DOING IT FOR YORKSHIRE

It's been 14 years since the White Rose County dined among England's elite. But DONCASTER KNIGHTS are hoping to put Yorkshire squarely back on the map

- ALAN PEAREY

CHAMP RUGBY. The proving ground. The home of broken dreams and empty pockets. But also new shoots and optimism. Bags of it. Rugby World has taken a trip to Castle Park for a tasty-looking fixture, Doncaster Knights v Worcester Warriors. A large crowd is expected and as we arrive and an attendant parks us up, he tells us about the day the Maori All Blacks played here and some people came along just to watch the haka.

We're here early to meet Steve Lloyd, Doncaster's president and co-benefactor. He is charming and generous with his time. Lloyd comes from coal-mining stock and made his fortune establishing residential schools for children with special educational needs. His joined the club as a tighthead prop in 1975 and one of his trusty teammates, Tony de Mulder, is now his fellow co-owner.

“As soon as we could pay players, we went to a £10 win bonus. Then a £20 win bonus and it went on from there,” Lloyd tells us. “You can’t be half full-time – you’re either part-time or you’re full-time.

“And when the Championship was formed in 2009 after the review, they dropped four clubs from what was then National One to be the first division below the Premiership. And those 12 clubs agreed to be full-time professional.

“Today we’re 14 teams and I think I’m right in saying only four are full-time professional: Doncaster, Ealing, Worcester, Coventry. But they may argue it at Coventry.”

Between them, Lloyd and de Mulder have pumped millions into Doncaster Knights and established them as Yorkshire’s premier club. The facilities are superb.