2025 AB Sundecks 1895 Cup

A revamped 1895 Cup gets underway in early February.

22 clubs from the Championship and League 1 competitions will be taking part, with the best two clubs to face off at Wembley on Challenge Cup Final day on Saturday 7 June.

In a change from the 2024 format, League 1 clubs will kick the tournament off over two preliminary rounds, with the best four of those clubs joining 12 Championship clubs (like the Challenge Cup, Toulouse has opted out) in the first Round proper.

The eight winners from the first round will then take part in the Quarter Finals, those winners then proceeding to the Semi Finals before the best two meet at Wembley in June.

Fixtures

Preliminary Round 1

Saturday 1 February

Rochdale Horneets 64 (T. Ashton 4, M. Flanagan 3, L. Juma 3, G. McNally, D. Meadows tries; M. Flanagan 8 goals) defeated Cornwall RLFC 12 (H. Aaronson, C. Abbott tries; A. Rusling 2 goals) at Mayfield Sports Centre, Rochdale.
Kickoff: 3:00 PM. Halftime: Rochdale 32-0. Penalties: Rochdale 13-1. Referee: Luke Bland.
Rochdale: McNally, Juma, Flanagan, Ashton, Nixon; Hollidge, Else; Brannan, O'Donnell, Nelmes, Meadows, Straugheir, Whittel. Int: Burton, Dayes, Baker, Taira.
Cornwall: Llewellyn, Symons, Trerise, Aaronson, Abbott; Conroy, Rusling; Rhodes, Lloyd, Boots, Weetman, Simpson, Jenkins. Int: Leney, McConnell, Simpson, Cummings.

Sunday 2 February

Midlands 52 (T. Corion 2, M. Hanley 2, R. Oakes 2, T. Horner, J. Sweeting, T. Wilkinson tries; J. Sweeting 8 goals) defeated Whitehaven 24 (B. Brennan, M. Lewthwaite, E. Nixon, J. Weatherill tries; J. Weatherill 3, K. Tyrer goals) at Alexander Stadium, Birmingham.
Kickoff: 2:00 PM. Halftime: Midlands 28-6. Penalties: 3-all. Referee: Adam Williams.
Midlands: Horner, Hanley, Johnson, Oakes, Corion; Sweeting, Medforth; Morris, Roden, Bowring, Wilkinson, Willis, Wood. Int: Barcoe, Moran, Silk, Kenga.
Whitehaven: Bickerdike, Burns, Egan, Todd, Weatherill; Tyrer, Newbegin; Brennan, Collins, Garner, Lewthwaite, Nixon, Kellett. Int: Blinkhorn, Chambers, Farren, Turnbull.

North Wales 60 (J. Gibson 2, J. Holmes 2, S. Wilde 2, J. Baldwin, O. Brookes, J. Eaves, M. Reid, L. Roby, J. Spedding tries; J. Gibson 3, L. Roby 3 goals) defeated Newcastle 0 at Crow Trees, Newcastle.
Kickoff: 3:00 PM. Halftime: North Wales 30-0. Penalties: North Wales 7-3. Referee: Andy Sweet.
Newcastle: Donaghy, Bradley, Hansen, Rennison, Dickinson; Yeomans, Shaw; Skelton, Lintin, Stoker, Taylor, Birch, Price. Int: Rolls, Handy, Parker, Bate.
North Wales: Roby, Holmes, Reid, Spedding, Brookes; Hughes, Gibson; Houghton, Baldwin, Cooper, Ellis, Wilde, Jones. Int: Eaves, Oakley, Davies, Barratt..

Preliminary Round 2

Sunday 16 February

Goole Vikings 26 (J. Shaul 3, J. Guzdek, T. Halliday tries; R. Dean 3 goals) defeated North Wales Crusaders 18 (P. Ah Van, J. Eaves, S. Wilde tries; J. Gibson 3 goals) at Victoria Pleasure Grounds, Goole.
Kickoff: 3:00 PM. Halftime: Goole 12-10. Penalties: North Wales 5-4. Referee: Luke Bland. Crowd: 526.
Goole: Shaul, Halliday, Guzdek, Shaw, Wacokecoke; Harman, Dean; Coventry, Ellis, Tennison, Ferres, Minns, Craig. Int: Holdstock, Ogunwole, Rutland, Wright.
North Wales: Roby, Ah Van, Taylor, Reid, Brookes; Hughes, Gibson; Cooper, Eaves, Houghton, Oakley, Wilde, Davies. Int: Evans, Barratt, Costello, Holmes.

