SKOLARS V HEMEL IN CHAMPIONSHIP OPENER

26th November 2012, 9:29
Three new teams from the South in Championship One promise to make the 2013 competition the best ever. London Skolars will kick off their campaign at home with a local derby against new boys Hemel Stags on Good Friday, March 29th.

The other two new clubs, Gloucestershire All Golds Oxford Rugby League, will face off against each other in their first professional fixture on the same day.

The new nine-team Championship One season will be the most geographically-diverse ever.

Prior to the league season commencing, the Championship One clubs, minus Oxford, will be involved in the group stages of a re-structured Northern Rail Cup competition which begins on the weekend of March 2nd and 3rd.

The eight Championship One clubs involved will compete in two groups of four with the top team in each group then progressing to join all 14 Championship clubs in the knock-out rounds when the competition intensifies in May, with the chance to secure the first silverware of the season on the weekend of July 20th and 21st looming large on the horizon.

RFL Chief Operating Officer Ralph Rimmer said: “There is a real sense of anticipation surrounding the 2013 campaign and the introductions of Hemel, Gloucester and Oxford to the professional ranks has generated real interest in the Championship One competition.


“These clubs all offer the sport a unique opportunity to take games into areas where we haven’t been before and the potential to attract new fans, players and volunteers is something that we are all very excited about.


“The enthusiasm with which all three clubs have embraced their introduction to the professional ranks has been a real boost to the Championships and with those clubs joining North Wales Crusaders, South Wales Scorpions, London Skolars, Gateshead Thunder, Rochdale and Oldham, Championship One is certainly pushing the game’s geographical boundaries.”

The new-look 14-team Championship will deliver 26 rounds of regular season action before climaxing with the Grand Final which will once again be played as part of the Championships Finals Day in front of the Premier Sports cameras in September. Before the Championship title is decided, the Championship One crown will be up for grabs on Finals Day.

Premier Sports will broadcast over 30 live games throughout the course of the year.


“With new clubs, new players and three new-look competitions, I believe this is going to be the most exciting and important Championships season ever,” added Rimmer.



Championship One fixtures:

ROUND 1
Friday March 29
Gloucestershire All Golds v Oxford (TBC)
London Skolars v Hemel Stags (3:00pm)
Oldham v Rochdale Hornets (3:00pm)
Monday April 1
South Wales Scorpions v North Wales Crusaders (TBC Premier Sports)

ROUND 2
Sunday April 14
Gloucestershire All Golds v Oldham (3:00pm)
Hemel Stags v Gateshead Thunder (3:00pm)
North Wales Crusaders v London Skolars (2:30pm)
Oxford v South Wales Scorpions (3:00pm)

ROUND 3
Sunday April 28
Hemel Stags v Gloucestershire All Golds (3:00pm)
North Wales Crusaders v Gateshead Thunder (2:30pm)
Oldham v Oxford (3:00pm)
South Wales Scorpions v Rochdale Hornets (3:00pm)

ROUND 4
Sunday May 5
Gateshead Thunder v Gloucestershire All Golds (3:00pm)
London Skolars v South Wales Scorpions (3:00pm)
Oxford v Hemel Stags (3:00pm)
Rochdale Hornets v North Wales Crusaders (3:00pm)

ROUND 5
Sunday May 12
Gateshead Thunder v South Wales Scorpions (1:00pm)
Hemel Stags v Oldham (3:00pm)
Oxford v North Wales Crusaders (3:00pm)
Rochdale Hornets v London Skolars (3:00pm)

ROUND 6
Sunday May 26
Gloucestershire All Golds v Rochdale Hornets (3:00pm)
London Skolars v Oxford (3:00pm)
Oldham v Gateshead Thunder (3:00pm)
South Wales Scorpions v Hemel Stags (3:00pm)

ROUND 7
Sunday June 2
North Wales Crusaders v Gloucestershire All Golds (2:30pm)
Oldham v London Skolars (3:00pm)
Oxford v Gateshead Thunder (3:00pm)
Rochdale Hornets v Hemel Stags (3:00pm)

ROUND 8
Sunday June 9
Gateshead Thunder v London Skolars (2:00pm)
Gloucestershire All Golds v South Wales Scorpions (3:00pm)
North Wales Crusaders v Oldham (2:30pm)
Rochdale Hornets v Oxford (3:00pm)

ROUND 9
Sunday June 16
Gateshead Thunder v Rochdale Hornets (3:00pm)
Hemel Stags v North Wales Crusaders (3:00pm)
London Skolars v Gloucestershire All Golds (3:00pm)
South Wales Scorpions v Oldham (3:00pm)

ROUND 10
Sunday June 23
Gloucestershire All Golds v North Wales Crusaders (3:00pm)
London Skolars v Rochdale Hornets (3:00pm)
Oldham v Hemel Stags (3:00pm)
South Wales Scorpions v Oxford (3:00pm)

ROUND 11
Sunday June 30
Gateshead Thunder v Oldham (3:00pm)
Hemel Stags v South Wales Scorpions (3:00pm)
North Wales Crusaders v Rochdale Hornets (2:30pm)
Oxford v Gloucestershire All Golds (3:00pm)

ROUND 12
Sunday July 7
Hemel Stags v Rochdale Hornets (3:00pm)
London Skolars v Gateshead Thunder (2:00pm)
Oxford v Oldham (3:00pm)
South Wales Scorpions v Gloucestershire All Golds (3:00pm)

ROUND 13
Sunday July 14
Gateshead Thunder v Oxford (3:00pm)
Gloucestershire All Golds v Hemel Stags (3:00pm)
Oldham v South Wales Scorpions (3:00pm)
*Friday August 23
London Skolars v North Wales Crusaders (TBC Premier Sports)

ROUND 14
Sunday July 28
Gloucestershire All Golds v London Skolars (3:00pm)
Oldham v North Wales Crusaders (3:00pm)
Oxford v Rochdale Hornets (3:00pm)
South Wales Scorpions v Gateshead Thunder (1:00pm)

ROUND 15
Sunday August 4
Gateshead Thunder v North Wales Crusaders (3:00pm)
Hemel Stags v Oxford (3:00pm)
London Skolars v Oldham (3:00pm)
Rochdale Hornets v South Wales Scorpions (3:00pm)

ROUND 16
Sunday August 11
North Wales Crusaders v Hemel Stags (2:30pm)
Oldham v Gloucestershire All Golds (3:00pm)
Rochdale Hornets v Gateshead Thunder (3:00pm)
South Wales Scorpions v London Skolars (3:00pm)

ROUND 17
Sunday August 18
Gloucestershire All Golds v Gateshead Thunder (3:00pm)
Hemel Stags v London Skolars (3:00pm)
North Wales Crusaders v Oxford (2:30pm)
Rochdale Hornets v Oldham (7:30pm Premier Sports)

ROUND 18
Sunday September 1
Gateshead Thunder v Hemel Stags (3:00pm)
North Wales Crusaders v South Wales Scorpions (2:30pm)
Oxford v London Skolars (3:00pm)
Rochdale Hornets v Gloucestershire All Golds (3:00pm)

This is fantastic news, keep spreading the game and hopefully new fans will take to the game, and attract new players/sponsorship and media coverage..
My only other wish it to see some rugby league clubs being added from Scotland/midlands/ and a few more from wales and north East.. but step by step the Rugby league family will get there, you are all stars...