The AB Sundecks 1895 Cup will have a fresh look in its second season, with three Community clubs from the National Conference League Premier Division joining 17 from the Championship and League 1 for a second opportunity in 2020 to reach a Wembley Final.

Whitehaven have been given a bye along with the other 11 Championship sides and will enter the competition in the second round, with the draw set to take place on March 18 at the Ullswater Heights Leisure Resort and the ties to be played in midweek in the week starting April 27.

NCL champions West Hull will join York Acorn and Underbank Rangers in the first-round draw, which will be held in Cumbria on the same day as the second-round draw. The first-round ties are scheduled for the weekend of April 18.

They will be joined by five clubs from League 1 – Barrow Raiders, Doncaster, Keighley Cougars, Newcastle Thunder and Rochdale Hornets – all in the knowledge that four wins would secure a trip to Wembley on Saturday, July 18.

The quarter finals will be played in the week starting May 11, with both semi-finals on Sunday June 7 and the final again at Wembley Stadium on Challenge Cup Final Day, but this year being played ahead of that final, with a midday kick-off.

Mark Foster, the chief commercial officer of the Rugby Football League, said: “We appreciate that playing the second round and the quarter finals in midweek is challenging, especially for players.

"But before introducing this new competition last year we discussed all options with the clubs and it was agreed that it would be unavoidable given the demands of our other competitions.

"We hope the players and supporters feel that it’s worthwhile for the chance of a trip to Wembley.”