'A tough slog in the mud': remembering Leeds Rhinos' last Challenge Cup tie against amateur opponents
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Rhinos kick off their 2025 season next Saturday in the Betfred Challenge Cup third round against London-based Southern Conference side Wests Warriors. It is Leeds’ first meeting with non-league opposition since a preliminary round tie away to Kells in the same competition on January 13, 1988.
Wests have given up home advantage, but on that occasion the Loiners had to travel and a long journey, tough fixture schedule, hostile atmosphere and muddy pitch made it a tricky challenge for the Division One team. Though they were never in danger of losing to the amateurs, it was a tough slog and coach Maurice Bamford was “delighted” to return to West Yorkshire with a 28-0 win.
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Hide AdKells qualified for the competition as Cumbrian Cup winners and were drawn at home, but switched the tie to their professional neighbours Whitehaven’s Recreation Ground. In front of a Wednesday evening crowd of 4,874, Bamford - whose side had a home league game against Widnes on the Sunday after the Cup tie - fielded a strong lineup, including 10 of the 15 players shatteringly beaten 15-14 by St Helens in the JPS Trophy final at Central Park, Wigan, just four days earlier.


Steve Morris, Ray Ashton, Colin Maskill, Kevin Rayne and David Heron dropped out, with David Stephenson, John Lyons, Darren Stevens and Mark Brooke-Cowden coming in. Only two stands at AMT Headingley will be open for this weekend’s game, but the clash four decades ago created huge interest and kick-off was delayed by 10 minutes because of crowd congestion.
Leeds didn’t get in front until midway through the first half when Stevens opened the scoring. Lyons crossed moments later - David Creasser converting both - and Carl Gibson touched down to make it 16-0 at half-time. Marty Gurr, Garry Schofield and Gibson added unconverted tries in the final 40.
Afterwards, Bamford admitted: “We were in a no-win situation. Win by 60-70 and people say that’s exactly how it should be. I thought we did a thoroughly professional job.”
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Hide AdHe added: “Imagine you are a Kells player - if you are 5ft 10 and 15 stone at blindside prop, when you play against Leeds in a one-off match in your life, you’re going to be 6ft 3 and 17 stone and you are going to play like it. That’s exactly what Kells did.” Leeds’ team against Kells was: Marty Gurr, Carl Gibson, Garry Schofield, David Stephenson, John Basnett, David Creasser, John Lyons, Peter Tunks, Darren Stevens, John Fairbank, Roy Powell, Paul Medley, Peter Jackson. Sub Mark Brooke -Cowden.


Wests aren’t the first amateur team to visit Headingley for a Challenge Cup tie. In 1920 Leeds cruised to a 44-5 win over Millom, also from Cumbria, in the first round, after going behind to a try by visiting centre Syd Walmsley. Leeds signed him following the game and he went on to score 35 tries - including one during the Cup final win over Hull just three years later - and 167 goals in 186 games for the club.
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