Halifax, the original winners of the Wheelchair Challenge Cup in 2015, lifted the trophy for the first time in seven years with a slick eight-try performance against a London Roosters team who were appearing in their first Final.

Watched by Malcolm Kielty MBE, the driving force behind establishing Wheelchair Rugby League in England through his work in Halifax in the first decade of the Millennium, the Panthers underlined their status as the team to beat in 2025 following the return of hometown hero Jack Brown.

Brown, a star of England’s World Cup triumph in 2022, has been based in Queensland for the last four years, so this will be his first full season for Halifax since 2019.

He was named player of the match and combined to devastating effect with Rob Hawkins, the reigning world Wheelchair Rugby League player of the year, who scored 22 of the Panthers’ points from two tries and seven goals.

Hawkins was also instrumental in the build-up to a number of other tries as seven of the Panthers’ eight-player squad touched down.

They took the lead inside five minutes when Hawkins sent Brown over for the opening try and although the Roosters stayed in touch for most of the first half with Joe Coyd scoring and converting two tries, they were never able to get ahead.

Wayne Boardman, Halifax’s veteran player-coach who was one of their original Cup winners in 2025, said:

“We needed that. It’s been a long while since we won the Challenge Cup – we’ve still been challenging but in sport you’re judged by winning trophies.

“We’ve been building our strength in depth for a while now and Jack coming back from Australia is the last piece for us in the middle of the pitch.

“Fair play to the Roosters because that was a tough game, and they showed why they got to the Final. But it’s a great feeling to have lifted that trophy – and I think it’s great for the Halifax club.”

The Panthers led 30-16 at half-time with Hawkins scoring his two tries and further scores from Boardman and Joe Calcott, while Lewis King added to Coyd’s double for the Roosters.

Finlay O’Neill then scored the crucial first try of the second half for Halifax and although Mason Billington scored two typically brave tries for the Roosters, the Panthers retained their breathing space with tries for two of their substitutes, Jordan Holt and Tom Martin.

Attention now turns to the start of the 2025 Betfred Wheelchair Super League season next weekend, including debut fixtures in the competition for Edinburgh Giants and Sheffield Eagles – with an additional incentive for every England-qualified player as they battle for places on a tour of Australia this autumn.