Castleford-Oldham Benidorm Bash clash cancelled as chairman outlines next steps

Ben Olawumi
Castleford Tigers players in 2025

Castleford Tigers celebrate a try in 2025

Castleford Tigers and Oldham will square off in a pre-season friendly ahead of the 2026 campaign, but it will no longer take place in Spain, with the scheduled Benidorm Bash cancelled by the event’s organisers.

It was announced back in August that Super League side Cas would take on Championship outfit Oldham as part of a five-day rugby league festival in Benidorm in January.

The Tigers spent a week in Benidorm ahead of the 2025 season and faced local side Valencia Huracanes in a friendly.

As part of the scheduled 2026 Benidorm Bash, the Huracanes were set to be in action against an unconfirmed opponent while Alicante Cruzados were taking on Kippax Harriers.

But just a few weeks out from the event, with plenty of details still left unconfirmed, it has been cancelled: so none of the three games will take place.

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Castleford-Oldham Benidorm Bash clash cancelled as chairman outlines next steps

Announcing the cancellation to their supporters, Oldham chairman Bill Quinn addressed the reasons behind it.

Quinn confirmed that it was the event organisers who had pulled the rug on it due to being pressured by both the Roughyeds and Castleford for details.

Set to take place over the weekend of January 9-11, details including venue and ticket information were still yet to be received.

Notably though, the two clubs have now agreed to face one another in a pre-season friendly, presumably on UK soil.

Full details of that re-arranged friendly are still to be confirmed and will be announced in the next few days.

But Quinn has urged supporters not to book any more flights or accommodation for the trip to Benidorm, which will now not be happening.

Providing the friendly takes place over the same weekend, it will mark Ryan Carr’s second unofficial game in charge of the Tigers, with a clash against Featherstone Rovers in the schedule before Christmas.

Oldham meanwhile are still coachless following the departure of Sean Long at the end of the 2025 Championship campaign. This clash with Cas remains their only confirmed pre-season outing.

Championship Castleford Tigers

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