A relegation play off against the Swinton Lions awaited the victory of a League One play off match between the Keighley Cougars and Hunslet in a West Yorkshire to derby to earn the chance to join Oldham and be playing their rugby in the Championship in the 2025 season.

The home side were big favourites with the bookies to win the game, but Hunslet have sprung a few surprises in 2024 including a win at Cougar Park in May by 26-18.

What was certain was that neither side would die wondering.

With several of the places in the quarter finals of the 1895 Cup already decided on the results of the opening two rounds, one game which demanded interest was the derby encounter between the Keighley Cougars and the Bradford Bulls with the winners progressing in the competition while the losers would be eliminated.

Both sides had already defeated the Dewsbury Rams earlier in the competition, but it was the Championship side the Bradford Bulls who were the clear favourites to take the win against last season’s relegated Keighley side.

Barrow Raiders and Swinton Lions both had a rest weekend but were safe in the knowledge that they were already in the quarterfinals and one of the teams with a BD postcode would be joining them at the end of today’s game.

Keighley Cougars were looking for a double celebration as they took on the Halifax Panthers in the penultimate round of the Betfred 2023 Championship season.

A win would lift them closer to guaranteeing Championship football next season, while a victory would also serve a major blow to the Panthers play-off aspirations.

On the other hand, a win for the Panthers could see them end the weekend in fifth spot in the table should fifth paced Bradford Bulls lose to fourth placed London Broncos.

It promised to be an exciting Sunday afternoon as teams vied for the remaining play-off places and to avoid finishing up in the bottom two.

Halifax were the favourites for the win with a twelve-point start on the coupon for the Cougars.

Fresh from their terrific league win over the Bradford Bulls, the Keighley Cougars licked their lips at the prospect of a fourth round Betfred Challenge Cup game against a League One side who have been unable to register a single win so far in their 2023 league campaign as the North Wales Crusaders made their way to darkest West Yorkshire.

The bookies and pundits could see nothing other than a Keighley win as they gave the League One side a thirty-six-point start on the coupon.

The Crusaders have eliminated Thatto Heath Crusaders and the Royal Navy in the earlier rounds while Keighley managed a narrow two-point win over Hunlet in the last round.

The prize on offer was a fifth-round visit to either Hunslet ARLFC or the Batley Bulldogs to try and win a place in the sixth-round draw and a possible trip to one of the Super League giants and the chance of a decent pay day.

A West Yorkshire derby between Keighley Cougars and the Bradford Bulls drew a big crowd of well over four thousand as the visitors looked to continue their great run which see´s them keeping pace with the top sides in the Championship.

The Bulls travelled to Cougar Park sitting pretty in fourth place in the Championship table but after a disappointing start to their campaign the Cougars were in tenth spot but aware that a win would lift them into the top half of the table.

The Cougars were slight underdogs with the bookies, having been given a six-point start on the handicap coupon, but inside a packed stadium the hope was for a close, competitive and as always, noisy game.

After falling victim to storm Ciara last weekend, the hastily re-arranged all Championship One  game between the Keighley Cougars and Newcastle Thunder took centre stage on Saturday afternoon.

A fourth round tie away at Siddal Rangers awaited the victors and with a great chance of progress against the amateur opposition a change of a fifth round game against one of the big Super League clubs was a real possibility.