Bradford Dudley Hill have been deducted two championship points and fined £250 after falling foul of the National Conference Leagues registration rules.

The sanction was imposed at Tuesday evening's discipline hearing in Leigh after Hill were found to have played Charlie Herbert in the 26-10 home win over Widnes St Maries on November 17 while he was suspended.

Herbert was given a further six-match ban to add to a previous ten-match sanction imposed by the West Riding Youth League when he was playing for Wibsey.

Dudley's disconsolate head coach Paul Baxter said: "We are gutted but we will just have to regroup and put everything into winning all our remaining matches to gain promotion the hard route."

Hill, who were joint top of National Conference Division One, travel to Sharlston Rovers in the rearranged Ace Insurance National Cup tie without Ryan Dickinson, who is unavailable, and Liam Jarvis, who has a long-term shoulder injury.

Clayton have ordered extra pies in anticipation of a big crowd for their rescheduled first-round clash against the mighty Skirlaugh Bulls at Lidget Green.

The match is the only amateur game in town and, while the Hull side are riding high in the Conference Premier Division and enjoy a formidable reputation of success in the competition, the visit to Clayton's sloping headquarters has all the makings of a banana skin.

The claret and gold hosts include former England Lionheart international captain Scott Pendlebury, who has bags of Conference experience with West Bowling, and home- grown talented prop Craig Pickthall, who will be a match for anybody in a strong home pack.