1943–44 Yorkshire Cup

(Redirected from 1943 Yorkshire Cup)

The 1943–44 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)

1943–44 Yorkshire Cup
StructureRegional knockout championship
Teams16
WinnersBradford Northern
Runners-upKeighley
← 1942–33

The Second World War was continuing and the Yorkshire Cup remained in the early part of the 1943–44 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season

1943–44 was the thirty-sixth occasion on which the Yorkshire Cup competition had been held.

Bradford Northern won the trophy by beating Keighley over two legs by an aggregate score of 10-7

Bradford Northern played the first leg match at home (at Odsal) and won 5–2. The attendance was 10,251 and receipts were £757.

Keighley were at home (at Lawkholme Lane) for the second leg match and drew 5–5. The attendance at the second leg match was 8,993 and receipts £634.

Change in club participation

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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 the 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 this season.

Wigan – This club entered the Yorkshire Cup competition for the fourth successive season

Oldham – The club, as Wigan, also entered the Yorkshire Cup competition and for the fourth successive season

St. Helens – The club, as Wigan and Oldham}, also entered the Yorkshire Cup competition and for their second 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 this 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

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

This in turn resulted in no byes in the first 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

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[1][2]

Round 1 - First leg

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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
1 Sat 16 Oct 1943 Barrow 15-8 Oldham Craven Park 1
2 Sat 16 Oct 1943 Batley 2-19 Featherstone Rovers Mount Pleasant
3 Sat 16 Oct 1943 Bradford Northern 8-0 Dewsbury Odsal
4 Sat 16 Oct 1943 Halifax 22-10 Wakefield Trinity Thrum Hall
5 Sat 16 Oct 1943 Hull 6-12 Huddersfield Boulevard [3]
6 Sat 16 Oct 1943 Leeds 18-5 Hunslet Headingley
7 Sat 16 Oct 1943 St. Helens 9-14 Wigan Knowsley Road [4][5]
8 Sat 16 Oct 1943 York 5-5 Keighley Clarence Street

Round 1 - Second Leg

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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
1 Sat 23 Oct 1943 Oldham 11-10 Barrow Watersheddings 19-25
2 Sat 23 Oct 1943 Featherstone Rovers 10-11 Batley Post Office Road 29-13
3 Sat 23 Oct 1943 Dewsbury 2-7 Bradford Northern Crown Flatt 2-15
4 Sat 23 Oct 1943 Wakefield Trinity 9-9 Halifax Belle Vue 19-31
5 Sat 23 Oct 1943 Huddersfield 20-2 Hull Fartown 32-8 [3]
6 Sat 23 Oct 1943 Hunslet 8-13 Leeds Parkside 13-31
7 Sat 23 Oct 1943 Wigan 20-10 St. Helens Central Park 34-19 [4][5]
8 Sat 23 Oct 1943 Keighley 30-7 York Lawkholme Lane 35-12

Round 2 – quarterfinals - First leg

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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
1 Sat 30 Oct 1943 Barrow 17-8 Wigan Craven Park [4]
2 Sat 30 Oct 1943 Halifax 17-20 Keighley Thrum Hall
3 Sat 30 Oct 1943 Huddersfield 7-5 Featherstone Rovers Fartown
4 Sat 30 Oct 1943 Leeds 2-5 Bradford Northern Headingley

Round 2 - Second Leg

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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
1 Sat 06 Nov 1943 Wigan 10-7 Barrow Central Park 18-24 [4]
2 Sat 06 Nov 1943 Keighley 8-2 Halifax Lawkholme Lane 28-19
3 Sat 06 Nov 1943 Featherstone Rovers 5-9 Huddersfield Post Office Road 10-16
4 Sat 06 Nov 1943 Bradford Northern 26-0 Leeds Odsal 31-2

Round 3 – semifinals - First Leg

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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
1 Sat 13 Nov 1943 Barrow 3-6 Bradford Northern Craven Park
2 Sat 13 Nov 1943 Keighley 21-0 Huddersfield Lawkholme Lane

Semifinal - Second Leg

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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
1 Sat 20 Nov 1943 Bradford Northern 12-11 Barrow Odsal 18-14
2 Sat 20 Nov 1943 Huddersfield 13-4 Keighley Fartown 13-25

Final - First leg

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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 27 November 1943 Bradford Northern 5-2 Keighley Odsal 10,251 £757 HT ?? [6][7]

Final - Second Leg

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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 4 December 1943 Keighley 5-5 Bradford Northern Lawkholme Lane 7-10 8,993 £634 HT ?? [6][7]

Teams and scorers

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Bradford Northern No. Keighley
teams
George Carmichael 1
Eric Batten 2
?. James (1st leg), E Billington (2nd leg) 3
Ernest Ward 4
Emlyn Walters 5
Willie Davies 6
Donald Ward 7
Laurie Roberts 8
Vic Darlison 9
Leonard Higson 10
Frank Murray 11
Trevor Foster 12
William Hutchinson 13
Dai Rees Coach ??
5 score 2
HT
Scorers
Tries
T
Goals
G
Drop Goals
DG
Referee unknown ()
Second Leg
Bradford Northern teams Keighley
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Coach
5 Score 5
HT
Scorers
Tries
Goals
G
Referee unknown ()

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

The road to success

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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

Notes and comments

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1 * The first Yorkshire Cup match to be played by Barrow and also the first to be played at Craven Park

See also

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References

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