1955–56 Challenge Cup

1955–56 Challenge Cup
Duration5 rounds
Winners St Helens
Runners-up Halifax
Lance Todd Trophy Alan Prescott

The 1955–56 Challenge Cup was the 55th staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup.[1]

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

A marching band provides entertainment at Wembley Stadium before the 1956 Challenge Cup 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.[2] This was Saints' first Challenge Cup final win in five Final appearances.[3] 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.[4]

28 April 1956
St Helens 13 – 2 Halifax
Try Carlton, Llewellyn, Prescott
Goals Rhodes (2) 		[5]
 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:

References

  1. ^ "Challenge Cup 1955/56". Rugby League Project.
  2. ^ "1956 Challenge Cup final". rugbyleagueproject.org. Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson and Bill Bates. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  3. ^ "RFL Challenge Cup Roll of Honour". Archived from the original on 3 April 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
  4. ^ Jeff Hill, Jack Williams (1996). Sport and Identity in the North of England. UK: Keele University Press. p. 98 & 99. ISBN 9781853310829.
  5. ^ "Our Rugby Football Correspondent. "London Welsh Win Middlesex Seven-A-Sides." Times [London, England] 30 Apr. 1956". The Times Digital Archive.