#rugbyleague BLOG 2010/11 Challenge Cup Draw nears...

Entry 31, 3rd December 2010.

The following press release came direct from the RFL about the Preliminary and First Round Draws in the 2010/11 Carnegie Challenge Cup:

George Hotel to host Carnegie Challenge Cup draws

The draws for the Preliminary and First Rounds of the 2011 Carnegie Challenge Cup will take place at the iconic George Hotel in Huddersfield on Tuesday December 7.

Warrington Wolves captain Adrian Morley, who lifted the Carnegie Challenge Cup in both 2009 and 2010, will be a guest of honour to make the draw alongside team-mate and 2010 Lance Todd Trophy winner Lee Briers.

Representatives from all 65 community clubs involved in the early stages of Rugby League’s oldest and most prestigious knockout competition have been invited to attend the draw which will take place at around 7.00pm.

All the teams from the National Conference League Premier, First and Second Divisions are included in the draws along with the winners of a number of regional community leagues and Cups.

These include the champions of the Yorkshire, Hull and District, Cumberland, North West Counties and Pennine Leagues as well as the winners of the Lancashire and Yorkshire County Cups and Cumberland ARL nominees Seaton Rangers.

Other teams involved are Valley Cougars and Carluke Tigers – the Welsh and Scottish champions - seven University teams, five RLC teams, the RAF, Army, Royal Navy and the British Police.

The early stages of the competition are split into two pools, Pools A and B. Pool A contains the 39 National Conference League clubs, the five regional League winners, the Yorkshire and Lancashire County cup winners and the Cumberland ARL nomination.

Pool B contains the Combined Services teams, the British Police, student teams, Welsh champions, Scottish champions and Rugby League Conference teams.

The Preliminary Round draw will be made in two stages. In the first, seven matches will be drawn from Pool A with 19 clubs receiving a bye to the First Round where they will join the 14 NCL Premier teams.

Two matches will then be drawn from Pool B, with 11 clubs receiving a bye to the First Round where they will join the three services teams.

The First Round draw will also be made in two stages. Firstly 20 matches will be drawn from Pool A and then eight matches will be drawn from Pool B.

The Preliminary Round ties will be played over the weekend of January 8 and 9 with the First Round ties scheduled to be played over the weekend of January 22 and 23.

For more information about the Carnegie Challenge Cup visit www.carnegiechallengecup.co.uk

Pool A

Bradford Dudley Hill (NCL Premier)

Castleford Lock Lane (NCL 2)

Castleford Panthers (NCL 1)

Crosfields (NCL 2)

East Hull (NCL Premier)

East Leeds (NCL 2)

Eastmoor Dragons (NCL 2)

Eccles & Salford Juniors (NCL 1)

Egremont Rangers (NCL 2)

Elland (NCL 2)

Heworth (NCL 2)

Hull Dockers (NCL Premier)

Hunslet Warriors (NCL 2)

Ince Rose Bridge (NCL 1)

Leigh East (NCL Premier)

Leigh Miners Rangers (NCL Premier)

Milford Marlins (NCL 1)

Millom (NCL 1)

Myton Warriors (NCL 1)

Normanton Knights (NCL 1)

Oldham St Annes (NCL 1)

Oulton Raiders (NCL 1)

Ovenden (NCL 2)

Rochdale Mayfield (NCL 1)

Saddleworth Rangers (NCL Premier)

Shaw Cross Sharks (NCL 2)

Siddal (NCL Premier)

Skirlaugh (NCL Premier)

Stanley Rangers (NCL 1)

Stanningley (NCL 1)

Thatto Heath Crusaders (NCL Premier)

Waterhead (NCL 2)

Wath Brow Hornets (NCL Premier)

West Bowling (NCL 2)

West Hull (NCL Premier)

Widnes St Maries (NCL 1)

Wigan St Judes (NCL Premier)

Wigan St Patricks (NCL Premier)

York Acorn (NCL Premier)

Drighlington (Pennine League)

Fryston (Yorkshire League)

