AT long last, a bit of ambition when it comes to the Challenge Cup.

The staging of a double-header at Bolton Wanderers’ Macron Stadium is a radical and much-needed departure from the lame, damage-limitation strategy of recent years.

On August 5, Saints will play Catalans Dragons and later on in the afternoon Leeds take on Warrington – all under the same roof.

The Challenge Cup – our most historic of competitions – has been in need of a little bit more care this past decade or so.

This semi-final initiative is positive, eye-catching first step.

For too long the last hurdle to overcome before has been played at small venues, with the main aim seemingly to avoid having empty seats on view.

Some years anyone would have thought they were on a mission to discourage anyone to attend, like playing the Wigan and Hull game in Doncaster on a Friday night.

This pursuit of playing at small grounds became a vicious circle, a downward spiral with tickets so limited that some fans don’t even bother looking for tickets or turning up on the day.

That led to even big semi-final clashes between Saints and Wigan, which were pulling in 26,000 in 1990, drawing a meagre 12,700 back in 2011.

It seemed a really odd strategy – from the 50s to the 90s the game went out of its way to pick the biggest, best appointed, neutral and mutually accessible venue they could – with the emphasis on how many you could fit in, not worry about empty terracing or seats. Central Park, Odsal, Station Road and Headingley were always the Saturday afternoon staples for this final hurdle.

And then in the 80s football grounds Elland Road, Old Trafford and Maine Road packed them in. The midweek replay between Hull KR and Leeds at Elland Road attracted a 32,485 gate – probably helped by the match not being televised.

You could maybe see some of the planners’ logic, it was based on this need, given the tight timing between the semi and final, to focus on building Wembley.

Well surely the best way to build the finale is by having a cracking semi, played at a decent stadium.

Maybe n even better way is to move it away from a slot so close to the actual final.

It makes no practical sense to have the quarters and semis nine weeks apart, but have the final three weeks after the last four.

If the semi were to take place at the beginning of July it would keep the momentum going, it would be away from the school holidays and it would take it away from having two all-pay events coming from the same pay packet.

It is great to have initiatives like this – and I hope it is a success and becomes the norm going forward.

But the biggest practical decision that they could take place to bolster attendances in the semi and final is to space them out and take it away from the school holidays.

There are some pitfalls. If they win, Saints fans may want to get out and celebrate or go home straight away to seek coach companies and hotels.

And if Saints lose there is not a chance of the fans sitting there being taunted by two of our most vocal rivals.

And from the other way there is a good chance that the fans of Leeds and Warrington will only turn up half way through the opening game.

And when they do you can bet they will be cheering Catalans.

But it will be good to transfix the neutrals.

And it should provoke some great memories. Reebok, as was, was home to some of Saints’ greatest nights in the club’s history.

It is of course where Saints twice beat Brisbane to lift the World Club Challenge in 2001 and 2007.

Who could forget that blizzard as Captain Fantastic Chris Joynt steamed over in 2001.

And then in 2007 Paul Sculthorpe performed his Roy of the Rovers routine to put the icing on the cake of the 2006 treble.

Let’s hope it is another day of celebration.