Whitehaven away for starters for Oldham

Date published: 16 November 2017


Oldham Rugby League Club's League One campaign in 2018 begins on Sunday 18 February with a tough test in Cumbria against last season's beaten promotion finalists Whitehaven.

The first home league game is against Hemel Stags on Sunday 4 March.

In a division of 14 clubs there will be 13 home games and 13 away in a competition that runs to the weekend of 22/23 September followed by the promotion semi-final on 30 September and the final on 7 October.

The RFL has confirmed that the team finishing top, the league champions, will gain automatic promotion to the Championship, while a play-off system involving the four teams finishing second to fifth will determine the second promotion spot.

It promises to be the toughest and most competitive League One for a long time.

Bradford Bulls will be hot favourites to win the title, but several other clubs, including Oldham, will fancy their chances of pushing them all the way with promotion at the first attempt as the ultimate prize.

Oldham go to Bradford on Good Friday (3pm), but the return fixture is not until Sunday, 16, September the last home game.

February
18 Whitehaven, A, 3pm
25 Challenge Cup (3)

March
4 Hemel Stags, H, 3pm
11 York City Knights, H, 3pm
18 Challenge Cup (4)
25 North Wales Crusaders, A, 2.30pm
30 (Good Friday) Bradford Bulls, A, 3pm

April
8 Hunslet, H, 3pm
15 Keighley Cougars, H, 3pm
22 Challenge Cup (5)
29 Workington Town, A, 3pm

May

6 Newcastle Thunder, H, 3pm
13 Challenge Cup (6)
19 (Sat) West Wales Raiders, A, 3pm
27 Doncaster, H, 3pm

June

3 Challenge Cup (quarter-finals)
10 Coventry Bears, A, 3pm
17 London Skolars, H, 3pm
24 Hunslet, A, 3pm

July
1 Workington Town, H, 3pm
8 West Wales Raiders, H, 3pm
15 Keighley Cougars, A, 3pm
22 North Wales Crusaders, H, 3pm
29 Doncaster, A, 3pm

August

5 Hemel Stags, A, 2pm
12 Whitehaven, H, 3pm
19 Newcastle Thunder, A, 3pm
25 (Sat) Challenge Cup final

September
2 Coventry Bears, H, 3pm
9 York City Knights, A, 3pm
16 Bradford Bulls, H, 3pm
22 (Sat) London Skolars, A, 3pm
30 Promotion semi-final

October
7 Promotion final