Norland Sharks (Hull League)

Halton Simms Cross (North West Counties)

Seaton Rangers (Cumberland ARL Nomination)

Kells (Cumberland League Winners)

Lancashire Cup winners

Yorkshire Cup winners

                       

Pool B

Leeds Met Carnegie (Student)

University of Hull (Student)

Loughborough University (Student)

Northumbria University (Student)

University of Central Lancashire (Student)

Gloucestershire University (Student)

Edge Hill University (Student)

Featherstone Lions (RLC)

Warrington Wizards (RLC)

Kippax Knights (RLC)

St Albans Centurions (RLC)

Northampton (RLC)

Carluke Tigers (Scotland champions)

Valley Cougars (Wales Champions)

Royal Navy RL (Combined Services)

Royal Air Force RL (Combined Services)

Army RL (Combined Services)

British Police

-ends-

TV Challenge Cup Ties picked

As expected Hull and Leeds Rhinos top the bill after being selected to be shown on BBC TV on Saturday 17th April. The following day another mouthwatering all-Super League tie between Huddersfield Giants and Hull KR will take place.

The official press release from the RFL read:

"Two fourth round ties involving four clubs with a rich history in the Carnegie Challenge Cup will be televised live by the BBC next month.


On Saturday April 17, the match between Hull FC and Leeds, will be screened live on BBC1 with a 2.30pm kick-off.

The tie is a repeat of the 2005 Challenge Cup Final at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, which Hull FC famously won by the narrowest of margins, a drop-goal by Danny Brough proving a difference in a 25-24 victory.

This year sees Hull bidding to reach Wembley for the first time since 2008, when they were defeated by St Helens, and a bumper crowd is expected at the KC Stadium for the tie between the great Yorkshire rivals, who also meet in Engage Super League at Leeds the week before.

On Sunday April 18, Huddersfield Giants will host Hull Kingston Rovers in front of the BBC2 cameras in a tie which kicks off at 1.45pm.

Both clubs will be highly motivated in this year’s Carnegie Challenge Cup following their experience in 2009, when Huddersfield went all the way to Wembley only to lose 25-16 to Warrington Wolves in a classic final.

Last year also saw Hull KR beaten by Warrington in a thrilling quarter-final tie which was settled on the golden point rule when Lee Briers kicked the winning drop-goal in extra time to complete a 25-24 victory.

The televised Carnegie Challenge Cup fourth round ties are as follows:

Saturday April 17 – Hull FC v Leeds Rhinos (BBC1, 2.30pm).
Sunday April 18 – Huddersfield v Hull Kingston Rovers (BBC2, 1.45pm)."

Challenge Cup Round 3 Report - Widnes v Wigan St Judes

WIDNES VIKINGS 64
WIGAN ST JUDES 12
By Dave Parkinson

Widnes Vikings secured a home draw against French team FC Lezignan with an eventually overwhelming victory over amateurs Wigan St Judes. The visitors however, can take a lot of credit for the work they put in with Paul Pendlebury, Gavin Corfield, Darley King, Nathan Jones, Dave Picton, Dean and Glen Hunt and Tye Ford impressing at various times of a spirited display from the National Conference League side.

The Vikings had good contributions from Shane Grady, Paddy Flynn, halfbacks Anthony Thackeray and Thomas Coyle while Gareth Haggerty, Richard Varkulis and Dave Allen had their moments. Danny Hulme also impressed with a two try debut, cheered on by dad David, a Widnes legend in his playing days.

St Judes opened confidently, linking passages of play together and making metres with ease and after Picton missed  a fifth minute penalty, the Wigan side again went on attack with Dean Hunt working play left for the dangerous Corfield who was then able to smuggle the ball from the tackle which allowed the supporting Glen Hunt to dash over at the side of the posts. This time Picton converted and at 6-0 there were calls from the St Judes fans to finish the game at that point.

