A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Duration | 8 Rounds |
|---|---|
| Highest attendance | 60,669 |
| Broadcast partners |  BBC Sport |
| Winners |  Sheffield Eagles |
| Runners-up |  Wigan Warriors |
| Lance Todd Trophy | Mark Aston |
The 1998 Challenge Cup, known as the Silk Cut Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 97th staging of the Challenge Cup, a rugby league cup competition.
The competition ended with the final on 2 May 1998, which was played at Wembley Stadium.
The tournament was won by Sheffield Eagles, who beat Wigan Warriors 17–8 in the final, and is generally considered to be one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Challenge Cup final.[1][2] The Lance Todd Trophy was won by Mark Aston.[3]
First round
The first round consisted of 60 teams, including clubs in National Conference Division 1 and Division 2, and other amateur clubs from around the country.[4] Additionally, Dublin Blues became the first ever Irish team to take part in the cup.[5] Matches were played on 5–6 December 1997, with the replay being played on 13 December 1997.[4]
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Worth Village | 32–4 | Fulham Travellers |
| 2 | Charleston | w/o | West London Colonials |
| Walkover for Charleston – West London Colonials withdrew | |||
| 3 | West Bowling | 18–24 | Thornhill |
| 4 | Redhill | 36–12 | Wigan St Judes |
| 5 | Oulton | 36–16 | Loughborough University |
| 6 | Wigan Rose Bridge | w/o | Kells |
| Walkover for Wigan Rose Bridge – Kells withdrew | |||
| 7 | Normanton | 14–14 | Folly Lane |
| Replay | Folly Lane | 22–15 | Normanton |
| 8 | Leigh East | 18–4 | East Hull |
| 9 | Skirlaugh | w/o | Blackpool Gladiators |
| Walkover for Skirlaugh – Blackpool Gladiators withdrew | |||
| 10 | Moldgreen | 18–8 | Barrow Island |
| 11 | Blackbrook | 17–23 | Haydock |
| 12 | Dewsbury Moor | 32–7 | Dublin Blues |
| 13 | Teesside Steelers | 10–48 | Leeds University |
| 14 | New Earswick All Blacks | 6–34 | BRK |
| 15 | Milford | 6–16 | Queens |
| 16 | London Skolars | 10–12 | Myton |
| 17 | Ideal ABI | 5–30 | Hunslet Warriors |
| 18 | Ellenborough | 40–14 | Crosfields |
| 19 | Siddal | 40–6 | Lindley Swifts |
| 20 | Eccles | 12–26 | Featherstone Lions |
| 21 | Broughton Red Rose | 14–24 | Hull Dockers |
| 22 | Millom | 22–2 | York Acorn |
| 23 | Ovenden | 18–16 | Dodworth |
| 24 | Waterhead | 28–4 | Westgate Redoubt |
| 25 | Stanningley | 50–16 | Nottingham Crusaders |
| 26 | Shaw Cross | 0–20 | Clayton |
| 27 | Farnworth | 26–12 | Lowca |
| 28 | Queensbury | 24–16 | East Leeds |
| 29 | John Moores Univ | 16–40 | Eastmoor |
| 30 | Norland | w/o | Westfield |
| Walkover for Norland – Westfield withdrew | |||
Second round
The 30 winners of the previous round were joined by an additional 14 clubs from the National Conference Premier Division. Matches were played on 20–21 December 1997, with the replay and postponed matches being played on 27–28 December 1997.[4]
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charleston | 8–34 | Saddleworth Rangers |
| 2 | Eastmoor Dragons | 40–8 | Leeds University |
| 3 | Worth Village | 4–52 | Thornhill |
| 4 | Moldgreen | 22–20 | Siddal |
| 5 | Redhill | 14–19 | Castleford Lock Lane |
| 6 | Folly Lane | 37–14 | Askam |
| 7 | Hunslet Warriors | 14–6 | Millom |
| 8 | BRK | 20–18 | Leigh East |
| 9 | Walney Central | 12–12 | Leigh Miners Rangers |
| Replay | Leigh Miners Rangers | 46–4 | Walney Central |
| 10 | Woolston Rovers | 22–0 | Oldham St Annes |
| 11 | Haydock | 11–0 | Waterhead |
| 12 | Stanningley | 10–37 | Farnworth |
| 13 | Wigan Rose Bridge | 8–37 | West Hull |
| 14 | Myton Warriors | 0–52 | Norland |
| 15 | Ellenborough Rangers | 28–22 | Queensbury |
| 16 | Dudley Hill | 14–42 | Skirlaugh Bulls |
| 17 | Queens | 42–18 | Beverley |
| 18 | Heworth | 12–4 | Clayton |
| 19 | Ovenden | 30–22 | Wigan St Patricks |
| 20 | Dewsbury Moor | 8–27 | Oulton Raiders |
| 21 | Rochdale Mayfield | 4–28 | Featherstone Lions |
| 22 | Egremont Rangers | 22–12 | Hull Dockers |
Play-off
An additional play-off match between Oldham R.L.F.C. and one of the winners of the second round took place before the next round. This was due to Oldham being originally excluded from the cup, as the original club had been liquidated at the end of the previous season, but the Rugby Football League (RFL) later allowed the club to enter the competition following an appeal, with several of the remaining amateur clubs in the competition offering to play Oldham for a place in the next round.[6] The match took place on 18 January 1998.[4]
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oldham R.L.F.C. | 36–14 | Heworth | 2,943 |
Third round
The 22 winners of the previous round were joined by an additional 18 clubs from the First Division and Second Division. Matches were played on 31 January and 1 February 1998.[4]