THE on-off Trans-Pennine Cup final between Leigh Centurions and Keighley Cougars is back on.

The showdown between two of the major NFP Grand Final contenders will now go ahead at Cougar Park on Wednesday, May 16 with a 7.30pm kick off.

The game was originally scheduled for next Wednesday but earlier this week both clubs reached agreement with the Rugby League to delay the final until later in the season, citing fixture congestion and bad weather as the reason for the postponement.

Officials of both the Centurions and the Cougars feel that the final - so far without a sponsor - would have better chance of being a financial success if re-scheduled for a summer night later in the season.

RFL bosses had considered staging the Trans-Pennine event as a curtain-raiser to the Yorkshire v Lancashire clash at Headingley on June 5, but decided it was impractical.

Instead it was left to the clubs to find a suitable 'window' in their respective fixture lists. Talks between Leigh coach Paul Terzis and opposite number Steve Deakin lead to the clubs agreeing on the May 16 date. It falls between Leigh's away game at Barrow and a home clash with Whitehaven.

The two clubs qualified for the final by winning their respective East and West divisions in the first nine weeks of the NFP season.

It is the second year in succession that Leigh have reached the final. Last year they were beaten 10-8 by Dewsbury on a foul April night at Ram Stadium and came out with less than £700 in gate receipts.