The RFL have confirmed a replacement team for this weekend’s Challenge Cup first round, with Castleford-based club Cutsyke Raiders of the Pennine League now set to take on Bradford outfit West Bowling.
The Raiders replace National Conference League side Wath Brow Hornets, who pulled out of the competition after raising their concerns over player welfare. The club said the early-January ties give community clubs a ‘lack of preparation’ due to a mandatory non-contact period in the off-season. The rules have been lifted for participating Challenge Cup clubs, with the Cumbrian outfit airing their views in a statement. You can read that here.
Meanwhile, Cutsyke as a Pennine League outfit, are a winter team and are therefore not subject to such restrictions. They have accepted an offer from the RFL to enter the Challenge Cup and will now take on West Bowling at Horsfall Stadium in Bradford. The winners of the first round tie will take on Sheffield Eagles in round two.
Explaining the situation in full, Marc Lovering, the RFL’s director of development, has posted a statement, confirming that the participating clubs had an exemption period. He said: “We are grateful to Cutsyke Raiders for accepting this late opportunity to play in the Challenge Cup and for the help of Sue Taylor MBE in facilitating.
“Those community clubs who accepted the invitation to play in the Challenge Cup back in October were granted an exemption from the usual mandated non-contact period to begin training earlier once the players had had a 4-6 week break following the end of their 2024 commitments. As a Pennine League club taking part in the winter season, Cutsyke did not need such an exemption.
“We also thank West Bowling for their cooperation. They have gone to great lengths to secure the availability of the all-weather surface of the Horsfall Community Stadium this Saturday and have rightly pointed out that a bye through the first round would have left them with the daunting task of kicking off their season against semi-professional opposition, as the winners of this first round tie have been drawn away to Sheffield Eagles in round two. Now that is the incentive for both West Bowling and Cutsyke, the opportunity to take on the 1998 Challenge Cup winners at the end of this month.”
The full first round ties get underway this weekend with Championship and League 1 clubs entering in round two. Hull FC and Hull KR enter with the rest of the Super League clubs in round three.
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