1895 Cup fixtures and results as Wakefield Trinity triumphed at Wembley

Wakefield Trinity became the fifth different club to lift the 1895 Cup with victory at Wembley against Sheffield Eagles and the first in the competition’s new format involving a group stage.

When the competition first started this year, there were seven groups of three clubs grouped geographically, with games played on a tournament basis.

Where a Championship club played a League 1 club in the group stage, it was the third-tier team that had home advantage.

After each club played their two group matches, the seven group winners automatically progressed to the quarter-finals of the cup, with the best-performing second-placed team also earning a place in the last eight .

As you would expect, starting with the quarter-finals, the 1895 Cup took a knockout format. Once again, the final was played at Wembley on the same day as the Challenge Cup final – 8 June.

Prior to this season, four different clubs, all in the Championship, had lifted the trophy since the competition’s inaugural year in 2019 – Sheffield, Featherstone Rovers, Leigh – then the Centurions – and, in 2023, the Halifax Panthers.

Fax – in Simon Grix’s final season in charge – defeated Batley Bulldogs in the final of the 2023 tournament last August under the arch in the capital.

This year’s group matches began on the weekend of January 27 and 28 and here, we’ve kept this article updated with all the fixtures and results.

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1895 Cup fixtures and results as tournament adopts new format including group stage in 2024

Group 1

Barrow Raiders, Whitehaven, Workington Town

January 28: Workington Town 8-30 Barrow Raiders

4th February: Whitehaven 12-18 Barrow Raiders

February 18: Workington Town 22-28 Whitehaven

Group winners: Barrow Raiders

Group 2

Bradford Bulls, Dewsbury Rams, Keighley Cougars

January 28: Keighley Cougars 35-6 Dewsbury Rams

4th February: Dewsbury Rams 4-40 Bradford Bulls

February 18: Keighley Cougars 18-26 Bradford Bulls

Group winners: Bradford Bulls

Group 3

Newcastle Thunder, Wakefield Trinity, York Knights

January 27: Newcastle Thunder 10-114 York Knights

4th February: York 4-40 Wakefield Trinity

February 18: Newcastle Thunder 0-110 Wakefield Trinity

Group winners: Wakefield Trinity

Group 4

Halifax Panthers, Oldham, Rochdale Hornets

January 28: Oldham 24-20 Halifax Panthers

4th February: Rochdale Hornets 12-52 Halifax Panthers

February 18: Oldham 38-12 Rochdale Hornets

Group winners: Oldham

Group 5

Batley Bulldogs, Featherstone Rovers, Hunslet

January 28: Hunslet 12-62 Featherstone Rovers

4th February: Batley Bulldogs 15-14 Featherstone Rovers

February 18: Hunslet 0-36 Batley Bulldogs

Group winners: Batley Bulldogs

Group 6

North Wales Crusaders, Swinton Lions, Widnes Vikings

January 28: North Wales Crusaders 12-40 Swinton Lions

4th February: Swinton Lions 18-6 Widnes Vikings

February 18: North Wales Crusaders 14-30 Widnes Vikings

Group winners: Swinton Lions

Group 7

Doncaster, Midlands Hurricanes, Sheffield Eagles

January 28: Midlands Hurricanes 4-40 Doncaster

4th February: Doncaster 18-22 Sheffield Eagles

February 18: Midlands Hurricanes 16-30 Sheffield eagle

Group winners: Sheffield Eagles

Quarter finals

Six Championship clubs – Sheffield, Batley, Bradford, Swinton, Wakefield and Barrow advanced to the quarter-finals of the competition as group winners alongside League One side Oldham.

York were the club who finished eighth in the quarter-finals as the best-performing team in 2nd place.

The four quarter-finals played out as follows:

Sheffield Eagles 26-10 Batley Bulldogs

Bradford Bulls 21-12 Swinton Lions

York 46-12 Oldham

Wakefield Trinity 30-12 Barrow Raiders

Semifinals

The two semi-final ties took place as follows:

Bradford Bulls 14-40 Wakefield Trinity

York 18-28 Sheffield Eagles

Final

The 1895 Cup Final was part of a four-legged tie at Wembley on 8 June.

Kicking off at 17:45 (BST), it was the last match played on a day which saw St Peter’s Catholic High School (Champion Schools Year 7 Boys), St Helens (Women’s Challenge Cup) and Wigan Warriors (Men’s Challenge Cup) triumph in advance.

This is how it played:

Wakefield Trinity 50-6 Sheffield Eagles

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