2011 Championship Cup

Rugby league season

2011 Championship Cup

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2011 Season

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The 2011 Championship Cup, (known for commercial reasons as the Northern Rail Cup), was the 10th season of the rugby league football competition for clubs in Great Britain's Co-operative Championship and Championship One.

Leigh Centurions won the final against Halifax by the score of 20–16. The match was played at Bloomfield Road in Blackpool.

## Format

[edit]

The twenty teams are split up into two pools.

Pool A: Featherstone Rovers, Doncaster, London Skolars, Widnes Vikings, Toulouse Olympique, York City Knights, Keighley Cougars, Barrow Raiders, Rochdale Hornets, Dewsbury Rams.

Pool B: Swinton Lions, Halifax RLFC, Batley Bulldogs, Leigh Centurions, Gateshead Thunder, Sheffield Eagles, Oldham, Hunslet Hawks, Workington Town, Whitehaven RLFC.

Each team played two home games and two away games against teams in their pool. The top four teams in each pool following the conclusion of the group stage fixtures progressed into an open draw for the knock-out quarter-final stage. The competition started on 5 February.

Toulouse Olympique competed in the competition for the first time after the withdrawal of Blackpool Panthers who have entered administration. The South Wales Scorpions did not compete. [1]

## 2011 Competition results

[edit]

### Pool 1

[edit]

#### Round 1

[edit]

Home  | Score  | Away  | Match Information

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|
|

Date & Time  | Referee  | Venue  | Attendance
Featherstone Rovers | 54–10  |  Doncaster | 4 February, 19:30 GMT  |  | Big Fellas Stadium | 1,223
Toulouse Olympique | 40–38  |  Dewsbury Rams | 5 February, 16:00 GMT  |  | Arnaune Stadium | 800
London Skolars | 18–62  | Widnes Vikings | 6 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | New River Stadium | 643
Keighley Cougars | 24–6  |  Rochdale Hornets | 6 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Cougar Park | 627
Barrow Raiders | 24–20  |  York City Knights | 6 February, 14:00 GMT  |  | The Furness Heating Components Stadium | 1,305

#### Round 2

[edit]

Home  | Score  | Away  | Match Information

|
|
|

Date & Time  | Referee  | Venue  | Attendance
Widnes Vikings | 44–28  |  Toulouse Olympique | 12 February, 18:00 GMT  |  | Stobart Stadium Halton | 2,376
Doncaster | 32–4  |  London Skolars | 13 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Keepmoat Stadium | \-
York City Knights | 22–32  |  Featherstone Rovers | 13 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Huntington Stadium | 1,387
Dewsbury Rams | 14–0  |  Keighley Cougars | 13 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Tetley's Stadium | 758
Rochdale Hornets | 18–30  |  Barrow Raiders | 13 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Spotland Stadium | \-

#### Round 3

[edit]

Home  | Score  | Away  | Match Information

|
|
|

Date & Time  | Referee  | Venue  | Attendance
Keighley Cougars | 22–36  |  Toulouse Olympique | 19 February, 18:00 GMT  |  | Cougar Park | 513
London Skolars | 16–16  |  York City Knights | 20 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | New River Stadium | 264
Doncaster | 18–30  |  Dewsbury Rams | 20 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Keepmoat Stadium | 555
Widnes Vikings | 50–10  |  Rochdale Hornets | 20 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Stobart Stadium Halton | 3,155
Barrow Raiders | 22–28  |  Featherstone Rovers | 20 February, 14:00 GMT  |  | The Furness Heating Components Stadium | 1,852

#### Round 4

[edit]

Home  | Score  | Away  | Match Information

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|
|

Date & Time  | Referee  | Venue  | Attendance
Toulouse Olympique | 34–22  | London Skolars | 26 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Arnaune Stadium | 998
Featherstone Rovers | 16–22  |  Widnes Vikings | 26 February, 18:00 GMT  |  | Big Fellas Stadium | 1,719
Rochdale Hornets | 36–40  |  Doncaster | 27 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Spotland Stadium | 442
York City Knights | 28–22  |  Keighley Cougars | 27 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Huntington Stadium | 748
Dewsbury Rams | 16–12  |  Barrow Raiders | 27 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Tetley's Stadium | 911

#### Pool 1 Qualification Table

[edit]

