Another Saturday victory for Lancaster. A historic Five-peat. The longest spell without a York win since the 1970s.
The question has to be asked: Are York dead and buried forever? Or is it just a rather extended rut?
As much as Roses has been an outstanding spectacle, with some very tight contests, it seemed, from the get go, that York had no hope in hell.
Lancaster appeared secure in their victory from Friday morning, barring the extraordinary they were sure to roll York over once again.
Which they duly did.
The rivalry is still strong but there does come a point where you begin to wonder will Lancaster get bored? And will York just give up?
The inquest into this history making defeat must find solutions and fast, with a home Roses in 2027 providing an opportunity to at the very least close the gap to the Red Rose.
While the reasons can, and will be much debated, it is not talking that is needed now but action. It’s clear that Lancaster’s facilities are much stronger than York’s which is a hindrance but there are other more important factors. The organisation of the collegiate system is one such example, could the introduction of a college cup lead to increased rivalry, driving the quality of sports up and therefore leading to better results?
There is also the issue of coaching. York appears to lack similar depth of coaching in most sports to their Red rivals, which is an obvious weakness that can be fixed, but has been ignored for years.
The York student athletes have left their heart and soul in Lancaster but without sufficient facilities, training and competition all year round there are some sports where they cannot compete. This is not due to a lack of talent but a failure to nurture and invest in that talent.
The White Rose is not dead and buried yet. But they will be soon if nothing is done to arrest what is a tremendous fall from grace.