1997 Rugby League Divisional Premiership
The 1997 Rugby League Divisional Premiership was the 11th and final end of season Rugby League Divisional Premiership competition and the second in the Super League era. Following this season, the competition was replaced by a play-off system which would be used to decide the second Division championship and promotion to the Super League.
| 1997 Divisional Premiership Trophy | |
|---|---|
| Structure | National knockout championship |
| Teams | 20 |
| Winners | Huddersfield Giants |
| Runners-up | Hull Sharks |
The competition was completely restructured for the 1997 season. With the exception of the bottom two Division Two clubs, Doncaster Dragons and Prescot Panthers, it was expanded to include all Division One and Division Two clubs. A group stage was added, which consisted of four pools of five teams based on region, although some team were assigned to another pool to keep the group sizes even (Yorkshire-based Keighley Cougars were placed in the Lancashire pool, and Lancashire Lynx competed in the Cumbrian group). The top two teams in each group then progressed to the knockout stage of the competition.
The winners were Huddersfield Giants.
Regional pools
Cumbria
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whitehaven Warriors | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 301 | 96 | +205 | 16 | Qualification for knockout phase |
| 2 | Workington Town | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 162 | 187 | −25 | 10 | |
| 3 | Carlisle Border Raiders | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 167 | 248 | −81 | 6 | |
| 4 | Barrow Braves | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 219 | 228 | −9 | 4 | |
| 5 | Lancashire Lynx | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 157 | 247 | −90 | 4 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
Lancashire
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keighley Cougars | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 214 | 141 | +73 | 12 | Qualification for knockout phase |
| 2 | Leigh Centurions | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 198 | 179 | +19 | 12 | |
| 3 | Swinton Lions | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 218 | 156 | +62 | 10 | |
| 4 | Widnes Vikings | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 178 | 175 | +3 | 5 | |
| 5 | Rochdale Hornets | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 140 | 297 | −157 | 1 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
East Yorkshire
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hull | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 288 | 104 | +184 | 12 | Qualification for knockout phase |
| 2 | Featherstone Rovers | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 228 | 153 | +75 | 10 | |
| 3 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 188 | 130 | +58 | 10 | |
| 4 | Wakefield Trinity | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 134 | 198 | −64 | 6 | |
| 5 | York | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 92 | 345 | −253 | 2 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
West Yorkshire
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huddersfield Giants | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 308 | 92 | +216 | 16 | Qualification for knockout phase |
| 2 | Hunslet Hawks | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 174 | 173 | +1 | 10 | |
| 3 | Dewsbury Rams | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 179 | 131 | +48 | 8 | |
| 4 | Batley Bulldogs | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 150 | 196 | −46 | 4 | |
| 5 | Bramley | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 114 | 333 | −219 | 2 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 September 1997 | Huddersfield Giants | 37–12 | Featherstone Rovers |
| 14 September 1997 | Hull Sharks | 52–10 | Hunslet Hawks |
| 14 September 1997 | Leigh Centurions | 25–48 | Whitehaven Warriors |
| 14 September 1997 | Workington Town | 10–36 | Keighley Cougars |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 September 1997 | Hull Sharks | 45–18 | Whitehaven |
| 21 September 1997 | Keighley Cougars | 8–18 | Huddersfield Giants |
Final
28 September 1997 |
| Huddersfield Giants | 18 – 0 | Hull Sharks |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Davys, Bunyan, Cheetham Goals: Cook (3) |
Report |
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Notes
- Fletcher & Howes (1998), pp. 230–231.
References
- Fletcher, Raymond; Howes, David, eds. (1998). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1998. London: Headline Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-7472-7683-8.