Sadly for them there were 73 minutes left and although it took a little time, Widnes found their feet in the game. Matt Gardner made a strong 50 metre burst upfield which brought a stunning one on one tackle from Pendlebury. A couple of tackles later Allen held off two tacklers to score and although Grady missed the goal he was on song in the 19th minute when the Vikings turned back to back possession into points despite some good work in defence again from Pendlebury. It was Anthony Thackeray that went over and three further tries signalled a devastating 12 minute spell of play when St Judes rarely touched the ball.

Haggerty split the defence for Lee Doran to race around the fullback from 40 metres and he was quickly followed over the line by Scott Yates and Dave Houghton as 10-6 became 26-6 at half-time, while it could have been worse for the visitors if Thomas Coyle's pass for Matt Gardner had not been judged forward.

Even the most optimistic St Judes fan must have been fearing the worst when within a minute Hulme had sent Grady charging 25 metres for a try but the plucky visitors scored an excellent effort of their own within three minutes when the ball was firstly kicked across field by Picton before Jones and King twice combined on the right for King to eventually score. Picton then goaled from the touch line before Hulme scurried over for his first try after 48 minutes. Grady goaled and also added the extras to two more tries as first Richard Varkulis ran an excellent line from Thackeray's pass, then Hulme backed up after a four man move brought desperate and fine defence from Jones who slowed the move right down before a third offload found the Vikings youngster. At 42-12 the game was gone for Judes but they still had their moments with Hunt, Picton and John McMullen all trying to pull the strings in midfield while Pendlebury always looked capable of making a break if the Vikings defence switched off.

Thankfully for boss Paul Cullen the defence worked well while Thackeray created a carbon copy second try for Varkulis to take the score past 50 and spark another mini point glut at the end which the Wigan amateurs didn't really deserve. A short ball saw Allen cross for his second before the Vikings 12th and final try was again created by Thackeray with Coyle carving through the defence on the angle for Grady to kick his 8th goal and 20th point of the evening.

Widnes: Scott Yates, Paddy Flynn, Dean Thompson, Shane Grady, Matt Gardner; Anthony Thackeray, Thomas Coyle; Gareth Haggerty, Mark Smith, Lee Doran, Richard Varkulis, Matt Strong, Dave Allen.
Subs: Ben Kavanagh, Chris Gerard, Danny Hulme, Dave Houghton.

Tries: Allen 2 (13, 71), Thackeray (19), Doran (21), Yates (26), Houghton (31), Grady (41), Hulme 2 (48, 59), Varkulis 2 (55, 69), Coyle (75).

Goals: Grady 8/12.

Wigan St Judes: Paul Pendlebury, Ryan Ainscough, Gavin Corfield, Darley King, Nathan Jones; Dave Picton, Dean Hunt; Martin Riley, Glen Hunt, Peter Cain, Lee Maiden, Darren Banks, Mark Whittaker. Subs: Kevin Howells, Danny Clayton, Tye Ford, John McMullen.

Tries: G. Hunt (7), King (44).

Goals: Picton 2/3.

Referee: Mr C Leatherbarrow.

Attendance: 1,622.

Scoring:
0-6; 4-6; 10-6; 16-6; 20-6; 26-6; 30-6; 30-12; 36-12; 42-12; 48-12; 52-12; 58-12; 64-12.   

Challenge Cup draw made

The fourth Round Challenge Cup draw took place at Warrington this evening with a selection of the games top coaches and players on hand for reaction. 


Leigh were rewarded for their 52-4 defeat of Wath Brow Hornets with an away tie at French club Limoux who accounted for London Skolars in round three.

Remainder of draw:

York v Crusaders

Hunslet v Oldham

Swinton v Halifax

Harlequins v Wakefield

St Helens v Toulouse

Widnes or Wigan St Judes v Lezignan

Catalans v Salford

Sheffield v Wigan

Siddal v Batley

Hull v Leeds

Castleford v Barrow

Warrington v Featherstone

Blackpool v Whitehaven

Huddersfield v Hull KR

Dewsbury v Bradford

Ties will be played on the weekend of April 17-18

Challenge Cup Results Round 3

Siddal gained the big shock of the round with a 26-0 beating of Doncaster although there were a few other close run things between the semi-pros and amateurs.

