2010 Championship Cup
Number of teams | 20 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Aggregate attendance | 49,202 (average: 1,144) | |||
2010 Season | ||||
Season Champions | Batley Bulldogs | |||
Runners-up | Widnes Vikings | |||
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The 2010 Championship Cup, known as the Northern Rail Cup due to sponsorship from Northern Rail, was the 9th season of the rugby league football competition for clubs in Great Britain's Co-operative Championship and Championship One.
In the final, played at Bloomfield Road in Blackpool, Batley Bulldogs defeated the Widnes Vikings 25-24 to claim the trophy.
Format
The format and structure of the 2010 Northern Rail Cup competition is the same as last year. All the English-based Co-operative Championship and Championship One clubs have been divided equally into two pools for the group stages with five teams from each division in each pool.
Each team will play two home games and two away games against teams in their pool with each club playing an equal number of The Co-operative Championship and The Co-operative Championship One clubs.
The top four teams in each pool following the conclusion of the group stage fixtures will then progress into an open draw for the knock-out quarter-final stage.
The Northern Rail Cup quarter-finals will be played on the weekend of 5 and 6 June with the semi-finals taking place on 19 and 20 June.
The winners of the Northern Rail Cup will be eligible to apply for a Super League license in 2011.
Toulouse Olympique and newly formed South Wales Scorpions did not participate in the 2010 Northern Rail Cup.
Fixtures
Pool 1
Round 1
Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date & Time | Referee | Venue | Attendance | |||
Whitehaven RLFC | 26 – 34 | Batley Bulldogs | 10 February, 19:30 GMT | Recreation Ground (Whitehaven) | 888 | |
Widnes Vikings | 50 – 6 | Gateshead Thunder | 2 February, 15:00 GMT | Stobart Stadium Halton | 2,200 | |
Blackpool Panthers | 22 – 24 | Keighley Cougars | 31 January, 15:00 GMT | Woodlands Memorial Ground | ||
Doncaster | 0 – 60 | Barrow Raiders | 17 February, 19:45 GMT | Keepmoat Stadium | 285 | |
Workington Town | 18 – 19 | Swinton Lions | 17 February, 19:30 GMT | Derwent Park | 286 |
Round 2
Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date & Time | Referee | Venue | Attendance | |||
Barrow Raiders | 34 – 8 | Blackpool Panthers | 7 February, 14:00 GMT | Craven Park | 1,474 | |
Batley Bulldogs | 30 – 30 | Widnes Vikings | 7 February, 14:00 GMT | Mount Pleasant, Batley | 1,004 | |
Keighley Cougars | 17 – 16 | Whitehaven RLFC | 7 February, 14:00 GMT | Cougar Park | 756 | |
Gateshead Thunder | 12 – 26 | Workington Town | 7 February, 15:00 GMT | Gateshead International Stadium | 404 | |
Swinton Lions | 30 – 20 | Doncaster | 7 February, 15:00 GMT | Park Lane (stadium) | 380 |
Round 3
Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date & Time | Referee | Venue | Attendance | |||
Batley Bulldogs | 46 - 10 | Swinton Lions | 14 February, 14:00 GMT | Mount Pleasant, Batley | 999 | |
Keighley Cougars | 38 - 10 | Workington Town | 14 February, 15:00 GMT | Cougar Park | 654 | |
Whitehaven | 54 - 10 | Doncaster | 14 February, 14:00 GMT | Recreation Ground (Whitehaven) | 808 | |
Widnes Vikings | 22 - 20 | Barrow Raiders | 14 February, 15:00 GMT | Stobart Stadium Halton | 3,432 | |
Blackpool Panthers | 74 - 6 | Gateshead Thunder | 14 February, 15:00 GMT | Woodlands Memorial Ground |
Round 4
Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date & Time | Referee | Venue | Attendance | |||
Barrow Raiders | 62 - 18 | Keighley Cougars | 10 March, 19:45 GMT | Craig Halloran | Craven Park | 1,277 |
Doncaster | 20 – 40 | Blackpool Panthers | 24 March, 19:45 GMT | Tim Roby | Keepmoat Stadium | 198 |
Gateshead Thunder | 4 - 100 | Batley Bulldogs | 17 March, 19:30 GMT | Chris Leatherbarrow | Gateshead International Stadium | 237 |
Swinton Lions | 12 - 36 | Widnes Vikings | 21 February, 15:00 GMT | Warren Turley | Park Lane (stadium) | 816 |
