IS it time to bring the curtain down on the Betfred Championship Summer Bash?

Critics certainly seem to think so, after this year’s event in York attracted the lowest attendance in its eight-year history.

Just 6,741 people attended the Summer Bash at the LNER Community Stadium last weekend - a paltry figure compared to in excess of 15,000 fans at Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road between 2015 and 2019.

This year’s figure is also 4,000 less than the 2022 event at Leeds’ Headingley Stadium, which attracted a total of 10,763 spectators.

Some 3,793 fans are said to have attend on Saturday, and 2,948 on Sunday.

York Knights’ 46-16 defeat to runaway leaders Featherstone Rovers, which saw the West Yorkshire outfit record their 13th win from as many games, was billed as the showpiece event of day one, with the ‘Battle of BD’ between fierce rivals Keighley Cougars and Bradford Bulls on day two also well-attended.

All eight of the event’s matches - including York Valkyrie’s Betfred Women’s Super League clash against Warrington Wolves, were broadcast on either OurLeague or Viaplay Sports, with the Knights’ clash attracting the latter’s highest peak audience of the season.

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York stepped in to host Summer Bash following the news that its usual west-coast venue was unavailable - a decision that angered fans who believed that the event should not be held at the home of one of the competition’s teams.

High prices of accommodation, food and drink in York have been blamed for the low attendance, alongside the prospect of a cheap weekend by the coast.

The Rugby Football League’s disappointing promotion of the event has also faced criticism, with many fans unaware of both the venue and date of this year’s Bash.