshire Three, has pleasantly surprised him.

The prop said: "I don't think that we expected to be where we are now at the start of the season.

"We would more than likely have been happy with the top half of the table, but we aren't getting in front of ourselves, and we said that at the end of our last game against Rotherham.

"We aren't getting giddy or excited and there are still eight games to go, but a lot of the good work is being done in the background by the forwards' coach, the backs coach and the head coach."

At five years shy of 50, Lowth admits that season 2019-20 could be his last.

He admitted: "I don't think that I have another season in me at 45 as my body is telling me."

If he does hang up his boots, he has some phenomenal memories, particularly of the RFU Junior Vase finals at Twickenham in which Baildon beat Harrow 6-3 in 2012 and lost 58-29 the following year to Newent.

He said: "I have played at Twickenham twice - just to appear there once was brilliant - and I made a cover tackle late on that helped to win us the match first time around but us getting tries in the second one was also a happy memory."

Tomorrow's eighth-placed visitors Ossett are decent travellers, having won at Skipton, Hemsworth and Rotherham Phoenix this season and only lost 15-12 at leaders Leeds Corinthians.

Wibsey, who are seventh in Yorkshire Three, are at Knottingley, who dropped to third as a result of Baildon's 62-0 home win over Rotherham Phoenix last weekend.

Knottingley have won eight of their nine league matches at Howard's Field in 2019-20, with their only blot being a 20-19 defeat to Corinthians.

Wibsey's match is worth double points as it is also being played as the reverse league fixture, which was called off in November and again on the weekend between Christmas and new year.

Old Grovians, having struggled to raise a side for the re-arranged visit to Wath Upon Dearne last weekend in Yorkshire Two, have the opposite problem for the home match against Wetherby.

"We have players coming out of the woodwork," admitted Grovians coach Andy Hinchliffe, "and selection could be interesting."

He said of the 26-17 defeat in south Yorkshire: "I was proud of the lads last weekend as I expected us to get a battering.

"They did really well and we had six 18-year-olds playing against a side who all seemed to be 26 stone and in their thirties.

"We had first use of the wind and scored a couple of tries and were leading at half-time.

"They scored a try early in the second half but didn't score another and we ended up losing 26-17 to three penalties in the last 20 minutes. It was a shame that we couldn't get a losing bonus point."

Wibsey (at Knottingley) from: A Rose, J Brown, J Bradbury, A Cerson, E Cousins, M Kite, M Darragh, D Conroy, R Greenwood, S Foulds, A Walker, J Tordoff, K Carter, A Batey, S Grant, B Mpofu, H Hall, J Ratcliffe, R Smith, R Goldsborough, R Moore.