1944–45 Yorkshire Cup

1944–45 Yorkshire Cup

1944–45 Yorkshire Cup
StructureRegional knockout championship
Teams17
WinnersHunslet
Runners-upHalifax

The Yorkshire Cup competition was a knock-out competition between (mainly professional) rugby league clubs from the county of Yorkshire. The actual area was at times increased to encompass other teams from outside the county such as Newcastle, Mansfield, Coventry, and even London (in the form of Acton & Willesden. The competition always took place early in the season, in the Autumn, with the final taking place in (or just before) December (The only exception to this was when disruption of the fixture list was caused during, and immediately after, the two World Wars)
The Second World War was continuing and the Yorkshire Cup remained in the early part of the 1944–45 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season calendar

1944–45 was the thirty-seventh occasion on which the Yorkshire Cup competition had been held.
Halifax won the trophy by beating Hunslet in a two-legged final by an aggregate score of 14-3
Hunslet played the first leg match at home (at Parkside, Hunslet, Leeds, now in West Yorkshire) and lost 3-12. The attendance was 11,213 and receipts were £744.
Halifax were at home (at Thrum Hall) for the second leg match and duly won 2-0. The attendance at the second leg match was 9,800 and receipts £745.

Change in Club participation

Hull Kingston Rovers – The club dropped out of the wartime Lancashire league after the ‘first (1939–40) season. They did not return to league competition until 1945–46 peacetime season.
Bramley – withdrew after the third wartime season (1941–42) had finished and did not rejoin until the 1945–46 season.
Castleford – withdrew after the third wartime season (1941–42) had finished and did not participate for two seasons, re-joining for this 1944–45 season.
Hunslet – withdrew after the third wartime season (1941–42) had finished and did not participate for one season, and re-joined in time for the 1943–44 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season
Wigan - This club entered the Yorkshire Cup competition for the fifth successive season
Oldham - The club, as Wigan, also entered the Yorkshire Cup competition and for the fifth successive season
St. Helens - The club, as Wigan and Oldham, also entered the Yorkshire Cup competition and for their third successive season
Barrow – withdrew after the end of the first (1939–40) season finished and did not rejoin the league, including the Yorkshire Cup until the 1943–44 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season.
Dewsbury - had a relatively successful time during the war years. Managed by Eddie Waring, and with the side boosted by the inclusion of a number of big-name guest players, the club won the Wartime Emergency League in 1941–42 and again the following season 1942–43 (though that championship was declared null and void when it was discovered they had played an ineligible player). They were also runners-up in the Championship in 1943–44, Challenge Cup winners in 1943 and Yorkshire Cup final appearances in this season 1940–41 and winners in 1942–43.

Background

This season there were no junior/amateur clubs taking part, Castleford rejoined after two seasons' absence, and with the Lancashire presence with the quartet of Wigan, Oldham, St. Helens and Barrow, this increased the entries by one, bringing the total up to seventeen.

This in turn resulted in no byes in the first round, and also the addition of one fixture in a preliminary round.

For the third successive year all the ties (this season including the actual final) were played on a two-legged home and away basis.

Competition and results

Preliminary round – first leg

Involved 1 match and 2 clubs
The preliminary round tie was played on a two-legged home and away basis

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue agg Att Rec Notes Ref
Sat 7 Oct 1944Wakefield Trinity3-12HalifaxBelle Vue

Preliminary round – second leg

Involved 1 match and 2 clubs
All first round ties are played on a two-legged home and away basis

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue agg Att Rec Notes Ref
Sat 14 Oct 1944Halifax8-3Wakefield TrinityThrum Hall20-6

Round 1 – first leg

Involved 8 matches (with no byes) and 16 clubs
All first round ties are played on a two-legged home and away basis

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue agg Att Rec Notes Ref
1Sat 21 Oct 1944Dewsbury6-4KeighleyCrown Flatt
2Sat 21 Oct 1944Featherstone Rovers6-0LeedsPost Office Road
3Sat 21 Oct 1944Halifax14-2BatleyThrum Hall
4Sat 21 Oct 1944Huddersfield23-19HullFartown[1]
5Sat 21 Oct 1944Hunslet6-3CastlefordParkside
6Sat 21 Oct 1944Oldham5-18WiganWatersheddings[2]
7Sat 21 Oct 1944St. Helens8-22BarrowKnowsley Road[3]
8Sat 21 Oct 1944York0-10Bradford NorthernClarence Street

Round 1 – second leg

Involved 8 matches (with no byes) and 16 clubs
All first round ties are played on a two-legged home and away basis