2011 Northern Rail Cup: Pool 1

# |  | PLD | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | PTS
1 |  Widnes Vikings | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 178 | 72 | +106 | 0 | 12
2 |  Featherstone Rovers | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 130 | 76 | +54 | 1 | 10
3 |  Dewsbury Rams | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 98 | 70 | +28 | 1 | 10
4 |  Toulouse Olympique | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 138 | 126 | +12 | 0 | 9
5 |  Barrow Raiders | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 88 | 82 | +6 | 2 | 8
6 |  York City Knights | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 86 | 94 | −8 | 2 | 7
7 |  Doncaster | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100 | 124 | -24 | 1 | 7
8 |  Keighley Cougars | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 68 | 84 | −16 | 1 | 4
9 |  London Skolars | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 60 | 144 | −84 | 1 | 3
10 |  Rochdale Hornets | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 70 | 144 | −74 | 2 | 2
| Teams qualifying for the next round

|

Source: Northern Rail Cup Table – The RFL[1]
Classification: 1st on competition points; 2nd on match points difference.
Competition Points: For win = 3; For draw = 2; For loss by 12 points or fewer = 1

### Pool 2

[edit]

#### Round 1

[edit]

Home  | Score  | Away  | Match Information

|
|
|

Date & Time  | Referee  | Venue  | Attendance
Swinton Lions | 22–28  |  Halifax | 4 February, 20:00 GMT  |  | The Willows | 1,000
Oldham | 28–22  |  Hunslet Hawks | 6 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Whitebank Stadium | 685
Gateshead Thunder | 20–32  |  Sheffield Eagles | 6 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Gateshead International Stadium | 444
Batley Bulldogs | 4–24  |  Leigh Centurions | 6 February, 14:00 GMT  |  | Mount Pleasant | 1,072
Whitehaven | 18–28  |  Workington Town | 8 February, 19:30 GMT  |  | Recreation Ground | 1,005

#### Round 2

[edit]

Home  | Score  | Away  | Match Information

|
|
|

Date & Time  | Referee  | Venue  | Attendance
Workington Town | 82–0  |  Gateshead Thunder | 13 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Derwent Park | 381
Sheffield Eagles | 16–16  |  Whitehaven | 13 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Bramall Lane | 727
Leigh Centurions | 42–22  |  Swinton Lions | 13 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Leigh Sports Village | 1,623
Halifax | 50–10  |  Oldham | 13 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | The Shay | 2,027
Hunslet Hawks | 8–12  |  Batley Bulldogs | 13 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | South Leeds Stadium | 666

#### Round 3

[edit]

Home  | Score  | Away  | Match Information

|
|
|

Date & Time  | Referee  | Venue  | Attendance
Swinton Lions | 29–20  |  Oldham R.L.F.C. | 20 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | The Willows | 776
Leigh Centurions | 68–6  |  Sheffield Eagles | 20 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Leigh Sports Village | 1,520
Hunslet Hawks | 30–0  |  Workington Town | 20 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | South Leeds Stadium | 379
Batley Bulldogs | 60–6  |  Gateshead Thunder | 20 February, 14:00 GMT  |  | Mount Pleasant Stadium | 612
Whitehaven | 6–60  |  Halifax | 16 March, 19:30 GMT  |  | Recreation Ground | 771

#### Round 4

[edit]

Home  | Score  | Away  | Match Information

|
|
|

Date & Time  | Referee  | Venue  | Attendance
Workington Town | 12–42  |  Leigh Centurions | 27 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Derwent Park | 592
Oldham R.L.F.C. | 4–14  |  Whitehaven | 27 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Whitebank Stadium | 544
Gateshead Thunder | 4–76  |  Swinton Lions | 27 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Gateshead International Stadium | 323
Sheffield Eagles | 12–16  |  Hunslet Hawks | 27 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | Bramall Lane | 854
Halifax | 25–26  |  Batley Bulldogs | 27 February, 15:00 GMT  |  | The Shay | 1,968

#### Pool 2 Qualification Table

[edit]

2011 Northern Rail Cup: Pool 2

# |  | PLD | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | PTS
1 |  Leigh Centurions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 176 | 44 | +132 | 0 | 12
2 |  Halifax | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 163 | 64 | +99 | 1 | 10
3 |  Batley Bulldogs | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 102 | 63 | +39 | 0 | 9
4 |  Hunslet Hawks | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 76 | 52 | 24 | 2 | 8
5 |  Swinton Lions | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 149 | 94 | +55 | 1 | 7
6 |  Workington Town | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 122 | 90 | +32 | 0 | 6
7 |  Sheffield Eagles | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 66 | 120 | -54 | 1 | 6
8 |  Whitehaven | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 54 | 108 | −54 | 1 | 6
9 |  Oldham R.L.F.C. | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 62 | 115 | −53 | 2 | 5
10 |  Gateshead Thunder | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 250 | −220 | 1 | 1
| Teams qualifying for the next round

|

Source: Northern Rail Cup Table – The RFL[1]
Classification: 1st on competition points; 2nd on match points difference.
Competition Points: For win = 3; For draw = 2; For loss by 12 points or fewer = 1