Workington Town | 22 - 14 | Whitehaven RLFC | 21 February, 15:00 GMT | M Thomason | Derwent Park | 738 |
Pool 1 Qualification Table
|
PLD | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | PTS | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Batley Bulldogs | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 210 | 70 | +140 | 0 | 11 |
2 | Widnes Vikings | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 138 | 68 | +70 | 0 | 11 |
3 | Barrow Raiders | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 176 | 48 | +128 | 1 | 10 |
4 | Keighley Cougars | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 144 | 110 | −13 | 0 | 9 |
5 | Blackpool Panthers | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 144 | 84 | +60 | 1 | 7 |
6 | Workington Town | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 76 | 83 | −7 | 1 | 7 |
7 | Whitehaven | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 110 | 83 | +27 | 3 | 6 |
8 | Swinton Lions | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 71 | 120 | −49 | 0 | 6 |
9 | Doncaster | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 50 | 184 | −134 | 1 | 1 |
10 | Gateshead Thunder | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 250 | −222 | 0 | 0 |
Teams qualifying for the next round |
Source: Northern Rail Cup Table – The RFL [1]
Classification: 1st on competition points; 2nd on match points difference.
Competition Points: For win = 3; For draw = 2; For loss by 12 points or fewer = 1
Pool 2
Round 1
Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date & Time | Referee | Venue | Attendance | |||
Dewsbury Rams | 50 - 4 | London Skolars | 31 January, 15:00 GMT | Tetley's Stadium | 887 | |
Leigh Centurions | 24 - 12 | Oldham Roughyeds | 31 January, 15:00 GMT | Leigh Sports Village | 1,627 | |
Sheffield Eagles | 13 - 6 | Halifax RLFC | 17 February, 19:45 GMT | Don Valley Stadium | 851 | |
Hunslet Hawks | 0 - 68 | Featherstone Rovers | 4 March, 20:00 GMT | South Leeds Stadium | ||
Rochdale Hornets | 12 - 36 | York City Knights | 17 February, 20:00 GMT | Spotland Stadium | 362 |
Round 2
Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date & Time | Referee | Venue | Attendance | |||
Featherstone Rovers | 18 - 18 | Sheffield Eagles | 7 February, 15:00 GMT | Chris Moyles Stadium | 1,175 | |
Halifax RLFC | 24 - 0 | Dewsbury Rams | 7 February, 15:00 GMT | Shay Stadium | 2,141 | |
London Skolars | 12 - 60 | Hunslet Hawks | 7 February, 14:00 GMT | New River Stadium | 328 | |
Oldham Roughyeds | 22 - 14 | Rochdale Hornets | 8 February, 20:00 GMT | Boundary Park | ||
York City Knights | 13 - 12 | Leigh Centurions | 7 February, 15:00 GMT | Huntington Stadium | 911 |
Round 3
Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date & Time | Referee | Venue | Attendance | |||
Leigh Centurions | 36 - 6 | Featherstone Rovers | 14 February, 15:00 GMT | Leigh Sports Village | 1,729 | |
Sheffield Eagles | 40 - 10 | York City Knights | 14 February, 15:00 GMT | Don Valley Stadium | 840 | |
Hunslet Hawks | 28 - 14 | Oldham Roughyeds | 14 February, 14:00 GMT | John Charles Centre for Sport | 519 | |
London Skolars | 0 - 68 | Halifax RLFC | 14 February, 15:00 GMT | New River Stadium | 416 | |
Rochdale Hornets | 12 - 48 | Dewsbury Rams | 14 February, 15:00 GMT | Spotland Stadium | 575 |
Round 4
Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date & Time | Referee | Venue | Attendance | |||
Featherstone Rovers | 56 - 10 | Rochdale Hornets | 23 February, 20:00 GMT | Craig Halloran | Chris Moyles Stadium | 777 |
Dewsbury Rams | 22 - 44 | Leigh Centurions | 3 March, 19:45 GMT | Jamie Leahy | Tetley's Stadium | 888 |
Halifax RLFC | 36 - 42 | Hunslet Hawks | 21 March, 15:00 GMT | Ronnie Laughton | Shay Stadium | 1,771 |
Oldham Roughyeds | 22 - 24 | Sheffield Eagles | 21 February, 15:00 GMT | Robert Hicks | Boundary Park | 340 |
York City Knights | 34 - 12 | London Skolars | 10 March, 19:00 GMT | Tim Roby | Huntington Stadium | 439 |
Pool 2 Qualification Table
|
PLD | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | PTS | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sheffield Eagles | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 95 | 56 | +39 | 0 | 11 |