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue agg Att Rec Notes Ref
1Sat 28 Oct 1944Keighley5-5DewsburyLawkholme Lane9-11
2Sat 28 Oct 1944Leeds5-3Featherstone RoversHeadingley5-9
3Sat 28 Oct 1944Batley0-12HalifaxMount Pleasant2-26
4Sat 28 Oct 1944Hull21-2HuddersfieldBoulevard40-25[1]
5Sat 28 Oct 1944Castleford2-8HunsletWheldon Road5-14
6Sat 28 Oct 1944Wigan39-2OldhamCentral Park57-7[2]
7Sat 28 Oct 1944Barrow21-8St. HelensCraven Park43-16[3]
8Sat 28 Oct 1944Bradford Northern45-5YorkOdsal55-5

Round 2 – quarterfinals – first leg

Involved 4 matches and 8 clubs
All second round ties are played on a two-legged home and away basis

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue agg Att Rec Notes Ref
1Sat 04 Nov 1944Dewsbury0-0HullCrown Flatt[1]
2Sat 04 Nov 1944Featherstone Rovers0-12HunsletPost Office Road
3Sat 04 Nov 1944Halifax10-0Bradford NorthernThrum Hall
4Sat 04 Nov 1944Wigan9-5BarrowCentral Park[2]

Round 2 – second leg

Involved 4 matches and 8 clubs
All second round ties are played on a two-legged home and away basis

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue agg Att Rec Notes Ref
1Sat 11 Nov 1944Hull5-7DewsburyBoulevard5-7[1]
2Sat 11 Nov 1944Hunslet15-0Featherstone RoversParkside27-0
3Sat 11 Nov 1944Bradford Northern5-5HalifaxOdsal5-15
4Sat 11 Nov 1944Barrow5-2WiganCraven Park10-11[2]

Round 3 – semifinals – first leg

Involved 2 matches and 4 clubs
Both semi-final ties are played on a two-legged home and away basis

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue agg Att Rec Notes Ref
1Sat 18 Nov 1944Hunslet9-0DewsburyParkside
2Sat 18 Nov 1944Wigan5-6HalifaxCentral Park[2]

Semifinal – second leg

Involved 2 matches and 4 clubs
Both semi-final ties are played on a two-legged home and away basis

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue agg Att Rec Notes Ref
1Sat 25 Nov 1944Dewsbury0-2HunsletCrown Flatt0-11
2Sat 25 Nov 1944Halifax9-7WiganThrum Hall15-12[2]

Final – first leg

The final was played on a two-legged home and away basis this season

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue agg Att Rec Notes Ref
Saturday 2 December 1944Hunslet3-12HalifaxParkside112137441[4][5]

Final – second leg

The final was played on a two-legged home and away basis this season

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue agg Att Rec Notes Ref
Saturday 9 December 1944Halifax2-0HunsletThrum Hall14-398007452[4][5]

Teams and scorers

Hunslet Halifax
teams
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
??Coach??
3score12
HT
Scorers
Tries
T
T
Goals
G
Drop Goals
DG
Refereeunknown ()
Second Leg
HunsletteamsHalifax
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Coach
2Score0
HT
Scorers
Goals
G
Refereeunknown ()

Scoring - Try = three (3) points - Goal = two (2) points - Drop goal = two (2) points

The road to success

All the ties (including the final itself) were played on a two leg (home and away) basis.
The first club named in each of the ties played the first leg at home.
The scores shown are the aggregate score over the two legs.

First round Second round Semifinals Final
            
Barrow 25
Oldham 19
Barrow 24
Wigan 18
St. Helens 19
Wigan 34
Barrow 14
Bradford Northern 18
Leeds 31
Hunslet 13
Leeds 2
Bradford Northern 32
Bradford Northern 15
Dewsbury 2
Bradford Northern 10
Keighley 7
Halifax 31
Wakefield Trinity 19
Halifax 19
Keighley 28
York 12
Keighley 35
Keighley 25
Huddersfield 13
Hull 8
Huddersfield 32
Huddersfield 16
Featherstone Rovers 10
Batley 13
Featherstone Rovers 29

[6][7]

Notes and comments

1 * Parkside was the home ground of Hunslet from 1888 to 1973. The club were struggling financially when in 1971 fire destroyed the stand, greatly reducing the ground attendance capacity, the record for which stood at the 24,700 for a third round Challenge Cup match in 1924. After the fire the directors sold the ground and wound up the club.
2 * Thrum Hall was the home ground of Halifax with a final capacity of 9,832 (The attendance record of 29,153 was set on 21 March 1959 for a third round Challenge Cup tie v Wigan). The club finally moved out in 1998 to take part ownership and ground-share with Halifax Town FC at The Shay Stadium.

See also

References

  1. "HULL&PROUD - Stats - Fixtures & Results".
  2. "Wigan "Cherry and White" archived results".
  3. "Saints Heritage Society - History - Season 1896-97".
  4. Raymond Fletcher and David Howes (1991). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1991-1992. Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0 35617852 8.
  5. Raymond Fletcher and David Howes (1990). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1990-1991. Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0 35617851 X.
  6. "Rugby League Project".
  7. Jack Winstanley & Malcolm Ryding (1991). John Player Yearbook 1975-76. Queen Anne Press.
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