Another St Helens versus Wigan rivalry rounded off the first round of the 2025 Challenge Cup as North West Premier League side Orrell St James made the ten-mile journey south to face National League Premier Division side Thatto Heath Crusaders with the prize on offer being a trip to Halifax Panthers in round two in a weeks’ time.

The two sides met in the 2024 final of the BARLA National Cup when Thatto Heath emerged as 24-4 victors in the game played at Featherstone Rovers Post Office Road back in August of last year.

It promised to be a feisty encounter, much like the game last August which saw the referee have a busy afternoon with the cards.

The Halifax Panthers had a giant killing on their minds as they took on the side sitting level top of the Super League after the opening five rounds and 2018 Cup winners, the Catalans Dragons at the New Shay.

The bookies and pundits were firmly of the opinion that it would be a big win for the visitors and gave the home side a thirty-point start on the coupon, but this is the famous Challenge Cup and so far in round six there hadn’t been a single surprise, the hopefuls filing into the stadium in the hope that this would be the one.

The Dragons were taking no chances as they fielded a very strong side giving due respect to the Panthers.

The final round of the regular season was critical for both sides and the mathematics were a little complicated depending on who you were pulling for as Halifax needed to win and hope that Barrow Raiders lost to York RLFC Knights to get a play-off place, while Swinton Lions needed to avoid losing by more than four points to send Whitehaven down, or do better than Keighley Cougars result, to maintain Championship football for 2024 by the narrowest of margins.

Swinton showed massive character to beat their relegation rivals Whitehaven last week by a single point to grab themselves a massive lifeline, and they would be confident about kicking on from that and spoiling Halifax’s party.

A fifteen-minute delay to the kick-off, to allow half a dozen Halifax players time to negotiate traffic around the ground, added to the pre-match atmosphere.

Keighley Cougars were looking for a double celebration as they took on the Halifax Panthers in the penultimate round of the Betfred 2023 Championship season.

A win would lift them closer to guaranteeing Championship football next season, while a victory would also serve a major blow to the Panthers play-off aspirations.

On the other hand, a win for the Panthers could see them end the weekend in fifth spot in the table should fifth paced Bradford Bulls lose to fourth placed London Broncos.

It promised to be an exciting Sunday afternoon as teams vied for the remaining play-off places and to avoid finishing up in the bottom two.

Halifax were the favourites for the win with a twelve-point start on the coupon for the Cougars.

After a sensational Challenge Cup final, the men of the Halifax Panthers and the Batley Bulldogs had something to live up to as they took the field for the final of the AB Sundecks 1895 Trophy on the hallowed Wembley turf.

Halifax won the first meeting between the two sides in March by 20-16, but lost by 20-12 at the summer bash in May before a massive 42-0 win for the Bulldogs on the 9th July.

Batley were favourites with the bookies as they are currently fourth in the league table and secure in the play-off positions while Halifax look much more precarious in sixth place.

It promised to be another great game.

After a breathless couple of Challenge Cup semi-finals, the curtain was brought down on the Saturday afternoon fixtures by an AB Sundecks 1895 Cup semi-final between the London Broncos and Halifax Panthers as two sides from the Championship looked to book their trip to Wembley Stadium.

All the pre-match indications were for a home win for the Broncos against a Halifax side who have struggled of late, seen the recent announcement of the end of season departure of their coach, and without a win against the Broncos in the capital since 2003.

The bookies agreed, the Broncos slight favourites for the win at Rosslyn Park but both sides were 80 minutes away from a Wembley appearance.

The final game of a packed weekend of Easter entertainment was the Monday night ViaplaySports offering between the Halifax Panthers and Bradford Bulls as the two great West Yorkshire Rivals met as fifth took on sixth for the honour of joining fourth place Widnes Vikings on ten league points after recording five wins in their opening eight fixtures.

The Panthers were favourites for the win but both sides picked up victories last time out and both sides have won three out of their last four outings.

After some sensational games this weekend, there was an expectation that the Championship would serve up the perfect Easter Monday treat to round off the weekend in great style.

It was the tie which neither side wanted as Featherstone Rovers were drawn out of the hat to play a third round fixture against fellow Championship side, the Halifax Panthers.

An all-conquering Featherstone are currently sat atop the Championship while Halifax are seventh and tucked in nicely as part of the chasing pack.

The two sides met a month ago in the league, Featherstone securing a 46-22 win which made them clear favourites to win this afternoon’s game which was broadcast live on The Sportsman on YouTube.

A place in the fourth round awaited.

It was a famous old name from the glory days of Super League's start taking on an also-ran from those days who dropped out in disarray back in 2003.

But at the the Championship's Summer Bash in 2022, it was Bradford Bulls who are the club in disarray while Halifax Panthers entered the game as a top-four club in everyone's sights

This was as mid-table as you could get as fifth took on sixth in the televised Monday night game to complete the fixtures in round sixteen of the 2022 Betfred Championship.

Both sides needed the win to consolidate their place in the top six to have a shot at the play-offs, and whoever emerged victorious at the end of eighty minutes would finish the round in fifth spot.

The bookies fancied Halifax for the win and gave them a six-point handicap on the coupon and with the Batley Bulldogs showing yesterday that Featherstone Rovers are fallible, the sides in the lower play-off places will have a new enthusiasm for their chances of making the Million Pound game.

The two sides met a couple of months ago the Shay with the Panthers taking a 40-18 win, the Raiders looking to level the score tonight.

