1968–69 Challenge Cup

The 1968–69 Challenge Cup was the 68th staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup.[1]

1968–69 Challenge Cup

Duration	5 Rounds
Number of teams	32
Highest attendance	97,939
Broadcast partners	BBC
Winners	Castleford
Runners-up	Salford
Lance Todd Trophy	Mal Reilly

The final was contested by Castleford and Salford at Wembley in front of a crowd of 97,939.[2] Castleford won the match 11–6.

The winner of the Lance Todd Trophy was Castleford loose forward Mal Reilly.[3]

First Round

Date	Team One	Team Two	Score
24 Jan	Wigan	Leigh Miners W.	61-0
25 Jan	Dewsbury	Bradford Northern	7-21
25 Jan	Halifax	Leeds	12-17
25 Jan	Hull	St Helens	3-13
25 Jan	Hunslet	Castleford	7-19
25 Jan	Keighley	Whitehaven	23-22
25 Jan	Leigh	Rochdale Hornets	4-13
25 Jan	Oldham	Hull Kingston Rovers	12-10
25 Jan	Salford	Batley	17-2
25 Jan	Wakefield Trinity	Ackworth	50-7
25 Jan	Workington Town	Swinton	5-2
26 Jan	Doncaster	Featherstone Rovers	3-4
26 Jan	Huddersfield	Barrow	13-5
26 Jan	Widnes	York	23-8
28 Jan	Huyton	Warrington	2-5
01 Feb	Blackpool	Bramley	10-17

Second Round

Date	Team One	Team Two	Score
15 Feb	Castleford	Wigan	12-8
22 Feb	Salford	Workington Town	12-5
22 Feb	Warrington	Huddersfield	29-8
22 Feb	Rochdale Hornets	Bramley	7-7
24 Feb	Keighley	Leeds	2-17
25 Feb	Oldham	St Helens	6-15
26 Feb	Bradford Northern	Wakefield Trinity	7-7
26 Feb	Bramley	Rochdale Hornets	4-7
26 Feb	Featherstone Rovers	Widnes	7-9
27 Feb	Wakefield Trinity	Bradford Northern	10-0

Quarter Finals

Date	Team One	Team Two	Score
01 Mar	Warrington	St Helens	4-2
01 Mar	Wakefield Trinity	Rochdale Hornets	10-10
01 Mar	Castleford	Leeds	9-5
02 Mar	Salford	Widnes	20-7
05 Mar	Rochdale Hornets	Wakefield Trinity	2-15

Semi Finals

Date	Team One	Team Two	Score
22 Mar	Castleford	Wakefield Trinity	16-10
29 Mar	Warrington	Salford	8-15

Final

17 May 1969

Castleford	11 – 6	Salford
Try: Howe, Hardisty, Hepworth Goal: Redfearn	Report	Goal: Hill (3)

Wembley, London Attendance: 97,939 Referee: D. S. Brown (Preston)[4] Man of the Match: Mal Reilly

FB 1 Derek Edwards RW 2 Trevor Briggs RC 3 Keith Howe LC 4 Tony Thomas LW 5 Alan Lowndes SO 6 Alan Hardisty (c) SH 7 Keith Hepworth PR 8 Dennis Hartley HK 9 Clive Dickinson PR 10 John Ward SR 11 Mick Redfearn SR 12 Brian Lockwood LF 13 Mal Reilly Substitutes (not used): IC 14 Dennis Harris IC 15 Frank Fox Coach: Derek Turner

FB 1 Kenneth "Ken" Gwilliam RW 2 Bill Burgess RC 3 Stuart Whitehead LC 4 Chris Hesketh LW 5 Paul Jackson SO 6 David Watkins (c) SH 7 Jack Brennan PR 8 Terry Ogden HK 9 Martin Dickens PR 10 Charlie Bott SR 11 Mike Coulman SR 12 Colin Dixon LF 13 Ron Hill Substitutes (not used): IC 14 Bob Prosser IC 15 Peter Smethurst Coach: Griff Jenkins

Notes

1. "Challenge Cup 1968/69". Rugby League Project.
2. "RFL Challenge Cup Roll of Honour". Archived from the original on 2009-09-26. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
3. "Lance Todd Trophy Winners". The Rugby Football League. Archived from the original on 28 November 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
4. Mather, Harold (19 May 1969). "Salford are knocked off their game". The Guardian. London. p. 16.

References

• Platt, Darrell (1991). A History of Salford Rugby League Club. Salford Rugby League Club.

External links

• "Castleford RLFC A to Z Player List (All Time)". CasTigers.net. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
• Challenge Cup official website Archived 2014-01-22 at the Wayback Machine
• Challenge Cup 1968/69 results at Rugby League Project