Here are all the results from last weekend:

Friday:
Leigh Miners Rangers 20 WHITEHAVEN 40
Warrington Wizards 22 SWINTON 34

Saturday:
Leigh East 14 HUNSLET HAWKS 30
Keighley 26 TOULOUSE 35
Doncaster 0 SIDDAL 26

Sunday:
BARROW 62 Hunslet Warriors 10
BATLEY 70 Leeds Met 6
Drighlington 10 DEWSBURY 42

FEATHERSTONE 74 Workington 0
Gateshead 12 YORK 44
LEIGH 52 Wath Brow 4
London Skolars 16 LIMOUX 42
OLDHAM 80 Blackwood Bulldogs 6
Ovenden 10 HALIFAX 88
Rochdale 22 FC LEZIGNAN-CORBIERES 32
Royal Navy 16 BLACKPOOL 50
SHEFFIELD 54 Thatto Heath 0

Tonight's draw sees the 14 Super League clubs enter the action.

RL Comment - The Magic of the Cup

I like these early rounds of the Carnegie Challenge Cup.

I know they are not everyone's cup of tea but you usually get a bit of magic as the best of the amateurs play each other and you invariably get the "near miss" games where pro clubs are rocked to their very foundations by the commitment of their opposition, the speed of attack and ferocity of defence.

So far this season there have been a couple of near misses - Warrington Wizards put up a heck of a fight before losing to Swinton while despite scorelines which looked a little more comfortable at Leigh Sports Village it was in truth anything but for Whitehaven, who scored all seven of their tries in the latter stages of the first and second halves during a 40-20 win which brought a magnificent performance from Leigh Miners.

Leigh East were no less heroic yesterday with Hunslet having to use every ounce of now-how and experience to win 30-14.

There was a shock too with Siddal becoming the 21st amateur side to topple pro opposition since the Challenge Cup was opened up again to amateur clubs in the 1990's. Brad Attwood and Scott Caley both formerly of Halifax were the heroes with two tries each in a comprehensive 26-0 win over Doncaster that eclipsed the previous record amateur win of 27-4 which came when Beverley knocked out the now defunct Highfield in 1995-96.

I will wait with baited breath for other results today.

Leigh Challenge Cup Weekend - Days 1 and 2.

On Friday night, for seventy plus minutes there was drama, thrills and spills aplenty as the Challenge Cup came alive in a third round tie between Leigh Miners Rangers and Championship Whitehaven.


Miners roared out of the starting blocks and it was 14-0 after 17 minutes thanks to tries from Scott O'Brien and Ryan Smith while goal-kicker Tom Bradbury displayed his accuracy with three goals from three attempts. It was no more than Miners deserved having set the pace with Daryl Kay, Dean Balmer and Danny Jones working in tandem to set a platform for the rest of the team.

Kay was particularly impressive with an excellent first twenty minutes that saw him leave a host of Whitehaven defenders trailing in his wake and several offloads helped Jones in particular push forward and created plenty of doubt in the visitors minds.

There was also another good cameo from former Centurions forward Liam Coleman who made several runs down the right in the first half while halfbacks Smith and O'Brien were lively.

Although Whitehaven scored tries through Craig Calvert, Graeme Mattinson, Marc Jackson and Reece Fox in the last eleven minutes of the first half and then dded further scores from Richard Farrer, Carl Sice and Dexter Miller before the end, with Carl Rudd booted six goals, the game was much closer than the 40-20 score indicated.

Saturday brought a similarly interesting game with National Conference League Leaders giving Championship One Hunslet Hawks a real run for their money.

Hunslet took the lead against the run of play after 15 minutes when Steve Dooler scored from close range and centre Wayne McHugh converted. The game went from end to end until great play from Ryan Peters saw the East half back twice involved in a move that also featured John Taylor and Carl Redford before Andrew Groves touched down in the corner.

East looked to repel their line before the break but a penalty on the half-time siren saw McHugh convert and Hunslet led 8-4.

