1955–56 Challenge Cup
# 1955–56 Challenge Cup

The 1955–56 Challenge Cup was the 55th staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup.

## First round

| Date | Team one | Score one | Team two | Score two |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 11 Feb | Castleford | 12 | Blackpool | 9 |
| 11 Feb | Huddersfield | 8 | Whitehaven | 4 |
| 11 Feb | Hull FC | 4 | Leeds | 9 |
| 11 Feb | Hunslet | 9 | Bradford Northern | 10 |
| 11 Feb | Keighley | 33 | Triangle Valve | 8 |
| 11 Feb | Leigh | 19 | Doncaster | 10 |
| 11 Feb | Oldham | 31 | Dewsbury | 2 |
| 11 Feb | Rochdale Hornets | 55 | Stanningley | 0 |
| 11 Feb | St Helens | 15 | Warrington | 6 |
| 11 Feb | Wakefield Trinity | 30 | Bramley | 10 |
| 11 Feb | Widnes | 10 | Halifax | 22 |
| 11 Feb | Wigan | 24 | Featherstone Rovers | 11 |
| 11 Feb | Workington Town | 16 | Salford | 0 |
| 11 Feb | York | 2 | Barrow | 26 |
| 15 Feb | Liverpool | 13 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 5 |
| 15 Feb | Swinton | 18 | Batley | 0 |

## Second round

| Date | Team one | Score one | Team two | Score two |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 3 Mar | Barrow | 47 | Liverpool | 5 |
| 3 Mar | Halifax | 10 | Workington Town | 3 |
| 3 Mar | Keighley | 3 | Wigan | 12 |
| 3 Mar | Leeds | 12 | Oldham | 7 |
| 3 Mar | Leigh | 5 | Wakefield Trinity | 11 |
| 3 Mar | Rochdale Hornets | 2 | Bradford Northern | 5 |
| 3 Mar | St Helens | 48 | Castleford | 5 |
| 3 Mar | Swinton | 6 | Huddersfield | 8 |

## Quarterfinals

| Date | Team one | Score one | Team two | Score two |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 24 Mar | Leeds | 9 | Halifax | 14 |
| 24 Mar | St Helens | 53 | Bradford Northern | 6 |
| 24 Mar | Wakefield Trinity | 10 | Barrow | 14 |
| 24 Mar | Wigan | 24 | Huddersfield | 2 |

## Semifinals

| Date | Team one | Score one | Team two | Score two |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 7 Apr | Halifax | 11 | Wigan | 10 |
| 7 Apr | St Helens | 5 | Barrow | 5 |
| 11 Apr | St Helens | 10 | Barrow | 5 |

## Final

In the Challenge Cup tournament's final St. Helens faced Halifax. Played on 28 April 1956 at Wembley Stadium in front of a crowd of 79,341, St Helens won 13-2. This was Saints' first Challenge Cup final win in five Final appearances. Alan Prescott, their prop forward was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy for man-of-the-match.

The St Helens team was greeted enthusiastically upon their return to the North. After detraining at Liverpool the team's open-top coach ride to St Helens attracted an estimated 100,000 people despite pouring rain.

* 28 April 1956

| St Helens | 13 – 2 | Halifax |
| - | - | - |
| Try Carlton, Llewellyn, Prescott Goals Rhodes (2) | | Goals Griffiths |

* Wembley, London Attendance: 79,341 (HT 0-0) Player of the Match: Alan Prescott

| 1 | Glyn Moses |
| - | - |
| 2 | Steve Llewellyn |
| 3 | Duggie Greenall |
| 4 | Brian Howard |
| 5 | Frank Carlton |
| 6 | Bill Finnan |
| 7 | Austin Rhodes |
| 8 | Alan Prescott (c) |
| 9 | Len McIntyre |
| 10 | Nat Silcock Jr. |
| 11 | George Parsons |
| 12 | Roy Robinson |
| 13 | Vince Karalius |
| Coach: |
| Jim Sullivan |
| 1 | Tyssul Griffiths |
| 2 | Arthur Daniels |
| 3 | Thomas Lynch |
| 4 | Geoffrey "Geoff" Palmer |
| 5 | John Freeman |
| 6 | Ken Dean |
| 7 | Stan Kielty |
| 8 | Ken Traill |
| 9 | Albert Fearnley |
| 10 | Les Pearce |
| 11 | Jack Wilkinson |
| 12 | Alvin Ackerley (c) |
| 13 | John Henderson |
| Coach: |