Third took on fourth in the Betfred Championship as the York City Knights hosted the Halifax Panthers in a crucial Round Twelve encounter as the home side looked to keep in touch with the top two and the Panthers looked to avoid a slip to sixth place in the table as mid-season approaches.

The Knights have won their last seven games with the Panthers having won their last six, something would have to give in what promised to be a close game between two for sides.

Halifax had been given a six-point start on the handicap coupon, but the bookies and pundits were expecting a close game between two evenly matched sides who should both make the end of season play-offs, if not be in with a real chance of promotion to Super League.

Barrow Raiders needed to get back on the bike as they continued their push for a play-off place, and to be the top Cumbrian sides, as they travelled to West Yorkshire and The New Shay to take on the Halifax Panthers who themselves have great expectations of finishing in the higher echelons.

A win for Barrow would ensure that they wouldn´t finish the round lower than fourth position in the table but it Halifax could pick up the two points then they would likely finish the weekend in the top half of the table.

The bookies fancied a home win with the Raiders being given a twelve-point start on the coupon, indicative of the only winning one game in their last five outings, the one-point win over the Bulls.

Super League’s top side were up against the Betfred Championships eighth placed side in what was billed, pre kick-off as the most one-sided Challenge Cup semi-final in recent history as St Helens took on Halifax RLFC.

It’s over ten years since St Helens have played in a Challenge Cup final, last winning in 2008, but even longer since Halifax have figured.

They were last in a final in the 1987-88 season when they lost to Wigan, having beaten St Helens the season before to lift the trophy for the last time.

Saints rested the majority of their squad last weekend and lost to the London Broncos but they were massive favourites to beat a Halifax side who have won their last two, most notably last weekend with a big win over the Widnes Vikings.

The two sides who seem to play each other more times than some people have hot dinners, met again at Odsal Stadium as seventh placed Bradford Bulls met a Halifax side currently two points adrift of them in eighth.

Halifax knocked the Bulls out of the Challenge Cup on the 2nd June to set themselves up with a semi-final against St Helens, and also won the league match in Blackpool at the Summer Bash by 21-14.

Bradford took the points in April with a 33-26 away win and needed a win this afternoon to even honours over the season with their near neighbours.

Both sides has a myriad of changes as they re-shuffled their sides looking for a crucial two points to keep in touch with the league leaders and a play-off spot.

The last Coral Challenge Cup quarter final was probably the most anticipated of the week as Championship sides Bradford Bulls and Halifax went head to head to become the first semi-finalists from outside Super League since Hull Kingston Rovers in 2006.

There was added spice in that the two sides are currently level on league points in the Championship table, and that their stadiums are only separated by six West Yorkshire miles.

The two sides have met twice in 2019 with honours shared, Halifax winning on the last meeting a fortnight ago by 21-14 at the summer bash.

The Bulls were firm home favourites with the bookies and who would bet against them after their sensational victory over the Leeds Rhinos in the last round.

A place alongside Hull FC, Warrington Wolves and St Helens in the semi-finals awaited the winner.

In a dress rehearsal for the Challenge Cup quarter final, the closing game of the first day of the Summer Bash pitted the Bradford Bulls against Halifax, as seventh took on eighth in the ongoing battle for a play-off place.

A win for the Bulls would lift them into third spot in a very congested and competitive top of the table, but should the two point be picked up by Halifax then they would draw level on points with their opposition today, and three other sides directly above them in the table.

There was little to choose between these two sides on paper for what was a fitting end to the fist day’s competition in Blackpool.

Following yesterdays parting of ways with coach Richad Marshall, Halifax had to travel to the 2019 Championship surprise package, the Sheffield Eagles, desperate for a win to give their play-off hopes a boost.

Simon Grix had temporarily taken over the reigns against the experience of Mark Aston.

Halifax had Scott Murrell and Chester Butler back in their side while Sheffield gave a debut to London Broncos dual-registration player Nathan Mason off the bench.

A forty-two point victory would put the Eagles up to second as they strive for a return to Super League for the first time since the merger experiment twenty years ago.

For Halifax, a loss would signal a mountain to climb to achieve a play off position.

After an indifferent start to the season Halifax had the opportunity to strike a blow for their top half of the table aspirations and cause a temporary derailment of the Toronto Wolfpack juggernaut, as the two sides did battle at the MBi Shay.

Toronto needed the win to return to the top of the Betfred Championship table but a win for Halifax could see them finish the weekend in fifth spot, should other results go in their favour.

But the odds were on the side of Brian McDermott’s side as they looked to make it seven wins in eight outings.

The two sides which haven’t registered a single point in the Super Eights Qualifiers met at the Select Security Stadium as Widnes Vikings hosted Halifax in the deadest of dead rubbers.

Neither side had any hope real hope of making the Million Pound game so there was just pride to play for, along with the first two points in the competition for one of the teams.

Widnes had lost their last twenty league matches but they came into the game as the favourites to overturn a Halifax side who have leaked an average of thirty-five points a game, while scoring an average of just over eight.

After last weeks draw at Barrow Raiders the Toronto Wolfpack were on the road again, this time at the MBi Shay to take on a Halifax side looking to inflict more pain on the big spenders and secure their second victory of the season.

 

Ashton Sims was making his Toronto debut after signing from the Warrington Wolves, and Joe Westerman was back after missing last week.

Halifax were on the back of a win against the Sheffield Eagles in the last round and a win would signal a real intent to have another shot at the middle eights competition come the split.

 

The crowd were expecting a close match but the bookies had the visitors as strong favourites.