1953–54 Challenge Cup

Rugby league competition 1954 Challenge Cup 5 rounds 1953–54 Warrington 16 Warrington Winners Halifax 16 Halifax Warrington 16 Gerry Helme Lance Todd Trophy 1953 Challenge Cup 1953 1954–55 Challenge Cup 1955 The 1954 Challenge Cup was the 53rd staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup.http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/competitions/challenge-cup-1953-54/results.html Challenge Cup 1953/54 Rugby League Project It featured clubs from the 1953–54 Northern Rugby Football League season and is particularly notable for its final, which had to be replayed at Odsal after a drawn match at Wembley, with the replay attracting possibly the largest ever crowd in world rugby league history. First round Date Team one Score one Team two Score two6 February 1954Halifax 19 Dewsbury 06 February 1954Hull 24 Widnes 06 February 1954Keighley 12 Barrow 116 February 1954Latchford Albion 20 Wigan 406 February 1954Leeds 13 Batley 206 February 1954Liverpool 5 Oldham 156 February 1954Wakefield Trinity 24 Whitehaven 136 February 1954York 18 Hull Kingston Rovers 013 February 1954Barrow 6 Keighley 1013 February 1954Batley 6 Leeds 2313 February 1954Castleford 8 Doncaster 513 February 1954Oldham 18 Liverpool 1113 February 1954Rochdale Hornets 9 Bradford Northern 913 February 1954Leigh 13 Swinton 413 February 1954St Helens 26 Featherstone Rovers 713 February 1954Warrington 17 Bramley 013 February 1954Wheldale 6 Workington Town 3213 February 1954Whitehaven 15 Wakefield Trinity 313 February 1954Widnes 2 Hull FC 513 February 1954Wigan 41 Latchford Albion 215 February 1954Belle Vue Rangers 15 Huddersfield 2016 February 1954Dewsbury 9 Halifax 517 February 1954Bradford Northern 11 Rochdale Hornets 217 February 1954Bramley 5 Warrington 3017 February 1954Featherstone Rovers 16 St Helens 2717 February 1954Huddersfield 31 Belle Vue Rangers 617 February 1954Hunslet 20 Salford 517 February 1954Swinton 2 Leigh 1717 February 1954Workington Town 50 Wheldale 218 February 1954Doncaster 7 Castleford 218 February 1954Hull Kingston Rovers 0 York 022 February 1954Salford 3 Hunslet 18 Second round Date Team one Score one Team two Score two6 March 1954Halifax 24 Keighley 56 March 1954Huddersfield 12 St Helens 56 March 1954Hull 5 Workington Town 56 March 1954Hunslet 10 Whitehaven 26 March 1954Leeds 12 Leigh 36 March 1954Oldham 4 Warrington 76 March 1954Wigan 15 Bradford Northern 106 March 1954York 11 Doncaster 211 March 1954Workington Town 17 Hull FC 14 Quarterfinals Date Team one Score one Team two Score two20 March 1954Hunslet 16 Huddersfield 720 March 1954Leeds 31 Workington Town 1120 March 1954Warrington 26 York 520 March 1954Wigan 0 Halifax 2 Semifinals Date Team one Score one Team two Score two3 April 1954Halifax 18 Hunslet 33 April 1954Warrington 8 Leeds 4 Final Halifax and Warrington, the teams who had finished first and second respectively on the Championship ladder (separated by only one competition point), reached the Challenge Cup final Saturday 24 April 1954. The game was played at Wembley, and 81,841 spectators saw what turned out to be a comparatively lacklustre match. 24 April 1954 Warrington 4 – 4 Halifax Goals Bath (2/6) Goals Griffiths (2/4) Wembley, London 81,841 Ron Gelder (Wakefield) http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=oxfshlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS152130202&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0 OUR RUGBY FOOTBALL CORRESPONDENT. "A Drawn Rugby Cup Final." Times [London, England] 26 Apr. 1954 The Times Digital Archive After a couple of penalties, Halifax held a 4-0 lead at half time. In the second half Warrington drew level, also kicking two penalties. There was no further scoring and the match finished in a draw, at 4 - 4. This match remains the only occasion on which Wembley hasn't seen a single try scored on Cup final day. The replay was initially