AS the rugby union programme heads into the new year there is a lot to play for many of the local clubs.

Caldy currently find themselves third in National Two North which is one of their highest league placings.

Wirral are finding the going tough in National Three North with only three victories to date and have only two clubs below them.

Birkenhead Park who just missed out on promotion with Wirral last season sit at the head of North One West with neighbours New Brighton third bottom but showing signs of improvement.

Anselmians are tenth in South Lancashire / Cheshre One but it is not so good for Hoylake who face a battle to avoid the drop. They are currently eight points adrift in last position.

Port Sunlight lie tenth and Prenton twelfth in Division Two.

Wallasey who won only one game last season are enjoying much better fortunes and are second-placed in Division Three. Ellesmere Port are fourth, Oldershaw sixth and Oxton Parkonians eighth.

Caldy have an interesting home fixture this Saturday, against Harrogate who are just behind them in the table.

Wirral journey to Huddersfield YM and New Brighton to Penrith but Birkenhead Park will have home advantage against Vale of Lune.

Other fixtures involving local clubs include Anselmians v Sefton, Hoylake at Douglas, Isle of Man, Prenton at Ashton on Mersey and Port Sunlight at Moore.

There are no South Lancashire / Cheshire Three games listed this weekend.

Meanwhile Caldy showed they have strength in depth as they saw off the determined challenge of Sandbach on Sunday to book a place in the final of the Cheshire Cup.

They fielded mainly fringe players in their starting line-up but just prevailed 24-21 against a side currently doing well in Midlands Three North.

Caldy were never behind but the closing stages were tense as the outcome hung in the balance.

Tobias Bertolas opened the scoring with a 10th minute try converted by Ben Jones.

Sandbach soon levelled with a converted try themselves but Caldy registered two well worked touch downs by Paul Sellwood plus one Jones conversion for a 19-7 interval advantage.

A driving try from a line out plus the extras made it 19-14 on 44 minutes but a lively move after a scrum culminated in winger Sellwood completing his hat-trick of touch downs ahead of the final quarter.

Sandbach were frustrated as tries were disallowed firstly for a foot in touch and secondly for a knock on but a snap touch down when the ball ran loose from a Caldy scrum plus the conversion on 69 minutes set up an interesting finale.