Challenge Cup Fourth Round starts to take shape with seven Round 3 ties played out today as four community clubs progress
The Challenge Cup trophy
Seven clubs have booked their spot in the Fourth Round of the Challenge Cup, that tally including four community teams, with red cards aplenty on a fiery afternoon of rugby league.
Ambitious League 1 outfit Oldham were the first team to progress into the next round, causing an upset as they beat Championship opposition in Barrow Raiders away from home.
Sean Long’s side – live on BBC iPlayer & BBC Sport online – did so in style too, coming from 10-4 down at the break in Cumbria to score 18 unanswered points and win the tie. The hosts saw Luke Broadbent sent off late on.
Elsewhere, Sheffield Eagles ran riot up in the North East against Newcastle Thunder to ease through, with a hat-trick for Izaac Farrell accounting for three of the 15 tries they scored.
Red-hot Championship & 1895 Cup favourites Wakefield Trinity also breezed through in the end, but community side Siddal made them work for it.
A fiery first half saw Trinity’s Mason Lino shown a straight red as well as Siddal’s Oli Lewis, with Daryl Powell’s side heading in with a narrow 12-6 lead before scoring 58 unanswered points in the second half.
In all-community ties, Hammersmith Hills Hoists saw off fellow Southern Conference League outfit Wests Warriors, while Hunslet ARLFC routed Lock Lane and Wath Brow Hornets got the better of Stanningley.
The shock of the day came at Cornwall, where after Josh Hartshone’s red card for his involvement in a melee, York Acorn stunned the League 1 side, running out 18-10 winners in a contest which was ill-tempered throughout.
Challenge Cup 2024 – The seven Round 3 fixtures played out today
Barrow Raiders 10-22 Oldham – Live on BBC iPlayer & BBC Sport online
Cornwall 10-18 York Acorn
Hammersmith Hills Hoists 22-12 Wests Warriors
Lock Lane 6-46 Hunslet ARLFC
Sheffield Eagles 88-12 Newcastle Thunder
Stanningley 4-30 Wath Brow Hornets
Siddal 6-70 Wakefield Trinity
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Challenge Cup 2024 – The remaining Round 3 ties
Nine Round 3 ties are still to be played out, with all of those taking place tomorrow afternoon – Sunday, February 11.
The nine remaining Third Round clashes are as follows below, with their respective kick-off times in brackets:
Batley Bulldogs v Workington Town (2pm)
Bradford Bulls v North Wales Crusaders (3pm)
Dewsbury Rams v York (2pm) – Live on The Sportsman
Halifax Panthers v Whitehaven (3pm)
Hunslet v Keighley Cougars (3pm)
Rochdale Hornets v Midlands Hurricanes (3pm)
Swinton Lions v West Hull (3pm)
Thatto Heath Crusaders v Featherstone Rovers (2pm)
Widnes Vikings v Doncaster (3pm)
Challenge Cup 2024 – How the Fourth Round shapes up so far
Only two Round 4 ties have been locked in on the back of today’s action, with the six other ties in the next round reliant on at least one of the Round 3 clashes being played out tomorrow, as stated above.
Here’s what we know about how the Round 4 line-up will look so far, with all eight ties to be played over the weekend of February 24 & 25…
Batley Bulldogs OR Workington Town v Rochdale Hornets OR Midlands Hurricanes
Hunslet OR Keighley Cougars v Thatto Heath Crusaders OR Featherstone Rovers
York Acorn v Wath Brow Hornets
Bradford Bulls OR North Wales Crusaders v Widnes Vikings OR Doncaster
Swinton Lions OR West Hull v Oldham
Wakefield Trinity v Hunslet ARLFC
Halifax Panthers OR Whitehaven v Hammersmith Hills Hoists
Dewsbury Rams OR York v Sheffield Eagles