THE draw for the third round of the men’s Betfred Challenge Cup will take place at Featherstone Rovers on Monday 27 February – and will be streamed live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport Online from 6pm.
Rovers are one of 13 Betfred Championship clubs entering the competition at this stage, and this year celebrate the anniversaries of Challenge Cup Final successes in 1973 and 1983. Joining the BBC’s Dave Woods will be veterans of those victories over Bradford Northern fifty years ago and Hull FC ten years later – Jimmy Thompson (‘73) and Peter Smith (‘83), whose grandson played at Rovers in 2022 before joining Wakefield Trinity.
The 13 Championship clubs join the 19 sides who made it through the weekend’s second round ties – among them Rochdale Mayfield of the National Conference League who stunned League One Cornwall 20-14 in Penryn on Saturday. Mayfield are one of 12 community clubs in the hat, which include London’s Wests Warriors – flying the flag for the Southern Conference League (SCL) – and Orrell St James of the North West Men’s League.
Seven Betfred League One clubs are through to Round Three, including previous Challenge Cup winners Dewsbury Rams (1912, 1943), Hunslet (1908, 1934), Rochdale Hornets (1922) and Workington Town (1952). Tomorrow’s draw throws up the possibility of a South Leeds derby between the professionals of Hunslet RLFC and their community club neighbours Hunslet ARLFC of the National Conference League.
Draw numbers in full
Barrow Raiders
Batley Bulldogs
Bradford Bulls
Dewsbury Rams
Doncaster
Featherstone Rovers
Halifax Panthers
Hunslet ARLFC
Hunslet RLFC
Keighley Cougars
Leigh Miners Rangers
London Broncos
Midlands Hurricanes
Newcastle Thunder
North Wales Crusaders
Orrell St James
Rochdale Hornets
Rochdale Mayfield
Sheffield Eagles
Siddal
Stanningley
Swinton Lions
Thatto Heath Crusaders
Wath Brow Hornets
West Bowling
Westgate Common
Wests Warriors
Whitehaven
Widnes Vikings
Workington Town
York Acorn
York Knights
Round three ties will take over the weekend of 11 and 12 March, while the draw for rounds four and five will be held at Millom ARL in Cumbria on Tuesday 14 March. 2023 marks the 150th anniversary of the world’s oldest amateur Rugby League club.
Betfred Super League sides enter the competition at Round Six.
