Written by Rugby Football League
Ahead of the draw for Round 1 of the 2022 Betfred Challenge Cup, which will take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday 14 December live on BBC Sport and Our League, we’re taking a look at all the Community and Representative teams involved in the draw.
Here is a look at another six teams involved in Round One:
Galway Tribesmen
Ireland’s only Challenge Cup representative capped off a fantastic 2021 with a 30-16 Grand Final victory over rivals Dublin City Exiles, and the two-time All Ireland Champions will be looking to write history and become the country’s only side ever to progress to the Second Round of the competition when they take to the pitch in January.
Great Britain Police
Representing the British Police, their frequent appearances in the Challenge Cup over the years have provided some great encounters. Their usual home ground is Mayfield Sports Centre in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, which hosted an intriguing encounter in their last Challenge Cup appearance in 2020 – a narrow 18-19 defeat to Rochdale Mayfield, the team they groundshare with. This Second Round loss came just weeks after an impressive display against Torfaen Tigers, where they recorded their biggest Cup win ever after a 66-0 thrashing.
Hunslet Club Parkside
Having produced legends of the sport such as Jason Robinson, Sonny Nickle and James Lowes years back, the South Leeds outfit have seen a rapid return to success following their acceptance into the NCL in 2015 – after three back-to-back promotions, The Old Boys went the entire season unbeaten before rounding off an emphatic 2018 with a Grand Final victory, becoming NCL Premier Division Champions. They’ll be looking to correct a disappointing First Round exit from the 2020 Challenge Cup with a win in January, aiming to better their 2018 Cup run which saw them reach the Third Round.
Jarrow Vikings
Hailing from South Tyneside, Jarrow were named as 2004’s Best New Club. Since then, they’ve added plenty of silverware to the cabinet with the most recent title capping off a memorable 2021 – their 56-18 victory over Cramlington Rockets in the North East Premier Championship Grand Final back in August means the Vikings will likely have a spring in their step heading into the new season, where they’ll be hoping to grab their first Challenge Cup victory.
Strength & Conditioning Coach Vacancy 🏴
We are looking to recruit a strength & conditioning coach to join our volunteer staff team ahead of the 2022 season.
Applications close 9am on Tuesday 4th January 2022.
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— England Universities Rugby League 🏴🏉 (@EnglandUnisRL) December 10, 2021
Leigh Miners Rangers
Founded over 55 years ago in Leigh, the Rangers have a long history of success at amateur level. With an impressive recent history in the Challenge Cup too, there’ll be a belief they can produce some more Cup magic in the New Year. Their 2020 campaign that saw them put together three victories which earnt them a trip to professional side Swinton Lions, where they were eventually undone, remains one of the finest examples of what the amateur sides can achieve in the competition.
Lock Lane
It can be said that the Castleford-based outfit are Challenge Cup royalty, when looking at the success of amateur sides in the competition. Formed in 1938, they reached the proper rounds of the Challenge Cup for the first time over 60 years ago in 1958 – they also hold the amateur record of qualifying for the Third Round for eight years in a row, from 1995-2002. One of their more memorable Cup journeys was in 2007, where their run ended at the hands of the town’s professional club, Castleford Tigers – a game in which they were winning at one point. Their Fifth Round loss to Halifax in 2016 is another, more recently written page in the story of Lock Lane ARLFC and the Challenge Cup, and they’ll most certainly back themselves to add another in 2022.
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