2 | Leigh Centurions | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 116 | 53 | +63 | 1 | 10 |
3 | York City Knights | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 93 | 76 | +17 | 0 | 9 |
4 | Hunslet Hawks | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 130 | 130 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
5 | Featherstone Rovers | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 148 | 64 | +84 | 0 | 8 |
6 | Halifax | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 134 | 55 | +79 | 2 | 8 |
7 | Dewsbury Rams | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 120 | 84 | +36 | 0 | 6 |
8 | Oldham Roughyeds | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 70 | 90 | −20 | 2 | 5 |
9 | Rochdale Hornets | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 48 | 162 | −114 | 1 | 1 |
10 | London Skolars | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 212 | −184 | 0 | 0 |
Teams qualifying for the next round |
Source: Northern Rail Cup Table – The RFL [1]
Classification: 1st on competition points; 2nd on match points difference.
Competition Points: For win = 3; For draw = 2; For loss by 12 points or fewer = 1
Finals
Sky Sports will televise one Northern Rail Cup quarter-final tie live on Thursday 3 June and one of the semi-finals on Thursday 17 June as well as providing full coverage of the Northern Rail Cup Final at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool, on Sunday 18 July.
Tournament bracket: Quarter Finals onwards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Quarter Finals
The Northern Rail Cup quarter final draw took place on Wednesday 24 March and was broadcast live on Sky Sports’ weekly Boots N' All programme.
Barrow, Batley, Hunslet, Keighley, Leigh, Sheffield, Widnes & York all qualified for the quarter final stage of the competition. The eight teams will be entered into the open draw for the quarter final knock-out stages which will be played on the weekend of 5 and 6 June. Only Hunslet and York come from Co-operative Championship 1.
One quarter final tie will be pulled forward to Thursday 3 June to be screened live on Sky Sports.
The draw has been completed[2] and the teams line up as per the table below.
Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date & Time | Referee | Venue | Attendance | |||
Widnes Vikings | 26 – 12 | Barrow Raiders | 19:30, 3 June 2010 | Stobart Stadium Halton | 1,718 | |
Keighley Cougars | 32 – 6 | York City Knights | 15:00 6 June 2010 | Cougar Park | 712 | |
Batley Bulldogs | 26 – 16 | Sheffield Eagles | 15:00 6 June 2010 | Mount Pleasant | 708 | |
Hunslet Hawks | 6 – 42 | Leigh Centurions | 15:00 6 June 2010 | South Leeds Stadium | 770 |
Semi Finals
The semi-finals will take place on the weekend of 19 and 20 June with Sky Sports broadcasting one tie live on the Thursday night.
Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date & Time | Referee | Venue | Attendance | |||
Leigh Centurions | 4 – 25 | Batley Bulldogs | 19:30, 17 June 2010 | Leigh Sports Village | 2,058 | |
Keighley Cougars | 18 – 48 | Widnes Vikings | 15:00 20 June 2010 | Cougar Park | 1,686 |
Final
The Northern Rail Cup Final took place at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool on Sunday 18 July at 4pm live on Sky Sports. The Match was contested by Batley Bulldogs and defending champions Widnes Vikings, who were looking for their 3rd cup victory in just 4 years. Batley won the match, beating Widnes 25-24 thanks to two late tries from Alex Brown. This was Batley's first appearance in a cup final since 1998 and first in a major final since 1952.[3] The victory leaves Batley eligible to apply for the 2012–14 Super League licences to gain promotion to the Super League, although coach Karl Harrison stated that they have no Super League ambitions.[4]
Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date & Time | Referee | Venue | Attendance | |||
Batley Bulldogs | 25-24 | Widnes Vikings | 16:00 18 July 2010 | Robert Hicks | Bloomfield Road, Blackpool | 8,138 |