scheduled for 5pm on Wednesday 5 May 1954 at Odsal Stadium, Bradford. Final replay Around 70,000 spectators were expected at Odsal for the replay, which was rescheduled for a 7pm kick-off in order to allow for rush hour traffic in Bradford. The twenty trains and fifty buses (specially arranged for the match, as well as the 100 gatesmen and 150 policemen on duty at the ground) were believed to be adequate to deal with the expected crowd. However, the competitive closeness with which the two teams were matched, together with the enticing prospect of the Challenge Cup decider coming north for the first time in a decade, seems to have generated far greater public interest than was supposed. People had started queuing outside the stadium a good hour before the shuttle buses started running from 4:25pm. The gates opened at 5.00pm, and by that time some people had already been queuing for an hour and a half. With over an hour remaining before kick off, there were already an estimated 60,000 in the ground. The traffic on the roads in the surrounding area was at a standstill as more and more spectators converged on the stadium. Some squatted around the pitch, while others climbed onto rooftops for a better view. Fences around the ground had collapsed, as more people struggled to cram into the bowl of Odsal before the match started. The official attendance figure for the crowd was announced as 102,575 The History Of Rugby League http://www.napit.co.uk/viewus/infobank/rugby/superleague/history.php Rugby League Information napit.co.uk 2 January 2014 however it is widely believed that a more realistic figure for the number of spectators present is closer to 120,000. Hadfield Dave Mud, blood and memories of the day when 102,575 made history at Odsal The Independent UK Independent News and Media Limited 2004-05-06 https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/rugby-league/mud-blood-and-memories-of-the-day-when-102575-made-history-at-odsal-562374.html 2009-12-27 5 May 1954 7 pm Warrington 8 – 4 Halifax Try Challinor, Helme Goals Bath Goals Griffiths (2) Odsal Stadium, Bradford 102,569 Ron Gelder Gerry Helme http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=oxfshlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS67588774&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0 OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT. "Rugby League Cup For Warrington." Times [London, England] 6 May 1954 The Times Digital Archive WarringtonPosit.Halifax Eric Frodsham (c) 1. FB Tyssul Griffiths Brian Bevan 2. WG Arthur Daniels Jim Challinor 3. CE Tommy Lynch Ron Ryder 4. CE Billy Mather Stan McCormick 5. WG Dai Royston Bevan Ray Price 6. SO Ken Dean Gerry Helme 7. SH Stan Kielty Danny Naughton 8. PR John Thorley Frank Wright 9. HK Alvin Ackerley (c) Gerry Lowe 10. PR Jack Wilkinson Harry Bath 11. SR Albert Fearnley Austin Heathwood 12. SR Derrick Schofield Bob Ryan 13. LF Des Clarkson The match itself was another tense, low-scoring struggle, but an improvement on the first game. Jim Challinor opened the scoring with a try for Warrington after nine minutes. Half an hour later, Tyssul Griffiths kicked a penalty for the Halifax side, who had also had two tries disallowed. This meant a half time score of 3 - 2 in favour of Warrington. The third quarter of the match saw additional goals kicked by both Griffiths and Harry Bath, bringing the score to 5 - 4, still just one point in favour of Warrington. Then Gerry Helme scored a try, which Bath couldn't convert, putting Warrington four points clear of Halifax, but still within a converted try. Controversy reared just before full-time, when Halifax had a third try disallowed by referee Ron Gelder. Warrington had claimed their 4th Challenge Cup, with Helme winning the Lance Todd Trophy for his match-winning performance, the first player to do so twice. References Category:Challenge Cup Challenge Cup