"Down the Line" blog by Andrew Henderson
Blackpool Cup Final weekend
14th July 2009
So there we have it, Widnes won the Northern Rail Cup and Rugby League has found a brand new competition that should stand the test of time.
That was the impressive outcome of last weekend's Northern Rail-backed Championship Rugby League 'Festival' in Blackpool.
And all the signs are that the sport has dropped on a real winner with this new Blackpool full weekend format.
There was no doubting that the Northern Rail Cup Final between Widnes Vikings and Barrow Raiders was a full-bloodied, passionate affair that thrilled the fans and the television audience.
The Vikings have been growing in strength for the last few weeks and they peaked at just the right time although in Barrow's favour it must be said that they had been badly hit by suspensions, injuries and off-field problems just at the wrong moment.
As a former Barrow player I was particularly disappointed for the club and the town on the Furness peninsula. But, on the day, there was no doubting that Widnes were the better team.
Of course, there is now the extra spice of needing to win the Northern Rail Cup to be able to bid for an engage Super League franchise in 2012. Winning it is now a real test of a club's ambition.
Just ask the Widnes club and fans how much they rate winning the Cup! And ask Barrow how disappointed they were to lose! That's how important the Northern Rail Cup has become in five short years.
Wasn't it fantastic to see all those fans bathed in the sunshine at Bloomfield Road? More than 8,000 of them were packed in to the stadium and it made a great sight for the SkySports television cameras.
The real added value for Rugby League and Northern Rail must be the addition of the two-day nine-a-side competition – a great, new concept for Championship rugby.
On Saturday at Fylde RUFC it was a good, old fashioned Rugby League family day when the players from all the clubs and the fans mixed happily and enjoyed the short form of the game on a pleasant summer afternoon.
The fact that Blackpool Panthers emerged as winners of the competition by beating the much fancied Sheffield Eagles was a fairly tale ending for the home-town club.
Earlier Plate winners Halifax and Gateshead had put on a 44-point treat to leave the fans cheering for more.
You just can't ignore that kind of popularity and it was a real winner for the whole sport!
Hendo
