1944–45 Yorkshire Cup
# 1944–45 Yorkshire Cup

1944–45 Yorkshire Cup

The 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) 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

1944–45 was the thirty-seventh occasion on which the Yorkshire Cup competition had been held. 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

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

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

### Preliminary round – first leg

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

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

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 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 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 |
| 5 | Sat 21 Oct 1944 | Hunslet | 6-3 | Castleford | Parkside |
| 6 | Sat 21 Oct 1944 | Oldham | 5-18 | Wigan | Watersheddings |
| 7 | Sat 21 Oct 1944 | St. Helens | 8-22 | Barrow | Knowsley Road |
| 8 | Sat 21 Oct 1944 | York | 0-10 | Bradford Northern | Clarence Street |

### Round 1 – second leg

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 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 7 | Sat 28 Oct 1944 | Barrow | 21-8 | St. Helens | Craven Park | 43-16 |
| 8 | Sat 28 Oct 1944 | Bradford Northern | 45-5 | York | Odsal | 55-5 |

### Round 2 – quarterfinals – first leg

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 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Sat 04 Nov 1944 | Dewsbury | 0-0 | Hull | Crown Flatt |
| 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 |

### Round 2 – second leg

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 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Sat 11 Nov 1944 | Hull | 5-7 | Dewsbury | Boulevard | 5-7 |
| 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 |

### Round 3 – semifinals – first leg

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 | | | | | |

### Semifinal – second leg

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 | | | | |

### Final – first leg

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 2 December 1944 | Hunslet | 3-12 | Halifax | Parkside | | 11213 | 744 | 1 | |

### Final – second leg

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 9 December 1944 | Halifax | 2-0 | Hunslet | Thrum Hall | 14-3 | 9800 | 745 | 2 | |

**Teams and scorers**

| Hunslet | № | Halifax |
| - | - | - |
| | teams | |
| | 1 | |
| | 2 | |
| | 3 | |
| | 4 | |
| | 5 | |
| | 6 | |
| | 7 | |
| | 8 | |
| | 9 | |
| | 10 | |
| | 11 | |
| | 12 | |
| | 13 | |
| ?? | Coach | ?? |
| 3 | score | 12 |
| | HT | |
| | Scorers | |
| | Tries | |
| | T | |
| | T | |
| | Goals | |
| | G | |
| | Drop Goals | |
| | DG | |
| Referee | | unknown |
| Second Leg |
| Hunslet | teams | Halifax |
| | 1 | |
| | 2 | |
| | 3 | |
| | 4 | |
| | 5 | |
| | 6 | |
| | 7 | |
| | 8 | |
| | 9 | |
| | 10 | |
| | 11 | |
| | 12 | |
| | 13 | |
| | Coach | |
| 2 | Score | 0 |
| | HT | |
| | Scorers | |
| | Goals | |
| | G | |
| Referee | | unknown |

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

### The road to success

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 | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Final | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Barrow | Barrow | 25 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 19 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 19 | Barrow | Barrow | 24 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Wigan | Wigan | 18 | | | | | | | |
| St. Helens | St. Helens | 19 | Wigan | Wigan | 18 | | | | | | | |
| Wigan | Wigan | 34 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wigan | Wigan | 34 | | | | Barrow | Barrow | 14 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 18 | | | | |
| Leeds | Leeds | 31 | | | | | | | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 18 | | | | |
| Hunslet | Hunslet | 13 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hunslet | Hunslet | 13 | Leeds | Leeds | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 32 | | | | | | | |
| Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 15 | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 32 | | | | | | | |
| Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 2 | | | | | | | | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 10 |
| | | | | | | | | | | Keighley | Keighley | 7 |
| Halifax | Halifax | 31 | | | | | | | | | | | Keighley | Keighley | 7 |
| Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 19 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 19 | Halifax | Halifax | 19 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Keighley | Keighley | 28 | | | | | | | |
| York | York | 12 | Keighley | Keighley | 28 | | | | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 35 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 35 | | | | Keighley | Keighley | 25 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 13 | | | | |
| Hull | Hull | 8 | | | | | | | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 13 | | | | |
| Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 32 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 32 | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 16 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 10 | | | | | | | |
| Batley | Batley | 13 | Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 10 | | | | | | | |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 29 | | | | | | | | | | |

## Notes and comments

1 * Parkside was the home ground of Hunslet from 1888 to 1973. The club were struggling financially when in 1971 fire destroyed the stand, greatly reducing the ground attendance capacity, the record for which stood at the 24,700 for a third round Challenge Cup match in 1924. After the fire the directors sold the ground and wound up the club. 2 * Thrum Hall was the home ground of Halifax with a final capacity of 9,832 (The attendance record of 29,153 was set on 21 March 1959 for a third round Challenge Cup tie v Wigan). The club finally moved out in 1998 to take part ownership and ground-share with Halifax Town FC at The Shay Stadium.

