1975–76 Player's No.6 Trophy

This was the fifth season for the League Cup, known as the Players No.6 Trophy for sponsorship reasons.

1975–76 Player's No.6 Trophy
StructureNational knockout championship
Teams32
WinnersWidnes
Runners-upHull F.C.

Widnes won the trophy by beating Hull F.C. by the score of 19–13 in the final played at Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire. The attendance was 9,035 and receipts were £6275.

Background

This season saw no changes in the entrants, no new members and no withdrawals, the number remaining at eighteen.

Competition and results

[1][2][3]

Round 1 - First round

[4]Involved 16 matches and 32 clubs

Game NoFixture dateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueAttRecNotesRef
1Fri 26 Sep 1975Castleford26-15YorkWheldon Road
2Fri 26 Sep 1975Mayfield3-53SalfordThe Willows34491, 2, 3
3Sat 27 Sep 1975Barrow16-9Pilkington RecsCraven Park6124
4Sat 27 Sep 1975Wigan30-7KeighleyCentral Park[2]
5Sat 27 Sep 1975Workington Town16-9BramleyDerwent Park
6Sun 28 Sep 1975Batley18-9WhitehavenMount Pleasant
7Sun 28 Sep 1975Blackpool Borough11-36St. HelensBorough Park[5]
8Sun 28 Sep 1975Bradford Northern12-32Wakefield TrinityOdsal[6]
9Sun 28 Sep 1975Doncaster12-23Hull F.C.Bentley Road Stadium/Tattersfield[7]
10Sun 28 Sep 1975Huddersfield20-12WarringtonFartown[8][9]
11Sun 28 Sep 1975Hull Kingston Rovers33-10Rochdale HornetsCraven Park (1)
12Sun 28 Sep 1975Huyton14-20OldhamAlt Park, Huyton
13Sun 28 Sep 1975Leigh12-5Featherstone RoversHilton Park
14Sun 28 Sep 1975New Hunslet28-8HalifaxElland Road Greyhound Stadium5
15Sun 28 Sep 1975Swinton7-23LeedsStation Road
16Sun 28 Sep 1975Widnes27-12DewsburyNaughton Park[10]

Round 2 - Second round

[11]Involved 8 matches and 16 clubs

Game NoFixture dateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueAttRecNotesRef
1Fri 7 Nov 1975Hull Kingston Rovers23-8LeighCraven Park (1)6
2Sat 8 Nov 1975Wigan5-18WidnesCentral Park[2][10]
3Sun 9 Nov 1975Huddersfield14-5BarrowFartown[9]
4Sun 9 Nov 1975Hull F.C.9-9LeedsBoulevard[7]
5Sun 9 Nov 1975St. Helens47-9BatleyKnowsley Road[5]
6Sun 9 Nov 1975Salford46-3OldhamThe Willows
7Sun 9 Nov 1975Wakefield Trinity14-24CastlefordBelle Vue[6]
8Sun 9 Nov 1975Workington Town23-6New HunsletDerwent Park

Round 2 - Second round replays

Involved 1 match and 2 clubs

Game NoFixture dateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueAttRecNotesRef
1Thu 13 Nov 1975Leeds11-23Hull F.C.Headingley[7]

Round 3 - quarterfinals

Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs

Game NoFixture dateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueAttRecNotesRef
1Sat 22 Nov 1975Hull F.C.9-8St. HelensBoulevard[5][7]
2Sun 23 Nov 1975Huddersfield10-19CastlefordFartown[9]
3Sun 23 Nov 1975Hull Kingston Rovers14-18WidnesCraven Park (1)[10]
4Sun 23 Nov 1975Salford16-8Workington TownThe Willows

[11]

Round 4 – semifinals

Involved 2 matches and 4 clubs

Game NoFixture dateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueAttRecNotesRef
1Sat 29 Nov 1975Castleford9-17WidnesWheldon Road[10]
2Sat 13 Dec 1975Salford14-22Hull F.C.The Willows[7]

[11]

Final

Game NoFixture dateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueAttRecNotesRef
Saturday 24 January 1976Widnes19-13Hull F.C.Headingley903562757[7][10][12][13]

