Sykes Cup winners Hoylandswaine face lowly opposition on home soil in the opening round of their defence. The draw also brought up a handful of mouth watering all-Premiership fixtures.
Kirkheaton and Lepton Highlanders face the daunting prospect of a trip to hugely successful Hoylandswaine who added the Sykes Cup to a Byrom Shield, Conference title and Paddock Shield after their most successful season yet as a club.
Two clubs who have strengthened significantly during the winter; Shepley and Kirkburton will eye the Sykes Cup as a target but both teams have been handed testing assignments at the first stage. Premiership runners up Shepley, who finished 2019 the strongest by winning the Hopkinson Trophy, entertain Rastrick who enjoyed a good run in the competition last season with a Premiership scalp to their credit. Kirkburton travel to Broad Oak in the first of four top flight clashes.
The other all-Premiership draws see Golcar travelling to Honley, newly-promoted Mirfield Parish Cavaliers host Barkisland and a local derby in Thongsbridge v Armitage Bridge. There is another localised affair as 2019 runners-up Delph & Dobcross make the short, ten minute journey to nearby Championship club Marsden. Scholes, who last won the competition in 2017 play host to Shelley who themselves are rebuilding following their relegation from the Premiership last season.
The preliminary round is to be played on Sunday 19 April with the first round scheduled for Sunday 3 May. The full draws are:
Sykes Cup Preliminary Round
Birkby Rose Hill v Cartworth Moor
Mirfield v Almondbury
Kirkheaton v Lepton Highlanders
Emley Clarence v Lascelles Hall
Edgerton & Dalton v Holmbridge
Denby Dale v Hall Bower
Meltham v Flockton
Skelmanthorpe v Nortonthorpe
Linthwaite v Thurstonland
Cumberworth United v Upperthong
Sykes Cup First Round
Denby v Moorland
Birkby Rose Hill or Cartworth Moor v Mirfield or Almondbury
Thongsbridge v Armitage Bridge
Hoylandswaine v Kirkheaton or Lepton Highlanders
Shelley v Scholes
Emley Clarence or Lascelles Hall v Slaithwaite
Honley v Golcar
Shepley v Rastrick
Edgerton & Dalton or Holmbridge v Denby Dale or Hall Bower
Marsden v Delph
Mirfield Parish Cavaliers v Barkisland
Broad Oak v Kirkburton
Holmfirth v Meltham or Flockton
Skelmanthorpe / Nortonthorpe v Linthwaite or Thurstonland
Clayton West v Almondbury Wesleyans
Elland v Cumberworth Utd or Upperthong
