An amateur rugby league club from Castleford is living the dream after securing a fairytale place in the Betfred Challenge Cup third round, where they will face the mighty Hull KR.
A Historic Victory and a Glamour Tie
Lock Lane, founded in 1938, produced a dominant performance to sweep past Brighouse Rangers 44-6 at Brighouse Sports Club. The victory, inspired by a hat-trick from centre Lewis Price, was witnessed by a crowd in the high hundreds and sets up a monumental clash against the reigning Super League and Challenge Cup champions.
"It's absolutely massive," beamed head coach Brad Roberts after masterminding the win. "As a club we've just been focused on playing Brighouse this week, but now we can start to enjoy it. We're playing Hull KR next and it's just like, wow."
From Humble Beginnings to Cup Giants
This is not Lock Lane's first taste of Challenge Cup adventure. The club famously pushed First Division Huddersfield close in a 15-10 defeat at Fartown back in 1970. They also faced Super League neighbours Castleford in 2007, briefly leading 4-0 before ultimately losing 88-10.
However, the prospect of facing the all-conquering Hull KR early next month – in a tie almost certain to be moved to the professional outfit's Craven Park ground – represents an unprecedented occasion for the community club.
The New Structure Offering Hope
The tie was made possible by a recent competition restructure designed to give community clubs a better chance of landing a lucrative glamour tie. Last season, the first under the new format, still saw heavy defeats for amateur sides, including Wests Tigers' 92-0 loss to Leeds Rhinos.
Lock Lane's path was also cleared by the demise of Featherstone Rovers, whom the winners of the Brighouse tie were originally drawn to face. Instead, Mikey Lewis and his Hull KR teammates will now pit their wits against part-time players like Lock Lane winger Harry Render.
Render, a self-employed videographer, typifies the amateur spirit, having turned down a £170 job to ensure he could play in the historic match. "I'm making sure I leave the Hull KR date open," said Render. "It means so much to the lads and it is great to give the town something to cheer about."
For Brighouse Rangers, one of the 22 founder members of the Northern Union, the dream of renewing a very old rivalry with Hull KR – they held Rovers to a 0-0 draw in the 1906 Challenge Cup – faded after a bright start that saw them lead 6-0 before being overwhelmed.
Now, all eyes turn to the first weekend in February, when Lock Lane's band of amateurs will walk out for the biggest game in their long history, ready to embrace the Challenge Cup spotlight.