Teams and scorers

[12][13][14][15]

WidnesNo.Hull
teams
Ray Dutton1Mike Stephenson[1]
Alan Prescott[2]2Alf Macklin[3]
Derek "Mick" George[4]3George Clark[5]
Mal Aspey4Steve Portz[6]
David Jenkins[7]5Paul Hunter[8]
Eric Hughes6Brian Hancock[9]
Reg Bowden[10]7Ken Foulkes[11]
Jim Mills8Bill Ramsey
Keith Elwell9Peter Flanagan
John Wood10Alan Wardell[12]
John Foran[13]11Keith Boxall[14]
Barry Sheridan[15]12Malcolm Walker[16]
Mick Adams13Mick Crane
? Not used14? Not used
? Not used15Chris Davidson[17] (for Ken Foulkes)
Coach
19score13
8HT8
Scorers
Tries
David Jenkins (2)TPaul Hunter (1)
Reg Bowden (1)TMick Crane (2)
Mick Adams (1)T
Goals
Ray Dutton (3)GKeith Boxhall (2)
Drop Goals
Reg Bowden (1)DG
RefereeJ. V. Moss (Manchester)
Man of the matchReg Bowden - Widnes - scrum-half
Competition SponsorPlayer's No.6

Scoring - Try = three points - Goal = two points - Drop goal = one point

Prize money

As part of the sponsorship deal and funds, the prize money awarded to the competing teams for this season was as follows:[16]

Finish PositionCash PrizeNo. receiving prizeTotal Cash
Winner£6,0001£6,000
Runner-up£3,0001£3,000
Semi-finalist£1,5002£3,000
Loser in Rd 3£6004£2,400
Loser in Rd 2£4508£3,600
Loser in Rd 1£30016£4,800
Grand Total£22,800

The road to success

This tree excludes any preliminary round fixtures

First roundSecond roundThird roundSemi-finalsFinal
               
Huddersfield20
Warrington12
Huddersfield14
Barrow5
Barrow16
Pilkington Recs9
Huddersfield10
Castleford19
Bradford Northern12
Wakefield Trinity32
Wakefield Trinity14
Castleford24
Castleford26
York15
Castleford9
Widnes17
Hull Kingston Rovers33
Rochdale Hornets10
Hull Kingston Rovers23
Leigh8
Leigh12
Featherstone Rovers5
Hull Kingston Rovers14
Widnes18
Wigan30
Keighley7
Wigan5
Widnes18
Widnes27
Dewsbury12
Widnes19
Hull F.C.13
Mayfield3
Salford53
Salford46
Oldham3
Huyton14
Oldham20
Salford16
Workington Town8
Workington Town16
Bramley9
Workington Town23
New Hunslet6
New Hunslet28
Halifax8
Salford14
Hull F.C.22
Doncaster12
Hull F.C.23
Hull F.C.9 (23)
Leeds9 (11)
Swinton7
Leeds23
Hull F.C.9
St. Helens8
Blackpool Borough11
St. Helens36
St. Helens47
Batley9
Batley18
Whitehaven9

Notes and comments

1 * Mayfield are a Junior (amateur) club from Rochdale
2 * Although Mayfield were drawn at home, the match was moved to Salford
3 * Rothmans Rugby League Yearbooks 1990-1991 [12] and 1991-92[13] and Wigan official archives[2] give the score as 3-57, but RUGBYLEAGUEprojects[1] and The News of the World/Empire News annual 1976–77[3] give it as 3-53
4 * Pilkington Recs are a Junior (amateur) club from St Helens, home ground was City Road until they moved to Ruskin Drive from 2011 to 2012
5 * Wigan official archives[2] gives the score as 25-8 but RUGBYLEAGUEprojects[1] gives it as 28-8
6 * Wigan official archives[2] gives the score as 23-3 but RUGBYLEAGUEprojects[1] and The News of the World/Empire News annual 1976–77[3] give it as 23-8
7 * Headingley, Leeds, is the home ground of Leeds RLFC with a capacity of 21,000. The record attendance was 40,175 for a league match between Leeds and Bradford Northern on 21 May 1947.

See also

References