1949–50 Northern Rugby Football League season

The 1949–50 Rugby Football League season was the 55th season of rugby league football. First placed Wigan successfully defended a challenge from second placed Huddersfield in the play-off final to claim the Rugby Football League Championship. The Challenge Cup winners were Warrington who beat Widnes 19-0 in the final.[1] Wigan won the Lancashire League, and Huddersfield won the Yorkshire League. Wigan beat Leigh 20–7 to win the Lancashire Cup, and Bradford beat Huddersfield 11–4 to win the Yorkshire Cup. Crowds peaked in 1949-50 with a record 69.8 million paying to watch rugby league matches.[2]

1949–50 Rugby Football League season
LeagueNorthern Rugby Football League
Champions Wigan
League Leaders Wigan
Top point-scorer(s) Harold Palin 290
Top try-scorer(s) Brian Nordgren 57

Championship

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This season the Rugby Football League Championship was determined by a final.

Team Pld W D L Pts
1 Wigan 36 31 1 4 63
2 Huddersfield 36 28 1 7 57
3 Swinton 36 25 4 7 54
4 Halifax 36 25 0 11 50
5 Salford 36 24 2 10 50
6 Leigh 36 24 1 11 49
7 St. Helens 36 23 2 11 48
8 Leeds 36 24 0 12 48
9 Dewsbury 36 23 0 13 46
10 Workington Town 36 22 1 13 45
11 Warrington 36 22 0 14 44
12 Castleford 36 20 0 16 40
13 Keighley 36 20 0 16 40
14 Wakefield Trinity 36 19 0 17 38
15 Hunslet 36 18 1 17 37
16 Widnes 36 16 4 16 36
17 Belle Vue Rangers 36 16 2 18 34
18 Oldham 36 15 4 17 34
19 Hull 36 15 3 18 33
20 Barrow 36 14 1 21 29
21 Bradford 36 14 1 21 29
22 Hull Kingston Rovers 36 14 1 21 29
23 Whitehaven 36 11 4 21 26
24 Batley 36 10 0 26 20
25 Featherstone Rovers 36 9 2 25 20
26 Bramley 36 6 1 29 13
27 Rochdale Hornets 36 5 2 29 12
28 York 36 6 0 30 12
29 Liverpool Stanley 36 4 0 32 8

Play-offs

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The top four finishing teams entered a play-off series which culminated in a final between Wigan and Huddersfield, but not before Wigan had to re-play and defeat Halifax, with whom they drew in their first play-off match.

Semi-final / Replay Championship final
        
1 Wigan 5 18
4 Halifax 5 2
Wigan 20
Huddersfield 2
2 Huddersfield 9
3 Swinton 0

Wigan were without eight of their regular starters for the final, as the players had been selected for the 1950 Great Britain Lions tour, and had already departed for Australia.[3] Despite a weakened team, Wigan were able to win, claiming their seventh Rugby Football League Championship.

13 May 1950
Wigan 20 – 2 Huddersfield
Tries: Silcock, Broome, Nordgren, Blan
Goals: Ward (4)
Goals: Bawden
Maine Road, Manchester
Attendance: 65,065
Referee: M. Coates (Pudsey)
Wigan Number Huddersfield
Teams
Ted Ward 1 Johnny Hunter
Nat Silcock Jr. 2 Dick Cracknell
Jack Broome 3 Jeff Bawden
George Roughley 4 Pat Devery
Brian Nordgren 5 Lionel Cooper
Cecil Mountford 6 Russ Pepperell
Johnny Alty 7 Billy Banks
Ted Slevin 8 John Daly
Harold McIntyre 9 James Mundy
Frank Barton 10 Arthur Wilmot
Bill Hudson 11 Ken Morrison
Jack Large 12 Bob Nicholson
Billy Blan 13 Ike Owens
0
Jim Sullivan Coach Alex Fiddes

Challenge Cup

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Warrington beat Widnes 19-0 in the final played at Wembley in front of a crowd of 94,249. This was Warrington’s third Cup final win in nine Final appearances. In the match Albert Naughton, at centre for Warrington opposed his older brother Johnny, who was in the Widnes second row.[4] This was the second successive Final that the losing side had failed to score.[5] The Warrington scrum-half Gerry Helme won the Lance Todd Trophy for man-of-the-match.

County cups

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First round Second round Semifinals Final
            
Hull Kingston Rovers 10
Bramley 16
Bramley 5
Keighley 4
Keighley 60
Yorkshire Amateurs 10
Bramley 6
Bradford 8
York 22
Bradford 53
Bradford 13
Castleford 6
Castleford 25
Hull 21
Bradford 11
Huddersfield 4
Hunslet 7
Dewsbury 29
Dewsbury 12
Batley 5
Batley 17
Halifax 9
Dewsbury 2
Huddersfield 7
Huddersfield 29
Leeds 13
Huddersfield 20
Wakefield Trinity 12
Wakefield Trinity 31
Featherstone Rovers 14

References

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  1. ^ "1949-50 Season summary". Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  2. ^ Jon Henderson (2007). Best of British: Hendo's sporting heroes. UK: Yellow Jersey Press. p. 85. ISBN 9780224082488.
  3. ^ "Wigan Will Need Eight Reserves For Final". Hull Daily Mail. 11 May 1950. p. 7 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ news.bbc.co.uk (11 May 2004). "Cup final facts". BBC Sport. UK: BBC. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  5. ^ "RFL All Time Records". Archived from the original on 2009-04-03. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
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