1956 Yorkshire Cup

The 1956 Yorkshire Cup was the forty-ninth occasion on which the rugby league competition known as the Yorkshire County Cup had been held. Featuring clubs from the 1956–57 Northern Rugby Football League season, matches were played over September and October 1956. Wakefield Trinity won the trophy by beating Hunslet in the final.

1956–57 Yorkshire Cup
Structure	Regional knockout championship
Teams	16
Winners	Wakefield Trinity
Runners-up	Hunslet

Background

The Rugby League 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 Rugby League season always (until the onset of "Summer Rugby" in 1996) ran from around August-time through to around May-time and this 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)

Competition and results

This season there were no junior/amateur clubs taking part, no new entrants and no "leavers" and so the total of entries remained the same at sixteen. This in turn resulted in no byes in the first round.[1][2][3][4][5]

Round 1

Involved 8 matches (with no byes) and 16 clubs

Game No	Fixture Date	Home Team		Score		Away Team	Venue	Att	Rec	Notes	Ref
1	Sat 01 Sep 1956	Castleford		23-17		Bradford Northern	Wheldon Road
2	Sat 01 Sep 1956	Halifax		23-12		Dewsbury	Thrum Hall
3	Sat 01 Sep 1956	Huddersfield		41-2		Batley	Fartown	6,498			[2]
4	Sat 01 Sep 1956	Hull F.C.		6-7		Featherstone Rovers	Boulevard				[6]
5	Sat 01 Sep 1956	Hunslet		45-0		Doncaster	Parkside
6	Sat 01 Sep 1956	Keighley		33-8		Hull Kingston Rovers	Lawkholme Lane
7	Sat 01 Sep 1956	Wakefield Trinity		36-15		Leeds	Belle Vue
8	Sat 01 Sep 1956	York		7-2		Bramley	Clarence Street

Round 2 - Quarterfinals

Involved 4 matches and 8 clubs

Game No	Fixture Date	Home Team		Score		Away Team	Venue	Att	Rec	Notes	Ref
1	Mon 10 Sep 1956	Wakefield Trinity		13-11		Huddersfield	Belle Vue	13,301			[7][1]
2	Tue 11 Sep 1956	Castleford		9-26		Hunslet	Wheldon Road
3	Tue 11 Sep 1956	Halifax		15-11		Keighley	Thrum Hall
4	Thu 13 Sep 1956	York		12-8		Featherstone Rovers	Belle Vue

Round 3 – Semifinals

Involved 2 matches and 4 clubs

Game No	Fixture Date	Home Team		Score		Away Team	Venue	Att	Rec	Notes	Ref
1	Mon 24 Sep 1956	York		6-13		Hunslet	Belle Vue
2	Tue 25 Sep 1956	Wakefield Trinity		14-13		Halifax	Belle Vue				[7]

Final

The 1956 Yorkshire Cup final was played between Wakefield Trinity and Hunslet. The match was played at Headingley, Leeds, now in West Yorkshire. The attendance was 31,147 and receipts were £5,609. This is the last occasion on which the attendance at a Yorkshire Cup final would exceed 30,000. Wakefield won the match 23-5 to claim the trophy.

Game No	Fixture Date	Home Team		Score		Away Team	Venue	Att	Rec	Notes	Ref
	Saturday 20 October 1956	Wakefield Trinity		23-5		Hunslet	Headingley	31,147	£5,609	1 2	[7][8][9][5]

Teams and scorers

Wakefield Trinity	№	Hunslet
	teams
Frank Mortimer	1
Fred Smith	2
Albert Mortimer	3
Colin Bell	4
Eric Cooper	5
Keith Holliday	6
Ken Rollin	7
Derrick Harrison	8
Keith Bridges	9
Frank Haigh	10
Bob Kelly	11
Peter Armstead	12
Leslie "Les" Chamberlain	13
??	Coach	??
23	score	5
10	HT	5
	Scorers
	Tries
Fred Smith (2)	T	1
Eric Cooper (2)	T
Albert Mortimer	T
	Goals
Frank Mortimer (4)	G	1
Referee		unknown

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

[7]

The road to success

	First Round					Second Round					Semi Finals					Final
	Wakefield Trinity		36
	Leeds		15
						Wakefield Trinity		13
						Huddersfield		11
	Huddersfield		41
	Batley		2
											Wakefield Trinity		14
											Halifax		13
	Halifax		23
	Dewsbury		12
						Halifax		15
						Keighley		11
	Keighley		33
	Hull Kingston Rovers		8
																Wakefield Trinity		23
																Hunslet		5
	York		7
	Bramley		2
						York		12
						Featherstone Rovers		8
	Hull F.C.		6
	Featherstone Rovers		7
											York		6
											Hunslet		13
	Castleford		23
	Bradford Northern		17
						Castleford		9
						Hunslet		26
	Hunslet		45
	Doncaster		0

Notes and comments

1 * The attendance is given as 30,942 by the Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook of 1991-92[8] and 1990-91[9] but 31,147 by "100 Years of Rugby. The History of Wakefield Trinity 1873-1973 by J C Lindley and D W Armitage[7] and also by RUGBYLEAGUEproject[3]

2 * Headingley, Leeds, is the home ground of Leeds RLFC with a capacity of 21,000. The record attendance was 40,175 for a league match between Leeds and Bradford Northern on 21 May 1947.

References

1. HC&AC committee (1957). Fartown Rugby League Year Book 1957. HC&AC Supporters' Club.
2. "Fartown Rugby League Yearbook 1957" (PDF).
3. "Rugby League Project".
4. Jack Winstanley & Malcolm Ryding (1991). John Player Yearbook 1975-76. Queen Anne Press.
5. David Jack (1957). Empire News Football Annual 1957–58 - 71st year. Empire News and Sunday Chronicle.
6. "HULL&PROUD - Stats - Fixtures & Results".
7. J C Lindley and D W Armitage (1973). 100 Years of Rugby. The History of Wakefield Trinity 1873-1973. Wakefield Trinity Centenary Committee. ISBN 0 35617852 8.
8. Raymond Fletcher and David Howes (1991). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1991-1992. Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0 35617852 8.
9. Raymond Fletcher and David Howes (1990). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1990-1991. Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0 35617851 X.

External links

• Saints Heritage Society
• 1896–97 Northern Rugby Football Union season at wigan.rlfans.com
• Hull&Proud Fixtures & Results 1896/1897
• Widnes Vikings - One team, one passion Season In Review - 1896-97
• The Northern Union at warringtonwolves.org