THE ‘Benidorm Bash’ between Castleford Tigers and Oldham has been cancelled little more than a month before it was scheduled to take place – with both clubs laying blame at the door of its organisers.
The two clubs were due for a pre-season game in Spain on Saturday, January 10 as part of a week-long festival of rugby league, organised by a company called Kadima Sports, run by Valencia Huracanes chairman Dean Buchan.
Oldham were initially accused of pulling out of the game but their chairman, Bill Quinn, said the organisers had failed to confirm any details about the trip.
“We have been bombarding this company with emails for weeks now, trying to get some information,” explained Quinn.
“We don’t know where the hotels are, where the training is, we don’t even know where the game is being played.
“We contacted Castleford and learned our agreement is not the same as theirs. We learned Castleford have not even signed their agreement because they were still negotiating.
“It was going to cost us a lot of money because we can’t see something with no idea what is going on.
“In conjunction with Castleford, we sent an email saying we need to know by Friday the information so we can give it to our fans and be aligned with Castleford.
“To our shock and horror, he’s decided not to give us that, and to blame Oldham saying we’ve pulled out. We did not – we said if we didn’t get the information, we would have no choice but to pull out.”
In response, organisers said all ticket holders would be contacted on Monday (December 8) and added: “We will not be responding to or rebutting any statements from Oldham RLFC or any other party, as the matter has been handed over to our legal representatives.”
Castleford also refuted the claim that Oldham were to blame, with the pair issuing a joint statement.
“Both clubs would like to make clear the decision to cancel the fixture… has been taken by its organisers,” they said.
“We understand the significant frustration both sets of supporters have experienced as a result of the organisers’ actions.
“For clarity, neither ORLFC (Oldham) or Castleford have received any monies from ticket sales, with supporters urged to contact Benidorm Bash for refunds.
“Both ORLFC and Castleford intend for the fixture to go ahead, instead taking place in the UK, at a rescheduled date to be confirmed.”
The Tigers took part in a similar event in January this year, playing a fixture against Valencia as part of a week-long training camp on the eastern coast of Spain.
That was also marred by key details only being released shortly before the trip, while the venue was changed at the last minute and the match played with reduced contact.
Buchan was previously behind unsuccessful attempts to bring Valencia into the RFL league structure, and then to create a Euro XIII competition involving cities across the continent.