The Redford - Groves combination led to a second try for the winger after 42 minutes with Peters conversion attempt bouncing back off the crossbar before Paul March put the Hawks in front.

After the outstanding Gary Middlehurst was held up over the line, Leigh East struck for a third try when fullback Ryan Fieldhouse crossed at the side of the posts before good finishing from Michael Mark saw the Papua New Guinea international claim two tries either side of the hour. The final 15 minutes brought a series of skirmishes as discipline lapsed on both sides. Middlehurst was shown the yellow card for running into one such melee and Darren Robinson made the game safe for Hunslet with McHugh's fifth goal confirming a flattering 30-14 victory.

Challenge Cup Draw Round 3 - The e-mail arrives

Here is the draw in full for Round Three:

Widnes Vikings v Wigan St Judes


Oldham v Blackwood Bulldogs

Gateshead Thunder v York City Knights

London Skolars v Limoux

Doncaster v Siddal

Rochdale Hornets v Lezignan

Drighlington v Dewsbury Rams

Batley Bulldogs v Leeds Metropolitan University

Royal Navy v Blackpool Panthers

Featherstone Rovers v Workington Town

Warrington Wizards v Swinton Lions

Leigh Miners Rangers v Whitehaven

Sheffield Eagles v Thatto Heath

Ovenden v Halifax

Barrow Raiders v Hunslet Warriors

Keighley Cougars v Toulouse Olympique

Leigh East v Hunslet Hawks

Leigh Centurions v Wath Brow Hornets


Ties to be played over the weekend of March 6 and 7, 2010

What a spectacular let down - Problems at Challenge Cup R3 Draw: RL Comment

What a disappointment that was.

I got home, hoping to relay news of the Challenge Cup draw in particular who Leigh Miners, Leigh East, Wigan St Judes and Leigh Centurions had drawn.

I first looed round the internet and then found the page on the RFL website.

Something should have told me this wasn't going to be straight forward when the link said: Carnegie Challenge Cup Draw STEAMED Live.

I clicked on the link, got a vision streaming website, then got a cuppa. I waited eagerly and the default pictures were replaced by a stage with a nice background, 4 people standing in the foreground including RFL Communications Manager Craig Spence. There was silence. Pictures but no sound. It was how Cliff Richard should have been in the 1980s, or how Charlie Chaplin was in the 1920s!

I waited, then adjusted things on my computer and watched as 300+ people started saying they couldn't hear anything either.

I'm still none the wiser and haven't received the e-mail.

While the RFL are to be applauded for the idea, it's a pity that their technology let them down, and 35 minutes later I still wait for news with a deadline pressing.... 

Challenge Cup Results Round-Up 14/2/2010

Four games took place in the Challenge Cup Second Round today.

There were wins for Leeds Metropolitan University, Blackwood Bulldogs, The Royal Navy and Warrington Wizards.

The results were:
British Police 18 Leeds Met 50

Edinburgh Eagles 16 Blackwood Bulldogs 28
Royal Navy 46 Nottingham Outlaws 6
Warrington Wizards 28 British Army 20

The draw for Round Three will take place on Tuesday Evening in the Gateshead Metro Centre (6.00pm).

Challenge Cup Second Round round-up

Thatto Heath, Siddal, Wath Brow, Ovenden and Wigan St Judes were just some of the names to make it into Tuesday night's Third Round draw for the Carnegie Challenge Cup.

Both of Leighs amateur teams, Miners and East won through with solid performances at Hull Dockers and Rochdale Mayfield respectively while the Challenge Cup dream is still alive for Pennine League amateurs Drighlington who knocked out National Conference opposition for the second week running in Castleford Lock Lane.

There was no such fairytale for troubled Normanton who are recovering after a suspected arson attack damaged their clubhouse. Last week they knocked Wigan St Patricks out of the competition but Hunslet Warriors edged Normanton 14-8.

