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Betfred League 1’s 19th round starts today with Swinton Lions making the trip to Llanelli as they lock horns with basement dwellers West Wales Raiders.

This will be the teams third meeting of 2022 with the Lions recording huge wins in both the Betfred Challenge Cup and league.

Last time out, the Lions blew a 20-8 half time lead at Heywood Road as they faced runaway league leaders Keighley Cougars. In the battle of the big cats, it was the Cougars who took control in the second stanza to prevail – Kyle Trout’s 57th minute try proving to be the difference between the sides. 

For West Wales, they travelled to the capital and were defeated 68-18 by London Skolars. Home full-back Jarred Bassett was once again the Skolars’ star man as he bagged a second successive four timer. Trailing 40-4 at the break, West Wales did manage to score two further converted tries in the second stanza to gain some respectability. 

Of the four games on Sunday, Cornwall’s trip to Rochdale Hornets kicks things off with the Spotland clash getting underway at 1.00pm.

After going down 26-20 to Doncaster last time out, the depleted Hornets will be looking to do the double over a Cornwall side who were defeated 36-12 at the Mem by North Wales Crusaders last Sunday.

Rochdale, under new coach Gary Thornton, have appointed Mike Grady as his assistant but they must do without talisman Rangi Chase who is suspended.

Cornwall are without full-back Liam Whitton but have added former Hornet Louis Singleton and Bradford Bulls back Coby Nichol to their squad this week. 

The division’s great entertainers Midlands Hurricanes will be hoping that they are on the right end of a Portway thriller as Doncaster are the visitors to Birmingham.

Trailing 39-0 with 20 minutes to go in their last match against Oldham, Richard Squires’ men scored 36 points in the final quarter with the Roughyeds holding on for a remarkable 41-36 triumph.

Doncaster will travel south looking for an eighth consecutive win as their promotion charge and play-off push shows no signs of slowing down. 

Oldham will be looking to keep hold of seventh place as London Skolars, the team just one point and directly below them in the table, travel to Whitebank.

When the two sides met in the capital in late May, it was the Skolars who came out on top and with Bassett in red hot form, this game is arguably the closest to call of the five to take place in round 19.

And finally, the Keighley promotion bandwagon is back on home soil with local rivals Hunslet the visitors to Cougar Park. 

When the two teams met on Good Friday, a late controversial Mo Agoro try sealed victory for the visitors and it could be argued, with much justification, that this result started the momentum which Keighley have built up to top the pile.

They will be looking for 17th consecutive league triumph although Hunslet do know what it takes to beat Keighley as they prevailed when the two sides met in the Challenge Cup at the South leeds Stadium earlier this season.