The North West Counties League has moved all Premier Division fixtures due to be played on Saturday, April 30th to Saturday, May 7th, when we will therefore now visit Padiham.

The changes have been made so that all teams involved in promotion and relegation issues will complete their seasons on the same day.

New fixtures for Saturday, April 30th and the midweek commencing Bank Holiday Monday, May 2nd will be released later this week.

WITH three of the four home nations (as well as the Republic of Ireland) competing in France, UEFA EURO 2016 promises to be a memorable tournament.

The finals of the UEFA European Championship will be of extra fascination to fans of Runcorn Linnets as the club is launching a sweepstake revolving around this summer's big football extravaganza.

There is a chance to win a first prize of £250 for a stake of £5 while helping to generate welcome funds for the North West Counties Football League club.

Each ticket features the names of two finalist nations – there are 276 tickets on sale in all, reflecting the number of different possible combinations for the final.

The entrant drawing the ticket featuring the names of the two countries competing for the trophy in the final at St-Denis, just outside Paris, on Sunday, July 10th will collect the top prize.

There are two runners-up prizes of £65 each for holders of the tickets predicting the countries lining up against each other in the semi-final ties.

Contested every four years, the UEFA European Championship has been showcasing the continent's top talent since its inception in 1960 as the UEFA European Nations Cup.

It consists of a qualifying competition, play-offs and a final tournament.

The qualifying stages, featuring a record field of 53 nations, were made up of nine groups of five or six teams, who contested home and away fixtures.

The nine group winners, the nine group runners-up and the best third-placed side have qualified directly for the final tournament. The eight remaining third-placed teams entered play-offs to determine the last four qualifiers for the finals.

In 2016, for the first time, 24 sides are contesting the UEFA European Championship finals.

The inaugural finals tournament in France in 1960 was a four-team affair, expanding to eight in 1980 and doubling in size again in 1996 to 16.

As hosts again this year, France qualified automatically for a tournament that starts on Friday, June 10th when they take on Romania. Holders Spain begin their defence the following Monday in Toulouse against Czech Republic.

The successful qualifiers have been drawn into six groups of four with England and Wales both in Group B alongside Russia and Slovakia while Northern Ireland join Germany, Poland and Ukraine in Group C.

Six group winners, six group runners-up and the four best third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16 when it becomes a knockout competition.

Tickets for Runcorn Linnets' UEFA EURO 2016 Sweepstake will be available from the public address area in the main stand at first-team home matches and at the club's senior end-of-season presentation night.

Linnets chairman Derek Greenwood said: "This is an excellent chance for our loyal supporters along with their families and friends to help the club to raise funds.

"Several nations will fancy their chances in UEFA EURO 2016 and we all remember teams like Denmark and Greece coming up on the rails to win the European Championship so there is always the possibility of a shock.

"We are sure this sweepstake will provide extra interest and enjoyment for our fans during the summer months as they look forward to the Linnets kicking off the 2016-17 campaign."

Rules for RLFC EURO 2016 Sweepstake

1 Entry is £5 per ticket

2 Each ticket features the names of two nations competing at Euro 2016 in France. There are 276 tickets available, each with a different combination of teams in line with the number of permutations for the two finalist nations

3 The holder of the ticket featuring the names of the two countries which reach the Euro 2016 tournament final will be declared the winner, receiving the first prize of £250

4 There will be two runners-up prizes of £65 each, going to the players drawing a ticket with what proves to be the pairing for one of the Euro 2016 semi-final ties

5 Players should retain their ticket as proof of purchase as they will be required to present winning or runners-up tickets to the promoter (Runcorn Linnets FC). Winnings will not be paid out without tickets

6 The result of the sweepstake will be published on the club website once the tournament is over. To claim a prize, telephone the Linnets Clubline on 07050 801733, email [email protected] or get in touch via Contact Us on www.runcornlinnetsfc.co.uk

Tickets can be purchased online here.

Congratulations to Runcorn Linnets Ladies, who defeated Cheadle Town Ladies 5-0 this afternoon to reach the Cheshire Women's League Challenge Cup semi-finals.

Marcia Jones-Sacharewicz grabbed a hat-trick in a home tie switched to Cheadle with Megan Pickering and Steph Hamel getting the other goals.

Runcorn beat Barnoldswick Town in the North West Counties Premier League at Greenberfield Lane with a score of 1-2. Barnoldswick Town went ahead in the 29th minute. Freddie had a penalty saved in 55th minute. River Humphreys equalised in the 60th minute with a cracking header from a corner. Kieron Brislen put the Linnets ahead with a brilliant shot from 11 yards out in the 83rd minute.

Match Report

The North West Counties League season is to be extended by a week in both divisions to Saturday, May 7 after unprecedented wet weather over the winter. The league's management had FA approval to make the decision at their meeting last night.

There will now be fixtures scheduled for Bank Holiday Monday, 2nd May, the proceeding midweek as well as the new final Saturday of the League season.

NWCL fixture secretary, John Reid is now working on the logistics around the fixtures and clubs will be informed of the changes in due course.