1918–19 Lancashire Cup
# 1918–19 Lancashire Cup

The 1918–19 Lancashire Cup was the eleventh competition for this regional rugby league tournament and the first since 1914–15. This quickly arranged competition was won by the holders Rochdale Hornets who beat local rivals Oldham in the final at The Willows, Salford by a score of 22-0. The attendance at the final was 18,617 and receipts £1,365.

## Background

The shortened 1918–19 (February–May) season began less than three months after the end of the First World War and the armistice of Compiègne.

A Wartime Emergency League had been operating since September 1918. This was cancelled, and the programme started tailing off in January 1919. A new shortened season was introduced with the traditional Lancashire and Yorkshire leagues, to cut travel costs and minimise the use of precious resources. The return of the Challenge Cup would have to wait until the following 1919–20 season, but the Northern Union did manager to re-introduce both the County Cups.

One pre-war club was lost - Runcorn, one of the founder members after the great schism of 1895, after taking part in the previous Wartime Emergency League, withdrew and folded. They were replaced by St Helens Recs (effectively the works team for Pilkington Glass) who had entered the 1915–16 Wartime Emergency League and took place in this, their first, Lancashire Cup.

The number of teams entering this year’s competition was again 12 with four byes in the first round.

## Competition and results

### Round 1

Involved 4 matches (with four byes) and 12 clubs

| Game No | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Sat 5 April 1919 | Broughton Rangers | 8-23 | St Helens Recs | The Cliff | 1 |
| 2 | Sat 5 April 1919 | Leigh | 5-12 | Widnes | Mather Lane | |
| 3 | Sat 5 April 1919 | Rochdale Hornets | 7-5 | Salford | Athletic Grounds | |
| 4 | Sat 5 April 1919 | St. Helens | 11-5 | Warrington | Knowsley Road | |
| 5 | | Barrow | | bye | | |
| 6 | | Oldham | | bye | | |
| 7 | | Wigan | | bye | | |
| 8 | | Swinton | | bye | | |

### Round 2 – quarterfinals

| Game No | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Att | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Sat 12 April 1919 | Barrow | 6-0 | Widnes | Little Park, Roose | | 2 |
| 2 | Sat 12 April 1919 | Oldham | 16-8 | St. Helens | Watersheddings | 3,000 | |
| 3 | Sat 12 April 1919 | St Helens Recs | 2-16 | Rochdale Hornets | City Road | | |
| 4 | Sat 12 April 1919 | Wigan | 18-0 | Swinton | Central Park | | |

### Round 3 – semifinals

| Game No | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Sat 26 April 1919 | Barrow | 3-7 | Oldham | Little Park, Roose | | | | |
| 2 | Sat 26 April 1919 | Rochdale Hornets | 40-0 | Wigan | Athletic Grounds | | | | |

### Final

| Game No | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Saturday 10 May 1919 | Rochdale Hornets | 22-0 | Oldham | The Willows | 18,617 | £1,365 | 3 | - |

**Teams and scorers**

| Rochdale Hornets | № | Oldham |
| - | - | - |
| | teams | |
| team unknown | 1 | team unknown |
| | 2 | |
| | 3 | |
| | 4 | |
| | 5 | |
| | 6 | |
| | 7 | |
| | 8 | |
| | 9 | |
| | 10 | |
| | 11 | |
| | 12 | |
| | 13 | |
| 22 | score | 0 |
| 8 | HT | 0 |
| | Scorers | |
| | Tries | |
| unknown | T | |
| | T | |
| | T | |
| | T | |
| | Goals | |
| | G | |
| | G | |
| | Drop Goals | |
| | DG | |
| Referee | | |

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

### The road to success

| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Final | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Broughton Rangers | Broughton Rangers | 8 | | | | | | | | | | |
| St Helens Recs | St Helens Recs | 23 | | | | | | | | | | |
| St Helens Recs | St Helens Recs | 23 | St Helens Recs | St Helens Recs | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 16 | | | | | | | |
| Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 7 | Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 16 | | | | | | | |
| Salford | Salford | 5 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Salford | Salford | 5 | | | | Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 40 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 0 | | | | |
| Wigan | Wigan | | | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 0 | | | | |
| bye | bye | | | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Wigan | Wigan | 18 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Swinton | Swinton | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Swinton | Swinton | | Swinton | Swinton | 0 | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | | | | | | | | Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 22 |
| | | | | | | | | | | Oldham | Oldham | 0 |
| Barrow | Barrow | | | | | | | | | | | | Oldham | Oldham | 0 |
| bye | bye | | | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Barrow | Barrow | 6 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Widnes | Widnes | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Leigh | Leigh | 5 | Widnes | Widnes | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Widnes | Widnes | 12 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Widnes | Widnes | 12 | | | | Barrow | Barrow | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Oldham | Oldham | 7 | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | | | | | | | | Oldham | Oldham | 7 | | | | |
| bye | bye | | | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Oldham | Oldham | 16 | | | | | | | |
| | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 8 | | | | | | | |
| St. Helens | St. Helens | 11 | St. Helens | St. Helens | 8 | | | | | | | |
| Warrington | Warrington | 5 | | | | | | | | | | |

## Notes and comments

* 1 The first game played in the Lancashire Cup by the “new” club.
* 2 The first Lancashire Cup match played at Barrow’s “new” ground.
* 3 The Willows was the home ground of Salford.
