Blackpool fixture date changed

The date of the Scorpions’ home Co-operative Championship 1 match against Blackpool Panthers has been changed from Sunday 2nd May to the Bank Holiday Monday in line with the rest of the division’s fixtures that weekend. Kick-off will be the slightly later time of 3pm.

This will allow fans of Scorpions, Crusaders and Blackpool to attend the entire Magic Weekend in Edinburgh and be back in time for the game in Neath.

This game will see the welcome return of Paul Ballard to South Wales as the talented 25-year old winger has signed for Blackpool.

Ballard scored 40 tries in 49 games in 2007 and 2008 for the Crusaders but didn't feature in John Dixon's plans for the 2009 Super League season and made just two appearances before being loaned out to Whitehaven where he scored seven tries in nine games.

He chose to sign for Blackpool after wanting to travel less in 2010 and remain close to his Wigan base.

South Wales RLFC fixtures announced

South Wales RLFC will, as announced last week, kick-off their inaugural season in Co-operative Championship 1 with a home game against the former Super League club Workington Town on Sunday 28th February.

The full season’s fixtures were announced today with the much anticipated home “local derby” match against London Skolars taking place a week before Easter on Sunday 28th March.

The club, who will be playing their home games out of the famous Gnoll ground in Neath, will only play league matches in their inaugural season and will enter the Northern Rail Cup and Carnegie Challenge Cup from 2011 onwards.

Executive chairman of Wales Rugby League and one of the South Wales’ club’s directors Mark Rowley said: “We’re looking forward to the first game on February 28th which we’re delighted to see is at home. We anticipate that we will get a good crowd as there has been a lot of excitement regarding our launch. We have an enormous player base to call on in South Wales now so I know that we have the structure down here to be very competitive.”

Full South Wales RLFC fixture list

Sunday 28th February - Workington Town (h) 1pm
Sunday 14th March - Doncaster (a) 3pm
Sunday 21st March - York City Knights (a) 3pm
Sunday 28th March - London Skolars (h) 2pm
Monday 5th April - Hunslet Hawks (h) 2pm
Sunday 11th April - Oldham (h) 2pm
Sunday 25th April - Swinton Lions (a) 3pm
Monday 3rd May - Blackpool Panthers (h) 3pm
Saturday 8th May - Gateshead Thunder (a) 7pm
Sunday 16th May - Rochdale Hornets (h) 2pm
Sunday 23rd May - London Skolars (a) 3pm
Sunday 13th June - Swinton Lions (h) 2pm
Sunday 27th June - Workington Town (a) 3pm
Saturday 3rd July - Blackpool Panthers (a) 3pm
Sunday 11th July - Gateshead Thunder (h) 2pm
Sunday 25th July - Rochdale Hornets (a) 3pm
Sunday 1st August - Oldham (a) 3pm
Sunday 8th August - Doncaster (h) 2pm
Sunday 15th August - York City Knights (h) 2pm
Sunday 21st August - Hunslet Hawks (a) 3pm