1895 Cup: The eight clubs that can move within 80 minutes of Wembley

James Gordon 20 Apr 2023 2:44 PM

The Challenge Cup continues this weekend with the 12 Super League clubs due to join in the sixth round, the draw for which will be made on Monday.

For the eight clubs participating in the fifth round, it’s not only progress in the Challenge Cup, and a possible big-money meeting with a Super League club, at stake.

The four winners of the ties will progress through to the 1895 Cup semi-finals, which puts them just 80 minutes away from a game at Wembley.

The 1895 Cup final will be played at Wembley Stadium on Saturday August 12 (kick off 5.15pm) after the men’s and women’s Challenge Cup finals, and the Champion Schools Year 7 boys curtain-raiser.

Only one League 1 club remain in contention – Dewsbury, following their fine win over Championship side Widnes in the previous round.

There’s guaranteed to be a new name on the 1895 Cup trophy this year, with the three previous winners – Sheffield, Featherstone and Leigh – no longer in the competition.

The winners of this weekend’s four Challenge Cup fifth round ties will progress to the 1895 Cup semi-finals.

York v Newcastle (Friday, 7.30pm)
Halifax v Bradford (Saturday, 7pm, live on BBC iPlayer)
Batley v Keighley (Sunday, 3pm, live on The Sportsman)
London v Dewsbury (Sunday, 3pm)

When is the next round of the Challenge Cup?

The 12 Super League teams, including holders Wigan, will join the four winners of the Challenge Cup fifth round ties in the sixth round, which will tkae place on the weekend 18-21 May.

The quarter-finals are scheduled for 15-18 June, before the semi-finals on July 22.

The draw for the sixth round takes place on Monday April 24, broadcast live on BBC’s Sportsday programme at 6.30pm.

1895 Cup schedule

The 1895 Cup will once again be sponsored by AB Sundecks, with the draw for the semi-finals taking place on the weekend of June 17/18, and the games themselves to be played on 23/24 July, just three weeks before the final.

Laura Beaumont, AB Sundecks Marketing Director, said: “This competition gives clubs outside Super League a realistic chance of playing at Wembley Stadium on finals day and I know from personal experience what a fabulous occasion it is.

“I’ve been a Leigh supporter since I was a little girl and the experience of watching them win the 1895 Cup at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last year was so amazing it made us want to support the competition again in 2023.

“My message to the eight clubs who are now just two steps away from Wembley is ‘don’t doubt yourselves, just go for it!'”

1895 Cup format

The format of the 1895 Cup in its first year saw eight League 1 clubs play against each other to provide four winners to go alongside 12 Championship sides in the last 16. This resulted in a straight knock-out competition, not connected to the Challenge Cup.

With the 2020 event cancelled through COVID, and with the pandemic still impacting on the fixture list for 2021, it was decided to merge the early rounds of the tournament with the Challenge Cup as there were no community clubs participating that year.

It was agreed to retain a similar format for 2022 and moving forward, despite community teams returning to the fold. In theory, this means that an amateur team could reach the 1895 Cup semi-final should they progress far enough.

The inaugural winners of the competition were Sheffield, who beat Widnes 36-18 in the final at Wembley in 2019.

York are the only previous finalist left in this year’s competition, having reached the 2021 final where they lost 41-34 to York.

Last year’s final, won 30-16 by Leigh against Featherstone, was played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after the move of cup final day from Wembley due to a fixture clash.

Keighley’s Mark Ioane won the competition with Leigh last season, and he is preparing to move within 80 minutes of a return to the final against Batley this weekend.

Ioane said: “I have great memories of last year at Tottenham and I’m hoping to do the same with Keighley this year. I’ve been to Wembley few times, but never as a player. It would be a dream come true.

“We have a big job on our hands against Batley Bulldogs this Sunday, but preparation is going well and we owe them one after they caught us in the last minute of the league game. The players are excited and we hope the fans are too.”