Dave Craven: Cup needs to be brought forward to stimulate greater interest

Once the quarter-final battles have been fought there will be an incredulous nine-week wait until the competition resumes again on August 7-8.

The three-week gap between then and the August 28 final is more bearable but the stop-start nature of the Challenge Cup in its current format does nothing to help people fall back in love with the game's most famous knockout competition.

Its traditional late April or May final slot was ditched six years ago because the cup seemed to be losing some of its allure with audiences and RFL bosses decided to shake things up by moving it to late summer, to keep it more in line with Super League.

Cup final attendances had always remained in rude health but there was little appetite for the earlier stages and they hoped these would pick up with the switch.

But that has not materialised and by spreading the rounds out more thinly throughout the year it has also stifled momentum to such an extent that if Batley do spring a rare cup shock and overcome Catalans tomorrow, the commotion such a victory will inevitably create around the Heavy Woollen town will have petered out to a faint din by the time the semis finally approach.

The BBC's coverage of the last round did not help improve the cup's pedigree; how televising Crusaders v Catalans in front of an embarrassing crowd of just 1,187 at Wrexham, was ever going to enhance the competition who knows.

There have been other under-whelming attendances and, perhaps more alarmingly, even with a reduced capacity at Headingley of 10,000, Leeds yesterday still had around 3,000 tickets remaining unsold for tomorrow's quarter-final with Super League leaders Wigan.

There has to be a more condensed approach to the scheduling to focus minds while generating and, more importantly, maintaining interest.

Currently, rounds four – starting on April 17-18 this season – five and the quarter-finals are all divided by three- week breaks before that gaping chasm of more than two months.

But, if round four – when Super League teams enter – began on the first weekend of February, the cup competition could continue every three weeks all the way through to a Wembley final on May Bank Holiday weekend, currently booked in by the often-maligned Magic fixtures.

If the final was held then, or late April, as it has been for most of its 113-year history, it would create an opportunity to maximize the competition's potential, grip fans from the off and build momentum.

Super League teams would still be in the infancy of their season offering lower division clubs a greater chance of catching them cold and causing the now so-rare upset.

It would also allow supporters to savour the two highlights of every rugby league calendar year. The Challenge Cup final and Super League final are a little over one month apart this year, expensive occasions which could deter some fans from attending both, especially in the current financial climate but split them up and they instantly become more attractive.

The current situation also means clubs are often simultaneously battling on two fronts which can become increasingly traumatic.

Huddersfield Giants found that out to their cost last year when their Super League pursuit nosedived after losing at Wembley.

By switching the cup final to earlier in the season, it relieves some pressure and allows clubs to fully focus on the drive for OId Trafford.

Also, for those aiming at reaching the cup final, it would pose new questions for coaches as clubs are now so routinely primed at peaking towards the end of the summer and not striving for trophies in May.

Rugby league is often pioneering and innovative and much good has come from some of its bold moves in recent years.

But tradition still has a place in the game and it would do no harm in reverting the cup to its rightful place.