Hornets handed knockout derby clash with Swinton Lions

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Rochdale Hornets will travel the short distance to Sedgley Park for their Ladbrokes Challenge Cup fourth round tie as they face local rivals Swinton Lions in the next stage of the competition.

The derby clash is their reward for a hard fought victory in Cumbria as they saw off amateur opposition in Kells ARLFC with the League One outfit coming out on top 29-12.

It is the only all-League One encounter of the round as both sides avoided Kingstone Press Championship opposition, as all 12 sides from the second tier joined the remaining 12 teams in the hat for the draw, which took place on Tuesday at the Provident Stadium, Bradford.

The two met in the Championship last season, winning a game each, but were both relegated to the third tier with Hornets finishing one position above the Lions at the end of 2014.

It will be the fourth straight knockout game for the Hornets as it comes after a 40-0 iPro Sport Cup victory over South Wales Scorpions, a Challenge Cup third round victory away to Kells and a trip to North Wales Crusaders (this Saturday) in the last eight of the iPro Sport Cup.

A derby victory will be a huge boost going into the start of the 2015 season as their first league fixture comes two weeks later in a Good Friday derby at home to Oldham.

A place in the fifth round and a chance to take on Super League opposition is up for grabs in this tie as local rivals Rochdale and Swinton go head-to-head.

The Ladbrokes Challenge Cup fourth round tie between the Hornets and Lions will be played on Sunday 22 March at Sedgley Park and is scheduled for a 3pm kick-off. Admission prices for the derby clash are £10 adults, £5 concessions and just £1 kids.