The results from todays ties are listed below:

Castleford Panthers 0 Thatto Heath 32

Drighlington 24 Castleford Lock Lane 18

Hull Dockers 8 Leigh MR 24

Normanton 8 Hunslet Warriors 14

Ovenden 32 Myton Warriors 16

Rochdale Mayfield 18 Leigh East 34

Siddal 34 Oulton Raiders 30

Wath Brow 16 East Hull 14

Wigan St Judes 36 Milford 18

Four games take place tomorrow. They are:

British Police v Leeds Met (KO 13.30)
Edinburgh Eagles v Blackwood Bulldogs (KO 12.30)
Royal Navy v Nottingham Outlaws (KO 14.30)
Warrington Wizards v British Army (KO 14.00).

Challenge Cup continues its tour

Further to my earlier mini preview of the Challenge Cup this weekend, the RFL have circulated another press release and it looks like you lucky lot at Rochdale Mayfield v Leigh East will get to see the Challenge Cup. Already this year it has been moved around the country and next Tuesday night will be heading up the A1 to Gateshead but before then, the cup comes to Lancashire.


Carnegie Challenge Cup travels to Rochdale Mayfield


The Carnegie Challenge Cup travels to Rochdale Mayfield this Saturday (February 13) for their Carnegie Challenge Cup Second Round tie against Leigh East which kicks off at 2.30pm.

The 113-year old trophy is heading to the Lancashire club courtesy of the RFL’s Educational partners Leeds Metropolitan University as part of an initiative to reward clubs who take part in the Carnegie Challenge Cup, one of the most prestigious competitions in world Rugby League.

Rochdale Mayfield’s Club Secretary Paul Scanlon-Wells said: "It is an honour to have such a historic trophy at our game on Saturday on a day when we will be awarded with our Clubmark Gold Award.

“Winning the tie and getting into the next round to have a crack at a professional club would feel like living the dream!”

There will also be two very special Guests of Honour in Labour MP Neil Turner the head of the All-Party Parliamentary Rugby League Group. Rochdale Mayfield also welcome back a former player and Challenge Cup Winner in Steve Nash who played the game in the 70's and 80's.

The Carnegie Challenge Cup will be at the club from noon and will be available for people to have photos with it both before and after the game. All the club asks for is a donation to Try Assist which is the new name for the Rugby League Benevolent Fund that gives assistance to players who are injured playing Rugby League.

The club will also be playing the Challenge Cup match in which Steve Nash won his Lance Todd Trophy award in 1973 on the big screen in the Clubhouse.

Challenge Cup Round 2 Preview

It is Round Two of the Challenge Cup this weekend. Everyone is hoping the season is back on track after the arctic conditions of January that saw a staggered first round take place over 3 weekends. The prize for success is a crack at semi-professional or French opposition when those clubs are entered into Tuesday's Third Round Draw at the Metro Centre in Gateshead.


Results from the competition last weekend were:

Normanton 6 Wigan St Pats 4

West London Sharks 16 Nottingham Outlaws 38

Hull Dockers 26 Pilkington Recs 12

Myton Warriors 20 Halton Simms Cross 15

Shaw Cross Sharks 8 Leigh Miners Rangers 44

Stanningley 0 Wigan St Judes 22

Drighlington 26 West Hull 10.

Excellent results from Normanton, Myton and Drighlington in particular where the Pennine League high fliers conceded the first try before stretching out to a 20-4 halftime lead over ther National Conference League Premier Division opponents.

The draw for this weekend's fixtures was made on Nelson's famous HMS Victory and brought up the following ties:

Castleford Panthers v Thatto Heath

Drighlington v Castleford Lock Lane

Hull Dockers v Leigh Miners

Normanton v Hunslet Warriors

Ovenden v Myton Warriors

Rochdale Mayfield v Leigh East

Siddal v Oulton Raiders

Wath Brow v East Hull

Wigan St Judes v Milford Marlins

British Police v Leeds Metropolitan University

Edinburgh Eagles v Blackwood Bulldogs

The Royal Navy v Nottingham Outlaws

Warrington Wizards v The Army

Encouragingly both Leigh clubs are still in the competition and I'm sure I won't be the only one looking out for results on Saturday evening.

