The most significant fixture in the short history of Northampton Rugby League Club is almost here as the adult team of the club take on Gloucester University in the Preliminary Round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup on Sunday January 16th.

Training for the players has stepped up in intensity and their commitment and attitude in training over the last few weeks has been spot on. The club’s PR machine has also ramped up its activities over the past few days. The club’s Facebook page has also been the subject of a higher level of activity as the day of the fixture gets closer.

The club has won two National Championships and numerous local, regional and national awards but the entry into the Challenge Cup is an event that will really put the club on the map. Everyone knows that 3 victories and the club will have earned the right to a fixture against a professional club.

Despite all the hype the coaching staff will spend this week focussing the players’ minds on the action on the pitch. They know that Gloucester have the advantage of playing fixtures recently in the Student Super 8 competition and will be battle hardened and it will take one mighty effort to earn the right in the first round proper. The team are certainly up for this challenge and are confident they will overcome the Student side.

The coaches realise that because this is our off season and the team won’t be fully fit and rusty but we can’t do anything but praise their effort so far, they’re like this big family that always look forward to seeing each other at every session. It’s been freezing, it’s been snowing but he lads have put the effort in.

This competition is over 105 years old, it is the mother, the big marquee competition of Rugby League. Tribes who live in the deepest darkest valleys of Papua New Guinea that still live in mud huts and practice cannibalism might have never heard of the internet and definitely don’t know who on earth Simon Cowell is, but they do know about the Rugby League Challenge Cup and its tradition, every Demon squad member wants to say “I played, I helped the Demons to our first ever victory in the Cup.”

Smith and Campbell have put the players through their paces and selection will be a real headache with 30 lads making themselves available. A 20 man squad will be announced on Thursday which will be cut to 17 for Sunday. Our aim is to blood a couple of last years’ academy players who we expect to step up into regular 1st grade action this year and play some flowing rugby. The game will see the return of 2009 captain Derry from shoulder reconstruction whilst Davenport has been given the honour of captaining the side in his last ever potential match in the place of Chris Webber who is recovering from knee reconstruction. This is a young squad which will only average 24 years in age which shows positive signs for the future.

Our aim will be to entertain and win, we have a proud record at Demon Park and teams should be scared about visiting us as we’re not hospitable and neither will be the crowd.

The fixture licks off at 1.30pm on Sunday January 16th at Northampton Casuals RFC in Rushmills with a large crowd expected.

Good Luck !!

Good luck to both teams

Excellent, hope you get the Skolars in the next round!

Good luck, get yourselves to some Quins games this year.

[url=http://www.northamptonrl.co.uk/demons-fight-to-live-another-dayDemons 46 Students 10[/url

The competitions lowest ranked team, Northampton Demons take on Leeds Met University in the first round proper of the Carnegie Challenge Cup on Sunday January 23rd at 1.30pm at Northampton Casuals RFC.

Good to see the game developing in a Rugby hotbed of Northampton. I was impressed with them when they played at the Stoop but it may be a bridge too far against Leeds Met, but good luck and well done.