Rugby league: Mayfield preview

Mayfield's squad last season

Rochdale Mayfield start the new decade with their annual bid for glory in the Coral Challenge Cup at 2pm on Saturday (11 January) at the Mayfield Sports Centre.

Having once again had five players move to play for Rochdale Hornets and several more having trials the coaching team could have been forgiven if they had hung their heads and accepted they had no chance.

Sam Butterworth and Steve Wood showed last season what a positive attitude and dedication can achieve and they are already on the way to showing that same resilience for this coming one.

Butterworth said: "We are a club, not a team and we have all pulled together again. After a slow start to training the attitude shown by the lads for the last couple of weeks has been fantastic. The numbers have been increasing at training and they have responded well as the intensity has increased leading up to this game."

Butterworth will not name his team until the last minute when he will know the availability of players but one thing for sure is that it will be the best seventeen players that he believes will do the job on the day. 

Saturday's opponents, London Chargers are something of an unknown quantity. They have a good record in their league, the Southern Conference League but they do not play at the same level as Mayfield in the elite NCL Premier Division. Hopefully this should make Mayfield too strong for the visitors but Butterworth and Wood are by no means taking this game for granted and will be asking their side to come out all guns blazing and show the Chargers what rugby league at this level is all about. Whatever the outcome, Mayfield will be playing a fast open attacking game and going all out for the win and a place in the draw for the next round.

There will be a curtain raiser played before the main event as Mayfield U13s entertain Fearnley Falcons in a pre season friendly.

The opening round of the cup is earlier than usual this season because the cup final has been brought forward to mid July.

Fixtures 11/01/2020

Friendly - Mayfield U13s v Fearnley Falcons U13s. Kick off 12.30pm

Challenge Cup - Mayfield v London Chargers. Kick off 2pm

Mayfield Sports Centre, Keswick Street, Castleton, Rochdale OL11 3AG