For the majority of the last two months, the 11 clubs who will contest Betfred League One in 2022 have watched on with envy and growing impatience, counting down the weeks, days and hours until their season kicks off.
This weekend, the waiting is finally over, with five fascinating fixtures.
And Our League will kick off extensive coverage of the Betfred League One season by showing the meeting of two clubs expected to challenge for promotion, Oldham and Keighley Cougars – live, exclusive and free of charge on the Our League web and app.
After relegation from the Betfred Championship in 2021, the Roughyeds will be looking to bounce straight back following the appointment as head coach of Stuart Littler – who will also lead Ireland into the Rugby League World Cup at the end of the season.
Keighley pushed hard for promotion last autumn only to suffer a heartbreaking defeat against Doncaster in one of the matches of the season – and following Andrew Henderson’s appointment as Head of Rugby to work with Head Coach Rhys Lovegrove, and with Scott Murrell remaining as their on-field general, the Cougars are determined to challenge again.
That will be the first of many League One games shown on Our League in 2022, following confirmation of coverage of all of Cornwall’s matches in their debut season.
Neil Kelly’s newboys don’t have a match in the opening round, but they kick off with a tough trip to North Wales Crusaders – who have already underlined their determination to back up their impressive 2021 campaign by reaching the Fifth Round of the Betfred Challenge Cup.
That fixture, at Stadiwm Eirias in Colwyn Bay, will kick off at 530pm on Saturday April 2 – and the Crusaders are hoping to attract plenty of neutrals to watch Cornwall’s historic debut on the North Wales coast.
It will be followed eight days later by Cornwall’s home debut against Midlands Hurricanes – the other new name in Betfred League One in 2022, who kick off this weekend at Doncaster.
The Hurricanes are also making big plans for their home games at Portway, the home of Birmingham and Solihull Bees RUFC – starting with a Masters Festival running alongside the visit of Swinton Lions on Sunday week - details HERE.
The Lions are another of the promotion favourites, after coming down from the Championship with Oldham – and setting up half a dozen derby fixtures between three old rivals in what is now Greater Manchester, as Rochdale Hornets aim to prove a point to them both.
The first derby will be on Good Friday when Hornets host Oldham at the Crown Oil Stadium. All three kick off with home games this Sunday – Oldham in the Our League game against Keighley, Swinton hosting West Wales Raiders at Heywood Road in Sale, and Hornets taking on the Crusaders in another intriguing fixture which could feature a half-back battle between Rochdale’s maverick old-stager Rangi Chase and Reece Briers, the son of the former Warrington and Wales schemer Lee.
Swinton will be showing their support to the people of Ukraine by wearing special yellow shorts, and will be holding a collection to raise funds for the sport’s chosen Unicef appeal.
The Betfred League One season kicks off on Saturday afternoon as Alan Kilshaw’s Hunslet travel down the M1 to face London Skolars – with the Skolars hosting a Community Day at the New River Stadium, find out all the details HERE.
Betfred League One 2022
Opening round fixtures: London Skolars v Hunslet (Saturday, 3pm); Doncaster v Midlands Hurricanes, Oldham v Keighley Cougars, Rochdale Hornets v North Wales Crusaders, Swinton Lions v West Wales Raiders (all Sunday, 3pm)
Early-season Our League fixtures:
Round One – Oldham v Keighley Cougars (Sunday March 27, 3pm)
Round Two – North Wales Crusaders v Cornwall RLFC (Saturday April 2, 530pm)
Round Three – Cornwall RLFC v Midlands Hurricanes (Sunday April 10, 1pm)
Round Four – Doncaster v Cornwall RLFC (Easter Saturday, April 16, 1pm)
