Welcome to the beginning of The Sportsman’s live coverage of rugby league in 2023! The draw for the first round of the Betfred Challenge Cup has thrown up a Wigan derby, with the world-famous Wigan St Patricks hosting Ince Rose Bridge at Clarington Park.
Our live coverage will begin at 2:45pm, with kick-off at 3:00pm. George Riley will provide the commentary, with expert analysis from Kyle Amor, the former Betfred Super League star who joined John Kear's Widnes Vikings in the Championship during the off-season.
St Pats also got our 2022 bank of live coverage underway, travelling to Mayfield Sports Centre in the same round of the Challenge Cup to take on Rochdale Mayfield. But they were beaten at the first hurdle by a strong home side 36-22 in what was Challenge Cup playing legend Andy Gregory's first game in charge of St Pats.
Ince's last involvement in the world's greatest rugby league knockout tournament was back in 2020, when they beat East Hull and Milford on the way to a third-round defeat at the hands of the British Army, falling 34-22 in Aldershot.
Saturday's match is the first of at least 20 matches set to be broadcast live on The Sportsman in 2023. You can catch the big local derby live on this page from 2:45pm, with a simultaneous live stream on The Sportsman Rugby League YouTube channel.