The 2022 Betfred Championship season gets back underway this weekend with a stacked Sunday schedule featuring six fixtures before York City Knights and Featherstone Rovers will meet in the first live Premier Sports match of the season on Monday evening.
Featherstone were unfortunate not to earn promotion to the Betfred Super League last season, falling at the final hurdle in France against Toulouse. With the off-season arrival of Brian McDermott to lead the likes of Joey Leuluai, Jesse Sene-Lefao and 2021 Betfred Championship Player of the Year Craig Hall, optimism is high at the Millennium Stadium.
York will be looking to improve on a 9th place finish last season as James Ford and the Knights continue their upward trajectory. The Knights lost out on three occasions to Featherstone in 2021, including at Wembley Stadium in the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final but will be looking to kick-off 2022 in style at the LNER Community Stadium and in front of the Premier Sports cameras.
Leigh Centurions are preparing for life in the Betfred Championship once again following their relegation from the top-flight last season. New Head Coach Adrian Lam has been active in the transfer market bringing in 14 new players including Caleb Aekins, Nene McDonald and Tom Amone from Down Under.
Lam’s Leigh welcome last year’s surprise package Whitehaven to the Leigh Sports Village on Sunday afternoon. The Cumbrian outfit earned a play-off spot in their return season to the Betfred Championship but will have to earn their first win at Leigh since 7 September 2008 if they are to make a winning start to the season.
Newly-promoted Barrow Raiders come into the season as Betfred League One winners and will host Sheffield Eagles in Round One. Barrow’s last victory against the Eagles came on 23 September 2018.
Fellow Cumbrian Workington Town also return to the Betfred Championship following a promotion-winning campaign and meet Newcastle Thunder at 2pm on Sunday. Newcastle have enjoyed recent meetings with Workington winning the last three meetings between the sides although Town earned a dramatic 21-20 victory in their last home fixture with Newcastle.
Last year’s play-off contenders Batley Bulldogs and Halifax Panthers will meet in an all-West Yorkshire affair on Sunday. The Panthers have recruited in bulk throughout the off-season bringing Betfred Championship stalwarts such as Cory Aston and Louis Jouffret whilst retention has been the focus for Batley. The clubs shared the spoils in the Betfred Championship last season, but the Bulldogs did knock Halifax out of the Betfred Challenge Cup.
Elsewhere, Dewsbury Rams face Bradford Bulls in Round One with John Kear’s side having won each of their last four outings against the Rams and Widnes Vikings make the trip to AFC Wimbledon’s Cherry Records Stadium to face London Broncos in search for their first triumph in the capital since 2014.
Betfred Championship – Round One
Sunday 30 January
- Workington Town v Newcastle Thunder, 2pm
- Barrow Raiders v Sheffield Eagles, 3pm
- Batley Bulldogs v Halifax Panthers, 3pm
- Dewsbury Rams v Bradford Bulls, 3pm
- Leigh Centurions v Whitehaven, 3pm
- London Broncos v Widnes Vikings, 3pm
Monday 31 January
- York City Knights v Featherstone Rovers, 7:45pm – Live on Premier Sports
