Sheffield Eagles - shock winners in 1998.

From the moment Batley beat St Helens way back in 1897, the Challenge Cup final has retained a special place in the hearts of players and fans throughout the world.

Undoubtedly the game's showpiece occasion, this most glittering of contests has produced tears and triumph in equal measure.

Players either freeze, weighed down by years of tradition and the expectation of fans, or rise magnificently to the challenge, producing stirring deeds that live long in the memory.

This year the final moves away from its traditional Wembley home to Edinburgh and the equally impressive Murrayfield Stadium.

And though the move from Wembley will take some getting used to, the game has not always had London as its home, with the first 29 finals being fought out in more traditional rugby league heartlands.

Batley beat the Saints 10-3 in Leeds in that first final, in front of the now seemingly paltry audience of 13,942.

And before it was switched to the twin towers in 1929, no less than 10 venues were used to host the final.

Batley dominated the earliest years of the competition, with three wins in the first five finals.

But in a taste of what was to follow in many finals to come it was Wigan who contested and won the first Wembley final, beating Dewsbury 13-2 in front of 41,500.

The final stayed at Wembley for nine of the next 10 years (Leeds' 11-8 victory over Swinton in 1932 was played at Wigan), but was moved away from the capital during the war.

Not contested in 1940, the Challenge Cup was played under a slightly different format between 1943-1945, with the final being decided an aggregate score over two legs.

But the match returned to a one-off contest at Wembley in 1946, and once again Wigan were involved, losing out by just one point in 25 to Wakefield Trinity.

This years finalists Bradford made their last winning appearance in 1949, defeating Halifax 12-0.

And it was at Bradford's Odsal stadium that a Challenge Cup record – and former world record – crowd of 102,569 witnessed Warrington beat Halifax 8-4 in a replay of the 1954 final.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking story to emerge came in 1968, when Wakefield played Leeds.

Needing only to convert a last-minute try to give Wakefield a famous victory, Trinity forward Don Fox stepped up to take what was a seemingly simple kick under the posts.

But to Fox's and Wakefield's horror he skewed the kick wide, prompting the now immortal comment from legendary BBC commentator Eddie Waring of “poor, poor, lad” as Fox slumped to the ground in despair.

The trophy was shared bewteen several teams during the 60's and 70's – but when Wigan reached the final in 1984 a new era was born.

The cherry and whites totally dominated the competition between 1984 and 1995, appearing in 10 finals, winning nine.

Even more impressive than that bald statistic was the eight wins on the trot between 1988 and 1995 – a period when many Wigan fans re-named Wembley Way, Wigan Way!

However it was three years before that great run, in 1985, that many observers consider the greatest final in the history of the Challenge Cup took place.

The 1985 final between Wigan and Hull was billed as a classic confrontation between two of the game's greatest stars – Australians Brett Kenny and Peter Sterling.

Wigan stand-off Kenny's languid brilliance was matched against the equally impressive Sterling – probably the world's greatest scrum-half at the time.

And both stars lived up to their reputations in a breathtaking game that produced a series of sensational tries.

Wigan survived a brave late comeback from the Airlie Birds to triumph 28-24 – and Kenny walked away with the Lance Todd Trophy as man-of-the-match.

When Wigan's 43 match unbeaten run was ended by Salford in 1996, it was arch-rivals St Helens who assumed the role of Challenge Cup winners.

Saints came from 26-12 down to beat Bradford Bulls 40-32 in another classic contest – memorable for a sensational hat trick from Bradford's Kiwi scrum-half Robbie Paul.

And it was the Saints who once again broke Bradford hearts the following year, beating the Bulls 32-22 in front of a capacity crowd of 78,022.

When Wigan reached the final in 1998, many observers assumed their appearance marked the beginning of another era of dominance by the cherry and whites.

And virtually nobody gave their opponents Sheffield Eagles a hope of beating a Warriors side packed full of internationals.

But in what must rank as the greatest upset in Challenge Cup history, the Eagles ripped the formbook to shreds, defeating the 1-14 favourites 17-8.

Last year's final saw Leeds defeat another rugby league expansion team – London Broncos – 45-16, in a game witnessed by Virgin magnate Richard Branson.

And as rugby league's greatest day enters the new millennium one thing is certain – many stories are yet to be told in the glorious tale that is the Challenge Cup final!