Challenge Cup 2010

The Third Round draw of the Challenge Cup will take place way up the A1 in Gateshead next Tuesday and I'll do my best to blog my reaction to the draw as soon as I can afterwards.

Last year myself and Adrian Jackson, with whom I contribute a regular rugby league show on Warrington Hospitals Radio General, went up to Leeds on a dreadful night, getting to Headingley minutes before the draw. One of these days I'll tell that story.

This year, work commitments mean I won't be at the draw, but I find it interesting that the RFL are taking it on the road. I'm sure the draw for the Second Round was done on board Nelson's old flagship HMS Victory. It is good that the Cup is being taken around the country.

This time, the setting is the vast Metro Centre with action happening at six with some of those lucky North East people having the chance to have their picture taken with the famous old cup from four o'clock.

I was lucky enough to be at fairly close quarters to the impressive trophy last season when I attended one of the pre-Challenge Cup Final media conferences. It was still very impressive. My earlier memories of the cup were of it visiting my high school for a summer fair. Being a Leigh fan, I then spent 15 minutes finding the club's name on it!

Here is the official press release from the RFL:

Gateshead to host Carnegie Challenge Cup draw

The draw for the third round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup will take place next Tuesday, February 16, live from the Metro Centre in Gateshead.

The third round sees the 13 qualifiers from this weekend’s second round ties joined by 20 Co-operative Championships clubs and three clubs from the French Federation, including Toulouse Olympique.

Co-operative Championship One newcomers South Wales Scorpions will not participate in this year’s Carnegie Challenge Cup.

Gateshead earned the right to host the third round draw by becoming the most successful Co-operative Championships club in the Carnegie Challenge Cup last year, when they reached the quarter-final stage before losing to St Helens.

The draw will be held at 6.00pm in the Exhibition Centre at the Metro Centre, where the 113-year-old Carnegie Challenge Cup will be on display for photo opportunities from 4.00pm.

Tickets for the 2010 Carnegie Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday August 28 are priced from just £21 with family tickets for two adults and two children available for as little as £55.

Until Friday March 26, complimentary upgrades are available on all ticket bands, with the exception of £76 tickets. For example, anyone purchasing a £31 ticket will automatically be upgraded to a £41 ticket.

Ticket can be purchased from the RFL ticket office on 0844 856 11 13 or by visiting http://www.carnegiechallengecup.co.uk/.

A look at how Warrington's 2009 Challenge Cup Run got started: My report from the game v York

WARRINGTON WOLVES 56
YORK CITY KNIGHTS 10
DAVE PARKINSON at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Warrington marched into Round Five of the Carnegie Challenge Cup with a 56-10 victory that was comprehensive but did not paint the full picture of the game.

Wolves Head of Coaching, Tony Smith, spotted plenty of positives in the defeat of their Championship One opponents. He said, “I thought we were great with the ball, very good and and very professional. We didn’t make many errors. Defensively I was a little disappointed in the first half, but we lifted in the second and to have a nil scoreline shows that we improved.”

Warrington made a good start to the game when a short pass from Chris Bridge put Simon Grix over after two minutes. Chris Hicks missed the conversion and York came at their illustrious opponents with a try of quality. Quick movement put the ball out to the right and former Featherstone winger Wayne McHugh sped down the wing before turning the ball back inside for Danny Ratcliffe to romp over for his 5th try of the season. Richard Knight converted but the Knights joy was soon dampened when Kiwi International Vinnie Anderson scored and Hicks tagged on the first of 8 goals.

