Come on Down and Enjoy The Trip!

ST ALBANS CENTURIONS have invited amateur rugby league clubs from the game's heartlands to combine their trip to the Challenge Cup Final with an appearance at the MX9s tournament. The Centurions are hosting a qualifying event for the Middlesex Nines competition at their Woollams ground on Sunday 16 May 2004 and want clubs to call in on their way back home from Cardiff for an afternoon of entertaining nine-a-side rugby league.

"We've invited over 30 rugby clubs to this event, including League clubs like Hemel Stags, Luton Vipers, Essex Eels, Sandhurst Royal Military Academy, Oxford and Cambridge University teams, and several union teams including Saracens and Wasps' academy teams," explained Centurions director Gavin Willacy. "We'd love to see some teams from the heartlands enter and play on their way home from Cardiff - or, if they're not going to the Challenge Cup, come down to St Albans for the weekend - they can be assured of a great night out!"

The MX9s began last year with a successful event hosted by the Federation of Middlesex Societies and London Skolars at their New River Stadium, with the Royal Engineers beating the Skolars in the final, with East Hull ARLFC the major name from the amateur game.

The event gained major coverage in the national press and is set to grow enormously this year, with two qualifying tournaments, hosted by South London and St Albans, with the winners invited to the main event at New River on Sunday 18 July.

Entry costs ?50 and interested teams should contact gavinwillacy@hotmail.com or call Gary Tetlow on 07713472091. You can also find out more by visiting www.stalbanscenturions.com