The Round Two ties of the Men’s Betfred Challenge Cup are taking place this weekend, and the ten winners from Round One are set to join ten clubs from the National Conference League.
With a series of thrilling contests in the first round, the early rounds of the Betfred Challenge Cup look to be some of the most unpredictable ones yet. But nobody need fear they are missing out, as fans can watch and enjoy two more cup ties that Round Two has to offer from the comfort of their own homes.
The BBC will continue its live coverage of the 2024 competition, and attracted 38,500 views on its live stream of the Royal Air Force v Royal Navy fixture in Round One - more than any tie streamed in last year’s competition. They have chosen to show Round Two's Leigh Miners Rangers v Stanningley, on Saturday 27 January, which will be streamed live on BBC iPlayer and Red Button and will also be available worldwide on the BBC Sport website. Likewise, The Sportsman will continue to follow the fortunes of Orrell St James, who will take on York Acorn in this televised Roses clash, on Sunday.
In the first Roses fixture, Leigh Miners Rangers will host Ashton Golding’s Stanningley on home turf in what is set to be an exhilarating contest. It is also set to be a special day at Twist Lane for another reason, as past players from both Leigh Miners and the town’s professional club, Leigh Leopards, will come together to remember to 1979 Challenge Cup match between the two sides – a first round clash almost 45 years to the day.
Community club Rangers currently compete in the First Division of the National Conference League and are no strangers to a decent cup run – most memorably in 2015, when they impressively reached the fifth round of the Challenge Cup; a round which included four Betfred Super League sides, before losing to York. This is an inspiring story for any community club, highlighting the possibility for these teams to reach the later stages of the competition.
Their Round Two opposition this time around will be Stanningley, who managed to reach the third round of last year’s Challenge Cup. Stanningley will be looking to achieve this once again and progress as far as they are able to in this competition. Ashton Golding’s side had proved too hot to handle in Round One, when they hosted debutants South Wales Jets and enjoyed an emphatic 40-4 win in front of a home crowd.
The second televised Roses clash will see Orrell St James take on National Conference League side York Acorn, who enter the 2024 competition this weekend. Consecutive Grand Final winners of the North West Men's League, Orrell, showcased a strong performance in the first round over newcomers Haresfinch, where 13,000 people tuned in to The Sportsman to watch - comfortably exceeding the broadcaster's Round One average for the past two seasons of 11,000.
After a decisive win, in front of 800 fans at Bankes Avenue, Orrell will have the confidence and momentum heading into this cup tie. In recent times, the furthest York Acorn have progressed in the Challenge Cup is the third round, where they lost heavily to Bradford Bulls last year. Similarly, Orrell have only ever made it up to Round Three, but only one of them can make it this year.
Both Head Coaches are confident of a win, with Josh Mortimer, the man at the helm of NCL’s York Acorn, looked ahead to this Round Two Challenge Cup clash when he spoke with The Sportsman:
“I’ve told my players to enjoy it. It’s our first hit out of the year but I want them to enjoy and express themselves and work hard.
“And if we can get into the hat for the third round then that’s a bonus.
“Orrell will be a challenge for us," Mortimer continued. "I think Orrell are a very good team. Looking through Orrell’s list, they’ve got some really good lads.
“We want to start the season in the right way, but the boys will have to rise to the occasion and what a better way to do it on a Sunday afternoon on TV.”
On the opposing side, Orrell’s Head Coach Sean McHugh spoke to Wigan Today about how his side's first ever involvement in the Challenge Cup was against the same upcoming opponents, with McHugh himself having played in the tie back in the 1990s.
“The first time we ever played in the Challenge Cup in 1993, we played York Acorn. We played them away and drew. We then played them at home and beat them.
“They’re three or four divisions above us, but that won’t hold any fear for us because we’ve played NCL Premier teams before and beat them, and we just fell short to Midlands Hurricanes last year.
“They’ll come as favourites but if we play to the best of our ability, I’m confident that we can get the result.”
But which team will triumph?
Meanwhile, Hammersmith will host the West Bowling side in another home tie – and this weekend marks a historic achievement for their Club, as it is the first time the London side have ever reached a Challenge Cup second round. They beat Medway Dragons comfortably 56-6 in Round One, but will have a tough test against West Bowling, who also emerged victorious in the first round, as they produced a dominant display over Oulton Raiders, ensuring they too would book their place in Round Two.
This is only the second time both sides have ever met, having previously played each other in the 2019 Challenge Cup. This fixture promises to be an enticing watch, as Hammersmith will aim to continue a record-breaking run, whereas West Bowling will have eyes on the third round, having reached this stage three times in recent years.
Two National Conference League teams in Hull Dockers and Wath Brow Hornets will also go head-to-head as the Dockers host the Hornets. In comparison, the second Hull NCL side, West Hull, will make a tough trip over to Doncaster Toll Bar, who made a second-half comeback to beat Ashton Bears 22-20 in Round One, going one stage further than last year’s Challenge Cup competition.
Elsewhere, Lock Lane will take on Edinburgh Eagles at home. The Lock Lane side haven’t had much cup luck in recent years but did impress back in 2016, where they reached the fifth round. The Eagles, on the other hand, haven’t made it past the first round since 2010, but could this all be set to change at the weekend? 2023 BARLA National Cup winners and one of NCL’s high-flyers Siddal will also join the competition in Round Two, as they travel to St Helens based Clock Face Miners. And Rochdale Mayfield will embark on a journey in the opposite direction to play against West Warriors in the South.
There is also a Yorkshire derby taking place as Hunslet, who had a first round bye, travel to Castleford based and leading Yorkshire Men’s League side Fryston Warriors in Round Two, who secured a dramatic 13-10 win over British Army in the first round. And with the British Army’s early cup exit, the Royal Navy are left to fly the Forces’ flag following their 28-22 clinching win over Royal Air Force. They will play NCL Premier Division side Thatto Heath Crusaders, who will enter the second round fresh and ready to compete, and The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) will provide second round coverage of the tie across their Facebook and YouTube platforms.
The Betfred Challenge Cup Round Two fixture list in full:
The 10 Round 2 winners be joined at Round 3 by 22 semi-professional clubs from the Betfred Championship and Betfred League One, with ties taking place over the weekend of 10/11 February. Widnes Vikings, 40 years on from their 1984 Wembley triumph, will host the draw for Rounds 3 and 4 of the competition on Monday 29 January at 6.30pm. This will be streamed live on BBC iPlayer.
The Men's 2024 Betfred Challenge Cup Final is part of a Finals Day triple-header at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 8 June, alongside the finals of the Betfred Women's Challenge Cup and AB Sundecks 1895 Cup. Tickets are available online now from only £15 Adults and £7.50 Under 16s, with family packages also available starting from just £18.75 for one Adult and two Under 16s.
