ROUND 1 CHAMPIONSHIP CLASH ROUNDUP

On Sunday, our mens Town squad travelled to Barrow Raiders for our first Championship fixture!

Our Town Men's Squad began their 2026 Betfred Championship campaign on Sunday with a tough away fixture against Barrow Raiders at the Northern Competitions Stadium.

It was our first Championship appearance since 2022 and another fiercely contested Cumbria derby. Heavy rain left the pitch in difficult condition, with players quickly covered in mud, making it challenging from the outset.

Both sides made a positive start, with the opening quarter evenly matched and the scoreboard remaining at 0–0 after 15 minutes. Town were then reduced to 12 men when scrum-half Braden Leigh was shown a yellow card following a chase-down tackle on Tee Ritson. Barrow took advantage of the numerical advantage, opening the scoring shortly after and adding further pressure before the break. Town went into half-time trailing 14–0.

After coming out for the start of the second half, Town's defence held firm for the opening 15 minutes. However, Barrow eventually broke through and went on to score 26 unanswered points, extending their lead and securing a 40–0 victory.

Our next match will be next Sunday when we face Blackbrook ARLFC away in Round 2 of the Challenge Cup, with the winners of the tie to face Super League giants, St Helens, on the weekend of the 6th, 7th and 8th of February.

There are still some spots left in the 100 Club! Be at EVERY Town game including all Betfred Championship matches, Cup ties and play-offs! Including our potential tie against St.Helens at home! PLUS much more!

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