BETFRED CHALLENGE CUP
Midlands Hurricanes v Aberavon Fighting Irish
Sunday 25 January 2026 – 5pm KO
£5 Adults (16+), £1 U16s
Tickets: BUY HERE
After a valiant but ultimately unsuccessful outing at Avery Fields against Newcastle Thunder last Sunday, Head Coach Mark Dunning and his men are back on home soil tomorrow (25 January) as they welcome Aberavon Fighting Irish to Birmingham for our Second Round Challenge Cup clash.
Notwithstanding their name, our opponents on Sunday actually hail from Port Talbot in south-west Wales, just east of Swansea. Famous for Tata Steel’s steelworks that was a primary employer for the town’s inhabitants, there will be few of Aberavon’s squad that make the trip to Birmingham that will not be impacted – either directly or indirectly – by Tata’s decision to close the steelworks in late 2024.
Aberavon were first founded in 2003 and actually competed in the First Round of the Challenge Cup that year (losing 6-28 to Ince Rose Bridge). The club lasted four years before folding after the conclusion of the 2006 season. Ironically it would be the COVID-19 pandemic – which brought non-professional rugby league to a halt for 12-months – that would prove to be the catalyst to encourage the greatest game to recommence in Port Talbot in 2021 and see them join the Welsh Men’s League (now the JES Group Rugby League Conference) in 2022.
On-the-pitch, the Fighting Irish have gone from strength to strength and have established themselves as Wales’ best amateur outfit after successive Welsh Conference Grand Final wins in 2024 (beating South Wales Jets 21-18) and 2025 (beating the Jets again 44-14). Those Grand Final wins earned them a spot in the First Round of the 2025 Challenge Cup (where they would fall to a 16-32 defeat to Blackbrook) and the 2026 Challenge Cup, where they would make history by defeating Irish Champions Banbridge Broncos 26-32 two weeks ago. Their trip to Birmingham will be just their second time playing in England, having played Gloucester Warriors in 2003.
Mark Dunning has named a strong squad for Sunday’s clash, notwithstanding that Danny Craven, Tom Wilkinson and Mikey Wood have been omitted following playing in the game against Newcastle. Those omissions – and with the Canes’ welcoming Doncaster to Avery Fields in one week’s time – potentially sees several players who did not feature in the Newcastle game presented with an opportunity to shine and compete for a place in the 18-man squad that will face the Dons on Sunday 1 February.
Your www.enjoytravel.com 21-man squad:
1 – Todd Horner | Yorkshire Ceiling Services
2 – Matty Chrimes | Project Furniture
3 – Ryan Johnson | Hull Wyke Rugby League
4 – Ross Oakes | Geoff and Maureen Hammond
5 – Luis Roberts | Crypto Construction
7 – Lewis Else | Wigan Electrical Ltd
8 – Jon-Luke Kirby (c) | WB Truck and Trailer Services
9 – Aiden Roden | Enjoy Travel
10 – Tyler Dickinson | DC Environmental
12 – Oliver Roberts | Global Components (UK) Ltd
14 – Brandon Moore | Available to Sponsor
15 – Elliot Morris | GLR Energy (UK) Ltd
16 – Zeus Silk | This is Warrior
17 – Kieran Moran | Toby Robins and Lizzie Gardner
18 – Owen Restall | Gary Lancaster Property Management
19 – Sully Medforth | Ideal Building Systems
20 – Toby Warren | EM Workwear
21 – Zach Jebson | Pro Dig (Hull) Ltd
22 – Cian Tyrer | Available to Sponsor
27 – Louis Beattie | Available to Sponsor
28 – Isaac Shaw | Available to Sponsor
