In the North 1 Moralee
Conference, we have 7 teams battling it out for the league title – the same teams
as last year with the exception of Telford Titans who have folded. They will
play each other twice at home and twice away which means a 24 match regular
season. The top 4 will then meet in a play
off weekend to be staged at Solway in April.
Solway, Blackburn and
Billingham are also playing in the EIHA Challenge Cup competition where they
will be pitched in a group with 5 teams from the EPL.
The North 2 Laidler
Conference has all 8 teams from last season and 2 new ones in the shape of
Bradford Bulldogs and a Telford NIHL Tigers side, which is being run as part of
the Tigers EPL set up. The 10 teams will play each other twice at home and
twice away making for a 36 game regular season schedule, although the EIHA has
given permission for some games to be played for double points.
The top four teams will
meet in a play-off weekend at Solihull in April and all four will – supposedly -
gain promotion to the Moralee Conference
for the following season, with the bottom two from North 1 being relegated.
South 1 has 10 teams
this season – the 9 from last time with the addition of Oxford City Stars who
won promotion from South 2 – in a 36 game regular season. The top South 1 teams will meet their
Southern EPL counterparts in the Challenge Cup and there will also be end of
season play offs for the top 8 in the division.
South 2 has 11 teams
this time around and they are split into west and east conferences. Each team plays the other teams in its own conference
twice at home and twice away and the conference winners will play off to decide
the overall South 2 champions. There
will also be a South 2 cup competition played in 2 qualifying groups with semi-finals
and final.
SO there is much to look
forward to over the coming months. Check back here on Mondays for our weekend
updates!
If YOU would like us to
feature YOUR match photos, game reports and NIHL news items, drop us a line to
find out how: EMAIL
Photo: N1 Blackburn Hawks beat N2 Widnes Wild 7-1 in
a pre-season challenge match. (Photo by John Milton – www.eventog.uk)