Ben Harrison crossed for the Wolves third try after seventeen minutes but York responded well and on the back of a couple of penalties, they held onto possession for four successive sets. Mike Mitchell was stopped on the line but with the Wolves back tracking, Paul Hughes plunged through from dummy half. With Ben Westwood returning from his suspension and Gareth Carvell playing his first game in six weeks, the Wolves had two of the most influential forwards on show and it was the former who was next on the scoreboard following the distribution of Lee Briers and a run against the grain in the 26th minute. York adapted a holding pattern with brothers Paul and David March well to the fore alongside Adam Sullivan and Mark Applegarth and this worked for ten minutes before Hicks spilled the ball in the act of scoring. With that, confidence flooded back and the Wolves nabbed the final try of the half when Jon Clarke dummied his way through and had youngster Mike Cooper on his shoulder to go under the posts.

Trailing 28-10 at halftime, York needed the first score of the second half but that went the way of the hosts when Bridge showed quick feet and strength to beat two men from ten metres before he handed off another tackler on the line. York fashioned half a chance when McHugh took a kick near his own line and linked with Tom Haberecht and Ratcliffe but the fullback was ankle tapped. 34-10 was a fair reflection of the game before a couple of mad moments changed the landscape.

First Knights replacement Chris Clough alleged biting in a tackle which saw the referee put the incident on report without specifying a potential culprit, then when Warrington were awarded a penalty prop Danny Ekis seemed to raise his forearm in tackling Louis Anderson. Both teams piled into the disagreement and referee James Child sent Ekis from the field and again put the incident on report.

As the Knights tired, Warrington clinically ran in tries from Briers and Vinnie Anderson (his second), before two stoppage time raids brought further scores from Louis Anderson and Paul Johnson to take the Wolves past fifty points.

The City Knights Director of Rugby, James Ratcliffe was upbeat after the game. “We stuck at it.” He said. “It was really hard in the last fifteen minutes when we were down to twelve men. It’s hard enough playing a Super League side with thirteen men! I think we’ve gained a lot from it from our point of view. I do see it as a springboard and I think it was a good performance against full-time opposition and World Class stars.”

GAMEBREAKER: When Chris Bridge opened second half scoring after 49 minutes, it was always going to be too big a job for the plucky Knights to complete.

GAMESTAR: Gareth Carvell was immense in the Warrington engine room. A consummate prop forward performance, full of running, controlled aggression and a couple of offloads for good measure.


WARRINGTON
23 Chris Hicks
2 Paul Johnson
13 Vinnie Anderson
20 Simon Grix
4 Matt King
25 Chris Bridge
6 Lee Briers
16 Gareth Carvell
14 Mick Higham
15 Paul Wood
22 Lee Mitchell
12 Ben Westwood
24 Ben Harrison
Subs (All used)
10 Paul Rauhihi
18 Mike Cooper
11 Louis Anderson
9 Jon Clarke

Tries: Grix (2), Ratcliffe (6), Vinnie Anderson (10, 73), Harrison (17), Westwood (26), Cooper (39), Bridge (49), Briers (70), Louis Anderson (79), Paul Johnson (80).
Goals: Hicks 8/10
Field Goal:

On Report: (63) unspecified player – alleged biting on Chris Clough
(65) unspecified players – Brawl
Sin bin: (TIME) – offence
Dismissals:

CITY KNIGHTS
32 Danny Ratcliffe
3 John Oakes
28 Mike Mitchell
12 Tom Haberecht
34 Wayne McHugh
27 Danny Grimshaw
7 Paul March
8 Danny Ekis
9 Paul Hughes
10 Adam Sullivan
11 Rob Kelly
13 Richard Knight
21 David March
Subs (All used)
14 Tom Hodgson
29 Mark Applegarth
15 Chris Clough
17 Scott Woodcock

Tries: Ratcliffe (6), Hughes (23)
Goals: Knight 1/2
Field goal:

On Report: (65) unspecified players - Brawl
Sin bin:
Dismissal: (65) Ekis – use of elbow in tackle.

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Warrington: Gareth Carvell
York: Adam Sullivan

Penalty count: 9-11

Half-time: 28-10
Referee: Mr J Child
Attendance: 4,709.

SCORING SEQUENCE:
4-0, 4-6, 10-6, 16-6, 16-10, 22-10, 28-10, 34-10, 40-10, 46-10, 52-10, 56-10.