The Royal Navy have reached the Fourth Round of the Betfred Challenge Cup for the first time in their history - and will now travel to Batley Bulldogs, the first winners of the game's oldest knockout competition in 1897 who are currently one of the form teams in the Betfred Championship.
The Navy, who had beaten the British Army in the Second Round, overcame York Acorn of the National Conference League 22-8 at their Portsmouth base in a hard-fought encounter.
The three Armed Forces have been competing separately in the Challenge Cup since 2000, six years after the ban on Rugby League was lifted, and only the Army have previously reached the Fourth Round, two years ago.
The Navy will be joined in the Fourth Round by Hunslet Club Parkside of the NCL. They had a comfortable 28-6 win against London Skolars of Betfred League One, and will now host the 1998 Challenge Cup winners Sheffield Eagles.
Two other NCL survivors in the competition, Lock Lane of Castleford and Rochdale Mayfield, competed strongly against semi-professional opposition in distinctly wintry conditions.
Lock Lane, who had shocked Oldham in the Second Round, went down 12-28 at home to Rochdale Hornets, who were inspired by their 40-year-old hooker Sean Penkywicz and will now host Barrow Raiders in Round Four.
Mayfield were beaten 20-0 by Doncaster, who thereby earned a home tie against Whitehaven.
Hunslet avoided an upset against experienced Cup giant killers Siddal on Sunday afternoon - in front of the BBC cameras - earning a 30-4 victory and moving on to face North Wales Crusaders who overcame fellow Betfred League One outfit Swinton Lions.
Betfred Challenge Cup Third Round Results - February 12
- Lock Lane 12 Rochdale Hornets 28
- London Skolars 6 Hunslet Club Parkside 28
- Rochdale Mayfield 0 Doncaster 20
- Royal Navy 22 York Acorn 8
Betfred Challenge Cup Third Round Results - February 13
- Hunslet 30 Siddal 4
- Swinton Lions 14 North Wales Crusaders 14
Revised Fourth Round draw (ties to be played February 26-28)
- York City Knights v Newcastle Thunder
- Halifax Panthers v Featherstone Rovers
- Leigh Centurions v Widnes Vikings
- Rochdale Hornets v Barrow Raiders
- Batley Bulldogs v Royal Navy
- London Broncos v Bradford Bulls
- Hunslet Club Parkside v Sheffield Eagles
- North Wales Crusaders v Hunslet
- Workington Town v Dewsbury Rams
- Doncaster v Whitehaven
- Fifth Round (5 ties) - March 12-13
- Sixth Round (8 ties) - March 26-27 - Betfred Super League clubs enter
- Quarter Finals - April 9-10
- Semi Finals - Saturday May 7 at Elland Road, Leeds
- Betfred Challenge Cup Final 2022 - Saturday May 28 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
