1895 Cup final gets green light

Drew Darbyshire

It has been confirmed that Saturday’s 1895 Cup final between Featherstone and York will go ahead.

Featherstone had reported on Thursday that they had a number of positive tests for Covid-19 which raised concerns about their ability to play in the final against the Knights at Wembley on Saturday.

The Rugby Football League’s multiple cases group ordered Featherstone to take an additional round of PCR tests on Thursday evening and Rovers have now confirmed that all available players tested negative after receiving their results overnight.

The players have tested again tested negative on lateral flow testing this morning. James Webster’s squad will leave Post Office Road at 11am this morning to Wembley.

The inaugural 1895 Cup final took place in 2019, when Sheffield ran-out 36-18 winners against Widnes at Wembley. The 1895 Cup wasn’t played in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Saturday’s final between Featherstone and York will kick-off at 12pm, followed by St Helens-Castleford in the Challenge Cup final at 3pm.

Meanwhile, York have re-signed half-back Mikey Lewis on a two-week loan deal from Hull KR.

The 20-year-old linked up with the Knights earlier this season, scoring three tries in four appearances for the club.

Lewis featured in York’s 1895 Cup semi-final win over Swinton and could play in Saturday’s final against Featherstone at Wembley.

York coach James Ford said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be able to bring Mikey back to the club. I really enjoyed working with him previously and am excited to do so again.

“Mikey is a strong player who performs with a high degree of confidence and tenacity. I’m confident he will have a positive impact on our team and squad.”

Lewis commented: “I am very excited to be back at the club. I really enjoyed the last time I was here and really happy to be back at the Knights.”

Championship 1895 Cup