Derby date to launch season

OLDHAM kick off their 2009 season with a home game against old enemy Rochdale Hornets on Sunday, February 8.

The game is part of the first round of the Northern Rail Cup, which has a different format this year. Instead of having four teams in each group, the RFL has formed two larger pools of 10 clubs, with five from The Co-operative Championship and five from The Co-operative Championship One in each.

The other teams in Oldham’s pool are Rochdale, Widnes, Sheffield and Hunslet — all of who will face the Roughyeds — as well as Halifax, Gateshead, Barrow, Blackpool and Keighley.

After the four rounds of group games have been played, the top four sides in each pool progress to the quarter-finals of the competition, due to be played out on the weekend of Sunday, June 7.

The NRC final is once again being held at Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road, on Sunday, July 12, only this time with a new competition taking place on the same weekend.

The Northern Rail 9’s competition involves the 18 sides not involved in that final, with small-sided games will be played on both the Saturday and Sunday at Fylde RUFC.

Oldham’s first home match in The Co-operative Championship One, at home to Blackpool, takes place a week earlier than the other matches in the competition on Sunday, March 15.


Roughyeds fixtures

February

Northern Rail Cup

8 ROCHDALE H

13 Widnes Vikings (8pm) A

22 SHEFFIELD EAGLES H


March

1 Hunslet Hawks (2pm) A

The Co-operative

Championship One

15 BLACKPOOL PANTHERS H

22 Keighley Cougars A

29 WORKINGTON TOWN H


April 

10 Rochdale Hornets A

13 DEWSBURY RAMS H

26 SWINTON LIONS H


May

4 London Skolars A

17 HUNSLET HAWKS H

24 Swinton Lions A


June

28 York City Knights A


July

5 Workington Town A

19 KEIGHLEY COUGARS H

26 Dewsbury Rams A


August

2 ROCHDALE HORNETS H

9 LONDON SKOLARS H

16 Blackpool Panthers A

23 YORK CITY KNIGHTS H


September

6 Hunslet Hawks A 

3pm kick-off unless stated.

Note: These fixtures may be subject to change and remain copyright of the RFL. They must not be reproduced in whole or in part except by written consent.