BRADFORD & Bingley's Yorkshire Shield fixture at home to Driffield tomorrow at times seem to be shrouded in more mystery than the freezing fog that enveloped West Yorkshire on Wednesday.

"We keep getting mixed messages," admitted Bees secretary Nick Patterson of their first-round tie.

"We are told that Driffield don't want to travel on the day after Mad Friday, then we are told that they are definitely coming and then we are told that they are coming with a mixture of first and second-teamers."

Bees coach Hugh Gumbs is working on the theory that both sides will be a mixture of first and second-teamers.

He said: "We will give Harry Collis a run at scrum-half and Josh Murphy a game at fly-half, although he is also a scrum-half.

"These lads have a lot of potential and I will be looking to see who puts their hands up to play in a first XV league match."

Bradford & Bingley go into the match on the back of an excellent 47-21 victory at fourth-placed Scarborough.

"This has been coming," admitted Gumbs. "Everything came together and we played to our structures for the first 50 minutes and we caught them cold."

North One East leaders Driffield could have played the tie as a double header at Wagon Lane on October 19 - a game that Driffield won 24-17 - but declined.

Yorkshire Division One Bradford Salem are also in first-round Shield action against North One East opponents - at Pocklington, who are ninth in the table, a place below the Bees.

"We always try and respect Yorkshire cup competitions and, at the moment, we have 18 players so we are just looking at a player to fill the bench as we can travel with 19," said Salem chairman Neil Klenk.

"It will be good to test ourselves against Level Six opposition like Pocklington, and any side that can beat Cleckheaton have to be respected, but we are a bit surprised at the level of sides in the Shield, some of whom have traditionally played in the Yorkshire Cup."

These sides being in the Shield is undoubtedly a consequence of the Yorkshire Cup being restricted to 11 clubs, and Klenk added: "We are the lowest ranked side in the Shield."

The rewards for the winners are home ties in the quarter-finals, with either Bradford & Bingley or Driffield facing Heath and one of Bradford Salem and Pocklington meeting Malton & Norton.