Castleford Tigers suggested the arrival of a new force in Wheelchair Rugby League with a stunning triumph in the Challenge Trophy in York on Saturday.
The Tigers only founded their first Wheelchair team late last season, but they emerged from a gruelling day of competition to beat two stalwarts of the Championship competition in the knockout rounds, holding off Bradford Bulls in the Semi Finals before sealing their triumph against North Wales Crusaders in the Final.
Luis Domingos, who has returned to Wheelchair Rugby League with the Tigers after concentrating in recent years on Wheelchair Basketball, scored the winning try – and was presented with the Player of the Match award by the former RFL Vice President Pat Crawshaw.
Ryan Innes, the Castleford coach, said:
“When you think we’ve only been up and running for a relatively short period of time, this is a fantastic boost for everyone.
“It was a great competition, showing the development there’s been in Wheelchair Rugby League, and a real team effort.
“Gary Atkinson led the team superbly and Charlie Hanson-Sykes was especially impressive considering he was new to Wheelchair Rugby League, and Luis was a worthy player of the match – it’s great that he is back in the sport.”
Castleford linked up with Wakefield Whirlwinds Wheelchair Basketball club when the club’s Foundation made the decision to join Wheelchair RL, and will be playing home games in the expanded Championship at the Spire Sports Centre in Featherstone.
The Challenge Trophy is a competition for teams from outside the Betfred Wheelchair Super League, and was staged in the superb facilities of the University of York.
A total of 15 sides competed, the day starting at 10am and concluding at 4pm, with a total of 52 10-minute matches being played.
Castleford and the Crusaders were the two teams to qualify from Group 2, and drew their group game 0-0.
Crusaders started their day by beating Welsh rivals Torfaen, who left Pontypool at 4am to get to the venue, 4-0. They also saw off Salford 12-0, Halifax 12-9, Wigan A 8-0 and York 16-0.
Castleford beat York Knights 12-0, Torfaen Tigers 8-1, Salford Red Devils 12-0, Wigan Warriors A 4-0 and Halifax 4-0.
Castleford then beat Bradford Bulls 8-4 in the semi-final whilst Crusaders were 4-0 victors over last year's Wheelchair Challenge Trophy winners Hereford Harriers in the longest match of the day. Fifteen minutes of play failed to produce a point, so in the second period of golden point, the match was reduced to four-a-side to produce that winning try.
The other sides who competed in Group 1 were Batley Bulldogs, 2023 winners Gravesend Dynamite, Rochdale Hornets, Sheffield Eagles A, Widnes Vikings and Woodlands Warriors.