### Finals

[edit]

#### Finals Tournament Bracket

[edit]

| Quarter-finals | | | Semi-finals | | | Final |

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|  |  |  | | |  |  |  | | |  |  |  |
| H |  Leigh Centurions | 50 | | |
| A |  Widnes Vikings | 18 |
| | H |  Featherstone Rovers | 30 |
|  |
| | | A |  Halifax RLFC | 31 |
| H |  Hunslet Hawks | 12 |

| A |  Featherstone Rovers | 50 |
| | H |  Halifax RLFC | 16 |
|  |
| | | A |  Leigh Centurions | 20 |
| H |  Toulouse Olympique XIII | 26 | |

| A |  Halifax RLFC | 36 |
| | H |  Leigh Centurions | 44 |
|  |
| | | A |  Dewsbury Rams | 10 |
| H |  Dewsbury Rams | 38 |

| A |  Batley Bulldogs | 22 |

#### Quarter-finals

[edit]

Home  | Score  | Away  | Match Information

|
|
|

Date & Time  | Referee  | Venue  | Attendance
Leigh Centurions  | 50–18  |  Widnes Vikings  | 19:30, 7 April 2011  |  | Leigh Sports Village  | 2,737
Hunslet Hawks  | 12–50  |  Featherstone Rovers  | 20:00 8 April 2011  |  | South Leeds Stadium  | 877
Toulouse Olympique  | 26–36  |  Halifax RLFC  | 19:00 9 April 2011  |  | Stade de Minimes  | 850
Dewsbury Rams  | 38–22  |  Batley Bulldogs  | 15:00 10 April 2011  |  | Tetley's Stadium  | 1,643

#### Semi-finals

[edit]

The semi-finals took place on 16 and 19 June with Sky Sports broadcasting the Featherstone v Halifax game live on Thursday 16 June.

Home  | Score  | Away  | Match Information

|
|
|

Date & Time  | Referee  | Venue  | Attendance
Featherstone Rovers  | 30–31  |  Halifax RLFC  | Thursday 16 June 2011, 19:30 KO  | Gareth Hewer  | Big Fellas Stadium  | 1,987[2]
Leigh Centurions  | 44–10  |  Dewsbury Rams  | Sunday 19 June 2011, 15:00 KO  | Matt Thompson  | Leigh Sports Village  | 2,234[3]

#### Final

[edit]

The Northern Rail Cup Final took place at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool on Sunday 17 July at 17:00 GMT live on Sky Sports 3. The Match was contested by Halifax RLFC and Leigh Centurions.

This was Halifax's first appearance in the National League Cup final and was he fourth time Leigh have appeared in the final after making the finals in 2003 and winning the final in 2004 & 2006\.

The game was won by Leigh 20 points to 16 with Leigh scoring in the final minute thanks to Tom Armstrong.[4] The victory fulfils the on-field criteria that clubs must meet to be allowed to apply for a Super League licence for the 2015–17 period. Leigh Centurions have become the first club to have won the competition on 3 occasions.

Home  | Score  | Away  | Match Information

|
|
|

Date & Time  | Referee  | Venue  | Attendance
Halifax RLFC  | 16–20  | Leigh Centurions  | Sunday, 17 July 2011, 17:00 KO  | Matt Thomason  | Bloomfield Road, Blackpool | 8,522[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Northern Rail Cup Table". RFL. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
2. ^ "RFL Match Report: Featherstone 30 – 31 Halifax". The RFL. 16 June 2011. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
3. ^ "RFL Match Report: Leigh 44 – 10 Dewsbury". The RFL. 19 June 2011. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
4. ^ a b "RFL Match Report: Halifax 16 – 20 Leigh". The RFL. 17 July 2011. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012.

## External links

[edit]

* https://web.archive.org/web/20080831022046/http://www.therfl.co.uk/index.php
* http://www.northernrail.org/northernrailcup

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