WHARFEDALE may have been relegated from National League One but they are set to play a big part in Yorkshire's bid to win the Bill Beaumont Cup.

Not only is the Greens' Jon Feeley head coach for the County Championship campaign, which starts on Saturday against Lancashire at Scarborough RUFC (3pm), but eight of the Dalesmen's squad have been picked too.

They are props Ali Wade and Joe Altham, lock George Hedgley, flanker Josh Burridge, fly half Jamie Guy, centres Cameron Hudson and Huw Morgan and winger Oli Cicognini.

"We are very, very pleased that Jon has been chosen as Yorkshire's coach," admitted Wharfedale's rugby chairman Michael Harrison, "and that eight players from our squad have been selected too, although we don't know how many of them will be starting."

Yorkshire's other two pool matches are against Cheshire at Sale RUFC a week on Saturday and against Eastern Counties at Cambridge University RUFC on Saturday, May 21, with the final being at Twickenham on Sunday, May 29.

Wharfedale at least had the satisfaction of completing their league programme with a victory, defeating mid-table Coventry 28-24 at The Avenue to sign off their 20-year stay in tier three in style.

The Greens won an uplifting contest with a try by Burridge with eight minutes to go, earlier tries coming from Phil Woodhead, Dan Solomi and Hudson, with Guy adding all four conversions.

Harrison said: "As we had been relegated a fortnight previously, there wasn't that tension, but there was a tremendous atmosphere, and it was great to end a long season in which we had been demoted with a victory.

"The players have still enjoyed each other's company, and they were just happy to have won, which you could see in the photographs at the end of the match.

"We expect to be able to announce next season's coaching set up very soon."

Harrison isn't expecting Wharfedale's relationship with Greene King IPA Championship club Yorkshire Carnegie to change, even though the Dalesmen will be in the same division as Otley and Harrogate next season.

He said: "Only Hull Ionians are in level three from Yorkshire, and there should still be enough players to go round Otley, Harrogate and Wharfedale next season, although there would be a complication were Yorkshire Carnegie to be promoted as Premiership loan players cannot drop three divisions."

However, with Carnegie having lost the first leg of their semi-final 30-17 at home to Doncaster Knights last Sunday, it is more likely that the south Yorkshire club will progress to the final, probably against Bristol, who beat Bedford 45-16 away last Sunday.

Harrison has been instrumental in setting up the Pilot League, in which Wharfedale Foresters have been taking part this season, although it has been dogged by withdrawals of teams and concessions of matches.

However, Harrison has some good news, saying: "I went to a meeting the other week near Kirkby Lonsdale, which was attended by representatives from Cumbria, Yorkshire and Lancashire, and the RFU have agreed to fund it for another year as long as there aren't too many concessions."