LONDON Skolars Rugby League Club start out on the road to Wembley on Saturday in the first round of the 1999 Silk Cut Challenge Cup.

They will take on Thatto Heath, from St Helens on Merseyside, at the New River Stadium in Wood Green.

Because of the team's geographic location as nearest to Wembley, the game will be filmed by the BBC.

The Skolars play in the second division of the National Conference and are one of only two London-based teams to play at that level, the other being the star-studded London Broncos, of the JJB Super League.

The Skolars are unique in their set-up, having been formed so graduates who had played rugby league at university and then moved to London could continue playing.

The squad is multi-racial and multi-national, containing players from Scotland, Wales, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Western Samoa, Nigeria, Jamaica as well as those from the game's traditional heartland -- the north of England.

After clocking up over 5,000 miles getting to away matches last season, the team has learnt to adapt to travelling, but they will be looking to make the most of

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