First RL game in London in 2015. Any takers?

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Didn't think Mudchute had played since 2013?! How they've ended up in this is a massive shock.

The BARLA cup is only interesting (to me) as until this year I'd not heard of it until my local club, the North Herts Crusaders RLFC now based in Hitchin, Hertfordshire but formed at Letchworth Garden City in Feb 2012, got an away draw with the Upton who are Yorkshire based. This will be the Crusaders first crack at this competition.

I guess my post is only relevant in terms of the Broncos as one of the blokes instrumental in the formation and massive success of the club in just 2 years is from Colin Baker, an ex-Broncos coach, who has recently been selected and given the assistant coach's job for the London Broncos academy and head coach for England Students for 2015 (and beyond?) with immediate effect.

Good luck to all teams involved and FWIW the Crusaders have been the East Premier Champions 2012, Herts Sports Awards Best Newcomer Club 2012, East Premier Champions 2013, East Cup Winners 2013 & 2014 and pray this level of achievement will continue without Colin Baker being head coach. Incidentally, the North Herts Crusaders have booked a 53 seater coach for the trip up if anyone wants to go on the same day as the OP says... 10 Jan 2015.

Barla website showing the fixture as Bye v Halifax Irish. Doesn't look promising.

Here's why....

Clubcall: Mudchute Uncles
Mudchute Uncles haven’t played since the end of the 2013 season, when they were in the London Merit League, the lowest tier of the amateur game. Formed by students from the University of Newcastle, the Uncles wore chocolate and blue and were based on the Isle of Dogs, but didn’t have a home ground. With their graduate players spread all over the country, predictably they fell apart last year. They have no website and a Twitter page last updated in 2013. Yet, quite bizarrely, BARLA accepted their entry to their National Cup. They are due to host Halifax Irish this Saturday. They won’t be, as they don’t exist. Extraordinary.

There are two other southern clubs in action as Hitchin’s North Herts Crusaders nip up the A1 to Upton and Eastern Rhinos head to Leeds to play the mighty Queens. Southern clubs always entered the BARLA National Cup from its early days until the move to a summer season in 1997. Long-lost names such as Peckham, Milton Keynes, McEntee (of Walthamstow) and Lapwing (from Heathrow) all took part. Towards the end of the 80s there were up to eight Southern League clubs among over 200 who entered, including Hornsey Lambs and Streatham Celtic. At least this is a step towards BARLA restoring the cup to its truly national status.

cancelled games all about...brave new dawn

This is a BARLA competition, hence the name, and nothing to do with the RFL. But you knew that, right? Of course you did.

Sadly the Crusaders were hammered in the game yesterday. FT: Upton 50-0 North Herts Crusaders. Att: 100

Not a bad effort from Eastern Rhinos at Queens going down 34-16.

Some very bizarre tweets going out from Mud Chute Uncles this weekend.