Keighley Cougars 7 (B. Holroyd try; I. Farrell goal; I. Farrell field goal) defeated Midlands Hurricanes 6 (C. Cullimore try; S. Medforth goal) at Cougar Park, Keighley.
Kickoff: 3:00 PM. Halftime: Keighley 4-0. Penalties: Keighley 8-5. Referee: Adam Williams. 
Keighley: Pickersgill, Walkley, Smith, Sa'u, Holroyd; Farrell, Sammut; McKler, Flanagan, Hatton, Ryder, Lanskey, Parker. Int: Bowes, Schofield, Aliyu, Hartley.
Midlands: Chrimes, Hartley, Johnson, Oakes, Wilkinson; Medforth, McLelland; Kenga, Newboult, Morris, Wilkinson, Willis, Hobson. Int: Sweeting, Cullimore, Green, Moran.

Rochdale Hornets 18 (L. Nelmes, D. Straugheir, B. Will tries; M. Flanagan 3 goals) defeated Swinton Lions 16 (D. Abram, E. Anderson, A. Lynch tries; D. Abram 2 goals) at Crown Oil Arena, Rochdale.
Kickoff: 3:00 PM. Halftime: Swinton 10-6. Penalties: Rochdale 12-8. Referee: Aaryn Belafonte. 
Rochdale: McNally, Will, Ashton, Dalton-Harrop, Forber; Flanagan, Else; Killan, Burton, Nelmes, Meadows, Straugheir, Whittel. Int: Punchard, Andrade, Dayes, Brannan.
Swinton: Roberts, Anderson, Higham, Lynch, Sergent; Briers, Abram; Sidlow, Hartill, Walker, Rodden, Cox, Beardsworth. Int: Roby, Lynch, Trent-Duffy, Shingler.

Dewsbury Rams 18 (D. Coates, L. Collinson, J. Field tries; J. Hookem 3 goals) defeated Workington Town 10 (J. Carter, W. Evans tries; J. Carter goal) at Fibrus Community Stadium, Workington.
Kickoff: 3:00 PM. Halftime: Dewsbury 12-0. Penalties: Dewsbury 5-4. Referee: Tara Jones. 
Workington: Walker-Taylor, Eccleston, Fulton, Evans, Helleur-atiga; Carter, Walker; Farrer, Phillips, Scholey, Howlett, Barnes, Archer. Int: Lupton, Bradley, Ainley, Reid.
Dewsbury: McShane, Brierley, Jordan, Senior, Delaney; Coates, Hookem; Boardman, McShane, Tomlinson, Tomlinson, Summers, Collinson. Int: Day, Field, Briggs, Ferguson.

Round 1

Saturday 1 March

London vs. Dewsbury at New River Stadium, 3:00PM
Referee: Aaryn Belafonte.

Sunday 2 March

Batley vs. Bradford at Fox's Biscuits Stadium, 2:00PM
Referee: Scott Mikalauskas.

Featherstone vs. Keighley at Millennium Stadium, 2:00PM
Referee: Kevin Moore.

Goole vs. Barrow at Victoria Pleasure Grounds, 3:00PM
Referee: Cameron Worsley.

Hunslet vs. Widnes at South Leeds Stadium, 3:00PM
Referee: Denton Arnold.

Oldham vs. Rochdale at Boundary Park, 3:00PM
Referee: James Vella.

Sheffield vs. Doncaster at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Stadium, 3:00PM
Referee: Matty Lynn.

York vs. Halifax at LNER Community Stadium, 3:00PM
Referee: Ryan Cox.

Quarter Finals

April 5/6

8 winners from Round 1, four matches

Semi Finals

May 17/18

4 winners from Quarter Finals, two matches

Final

Saturday 7 June

Semi Final winners
Venue: Wembley Stadium