1944–45 Yorkshire Cup

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

The 1944–45 Yorkshire Cup was the 37th occasion on which the Yorkshire Cup competition had been held.

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

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

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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 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

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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

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Preliminary round – first leg

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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 1944 Wakefield Trinity 3-12 Halifax Belle Vue

Preliminary round – second leg

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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 1944 Halifax 8-3 Wakefield Trinity Thrum Hall 20-6

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 21 Oct 1944 Dewsbury 6-4 Keighley Crown Flatt
2 Sat 21 Oct 1944 Featherstone Rovers 6-0 Leeds Post Office Road
3 Sat 21 Oct 1944 Halifax 14-2 Batley Thrum Hall
4 Sat 21 Oct 1944 Huddersfield 23-19 Hull Fartown [1]
5 Sat 21 Oct 1944 Hunslet 6-3 Castleford Parkside
6 Sat 21 Oct 1944 Oldham 5-18 Wigan Watersheddings [2]
7 Sat 21 Oct 1944 St. Helens 8-22 Barrow Knowsley Road [3]
8 Sat 21 Oct 1944 York 0-10 Bradford Northern 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 28 Oct 1944 Keighley 5-5 Dewsbury Lawkholme Lane 9-11
2 Sat 28 Oct 1944 Leeds 5-3 Featherstone Rovers Headingley 5-9
3 Sat 28 Oct 1944 Batley 0-12 Halifax Mount Pleasant 2-26
4 Sat 28 Oct 1944 Hull 21-2 Huddersfield Boulevard 40-25 [1]
5 Sat 28 Oct 1944 Castleford 2-8 Hunslet Wheldon Road 5-14
6 Sat 28 Oct 1944 Wigan 39-2 Oldham Central Park 57-7 [2]
7 Sat 28 Oct 1944 Barrow 21-8 St. Helens Craven Park 43-16 [3]
8 Sat 28 Oct 1944 Bradford Northern 45-5 York Odsal 55-5

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 04 Nov 1944 Dewsbury 0-0 Hull Crown Flatt [1]
2 Sat 04 Nov 1944 Featherstone Rovers 0-12 Hunslet Post Office Road
3 Sat 04 Nov 1944 Halifax 10-0 Bradford Northern Thrum Hall
4 Sat 04 Nov 1944 Wigan 9-5 Barrow Central Park [2]

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 11 Nov 1944 Hull 5-7 Dewsbury Boulevard 5-7 [1]
2 Sat 11 Nov 1944 Hunslet 15-0 Featherstone Rovers Parkside 27-0
3 Sat 11 Nov 1944 Bradford Northern 5-5 Halifax Odsal 5-15
4 Sat 11 Nov 1944 Barrow 5-2 Wigan Craven Park 10-11 [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 18 Nov 1944 Hunslet 9-0 Dewsbury Parkside
2 Sat 18 Nov 1944 Wigan 5-6 Halifax Central Park [2]

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 25 Nov 1944 Dewsbury 0-2 Hunslet Crown Flatt 0-11
2 Sat 25 Nov 1944 Halifax 9-7 Wigan Thrum Hall 15-12 [2]

Final

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First leg

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The final was played on a two-legged home and away basis this season. Receipts for the first leg were £744.[4][5]

2 December 1944
Hunslet 3 – 12 Halifax
Tries: Stansfield
Tries: Meek, Dixon
Goals: Lockwood (2), Rule
Parkside
Attendance: 11,213
Referee: S. Adams (Hull)
Hunslet No. Halifax
Teams
Longley 1 Hubert Lockwood
Arthur Thurling 2 Jim Bevan
Ernest Winter 3 Friend Taylor
Frank Watson 4 George Todd
Freddie Williamson 5 Alan Prescott
Burnell 6 Fred Rule
Fletcher 7 Tommy McCue[a]
Cyril Plenderleith 8 Morgan
Joe Britton 9 Jones[a]
Doug Billings 10 Hudson Irving
Des Clarkson 11 Mel Meek
Colin Stansfield 12 Hughie McDowell[a]
Ken Traill 13 Jack Dixon
Coach

Second leg

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Halifax won the Yorkshire Cup with an aggregate score of 14–3. Receipts for the second leg were £745.[4][5]

9 December 1944
Halifax 2 – 0 Hunslet
Goals: Lockwood
Thrum Hall
Attendance: 9,800
Referee: J. E. Taylor (Wakefield)
Halifax No. Hunslet
Teams
Hubert Lockwood 1 Jack Walkington
Jim Bevan 2 Arthur Thurling
Friend Taylor 3 Ernest Winter
George Todd 4 Frank Watson
Alan Prescott 5 Freddie Williamson
Fred Rule 6 Burnell
Tommy McCue[a] 7 Fletcher
Hughie McDowell[a] 8 Cyril Plenderleith
Jones[a] 9 Joe Britton
Hudson Irving 10 Doug Billings
Mel Meek 11 Colin Stansfield
Harry Millington[a] 12 Des Clarkson
Jack Dixon 13 Ken Traill
Coach
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Guest players from Widnes

See also

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References

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

Sources

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  • Saxton, Irvin (ed.). History of Rugby League: No.50: 1944–45. Rugby Leaguer.
  • Yorkshire Cup 1944/45 at Rugby League Project