Four teams. Four dreams.
It’s Semi-Final time as we return to AB Sundecks 1895 Cup action this week, with four Betfred Championship teams setting their sights on a trip to the Wembley Stadium on Saturday 7 June.
Both ties will kick off this Sunday, with Oldham hosting Featherstone Rovers at Boundary (K.O. 2pm) and Bradford Bulls travelling to face York Knights at the LNER Community Stadium (K.O. 3pm).
Oldham v Featherstone Rovers
First up is a clash in Oldham, with Sean Long’s Roughyeds seeking their first ever Wembley appearance.
The club has a rich history and are three-time Challenge Cup winners (1899, 1925 and 1927) but, interestingly, have never featured at the famous Wembley as finals didn’t start being played there until 1929.
But now, the club finds itself just 80 minutes away from reaching this long-awaited dream but standing in their way are two-time 1895 Cup finalists Featherstone Rovers, who were winners of the competition in 2021 and runners-up in 2022.
The sides have met once already in 2025 – ironically on the same day the draw for these semi-finals was conducted.
Their Round 6 encounter in the Betfred Championship was electric from start to finish, with a Ryan Hampshire missed conversion in the closing stages the only thing separating the two sides.
Josh Drinkwater and Iain Thornley won Oldham the Championship thriller with a late score, but what drama awaits at Boundary Park on Sunday as both sides bid to reach Wembley?
Oldham overcame Barrow Raiders in the quarter-finals last month, whilst Featherstone cruised past London Broncos to book their place in the final four.
Oldham have a team littered with experience and a string of players who have fond Challenge Cup and Wembley memories of their own – including likes of Drinkwater, Thornley, Gil Dudson, Matty Ashurst and and more.
It would certainly be something special for this group of players.
Fev’s Caleb Aekins and Jayden Hatton are the leading try scorers in the 2025 1895 Cup competition, with six and four tries respectively, with Oldham’s Phoenix Laulu-Togaga'e also level on four.
Let’s not forget that the Rovers also have playmaker Ben Reynolds in their side, who knows his way to a final – and how to win a final – having gone back-to-back with Leigh with the 1895 Cup in 2022 and the Challenge Cup in 2023.
A win for Featherstone on Sunday would make them the most appeared team in the 1895 Cup Final.
York Knights v Bradford Bulls
The second tie sees York welcome Bradford.
York have made two Wembley appearances in their history – most recently in 2021, when they made it via the 1895 Cup competition. Their final opponents Featherstone, however, would prove too strong as they were defeated in a 34-41 high-scoring affair. They came within touching distance again in 2023 and 2024 but couldn’t quite overcome Batley and Sheffield in the semis.
Mark Applegarth’s Knights have endured a rocky start to 2025 but showed up when it mattered and are in touching distance of being able to perform once again on the big stage.
The Knights put Widnes Vikings to the sword in the quarters, in order to move within 80 minutes of the final. It will be four semi-finals in five years for the York outfit – but will they find their way back to Wembley?
They come into this game on the back of a big-boosting win over Batley in the Championship last weekend, so it's set to be a fiery one.
This will be the Bulls’ second successive semi-final after losing out to Wakefield Trinity at this stage last year.
This time, a star-studded Bradford enter their semi-final tie in the best possible form – winning their last six games in all competitions, including their quarter-final fixture against last year’s 1895 Cup finalists and inaugural winners Sheffield Eagles.
The last time Bradford made a major final, Brian Noble was the mastermind at the helm, as the Bulls beat fierce rivals Leeds Rhinos in the 2005 Super League Grand Final.
It’s been a long time since the glistening glory days, but with Noble back at the club for a second stint in 2025, could this be the year Bradford reach a long-awaited final?
Interestingly, despite winning two Challenge Cups in the early 2000s, including one with Noble in their treble-winning 2003, Bradford haven’t won at Wembley since the 1940s, so will be certainly fired up at the chance.
Many of the Bulls’ current fan base are yet to experience the Wembley dream, meaning the stakes are higher than ever on Sunday.
York and Bradford's last meeting came mid-2024, when Zac Fulton snatched a late try at the death (36-28).
Will it be a blistering Bulls outfit or a rising York who appear at Wembley Finals Day on Saturday 7 June?
AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Semi-Final ties (Sunday 18 May):
Oldham v Featherstone Rovers, Boundary Park (K.O. 2pm)
York Knights v Bradford Bulls, LNER Community Stadium (K.O. 3pm)
Tickets are still available for both semi-final ties and can be purchased via the home clubs' official websites.
*There’s also one Round 9 tie taking place in Betfred League One this weekend, and that’s North Wales Crusaders v Newcastle Thunder.
The AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final is part of a Finals Day triple-header at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 7 June, alongside the finals of the Betfred Women's Challenge Cup and Men's 2025 Betfred Challenge Cup Final. Plus, there will be the traditional Year 7 Boys’ Champion Schools Final. Tickets are on sale now!
