1947–48 Northern Rugby Football League season

1947–48 Rugby Football League season
League Northern Rugby Football League
Champions Warrington
League Leaders Wigan
Top point-scorer(s) Bawden (Huddersfield) 243
Top try-scorer(s) Brian Bevan (Warrington) 57
< 1946–47 Seasons 1948–49 >

The 1947–48 Rugby Football League season was the fifty third season of rugby league football.

Contents

Season summary

Warrington won their first Championship when they beat Bradford Northern 15-5 in the play-off final. Wigan had ended the regular season as the league leaders.

The Challenge Cup Winners were Wigan who beat Bradford Northern 8-3 in the final.

Wigan's 1948 Challenge Cup Final victory over Bradford Northern was the first ever televised Rugby League match and Cup Final - although it was shown in the Midlands only.[1]

Warrington won the Lancashire League, and Bradford Northern won the Yorkshire League. Wigan beat Belle Vue Rangers 10–7 to win the Lancashire Cup, and Wakefield Trinity beat Leeds 7–7 (replay 8–7) to win the Yorkshire Cup.

Championship

Team Pld W D L Pts
1 Wigan 36 31 1 4 63
2 Warrington 36 30 1 5 61
3 Huddersfield 36 26 2 8 54
4 Bradford Northern 36 26 2 10 52
5 Workington Town 36 22 4 10 48
6 Hunslet 36 21 4 11 46
7 Widnes 36 21 1 14 43
8 St. Helens 36 20 2 14 42
9 Leeds 36 20 2 14 42
10 Wakefield Trinity 36 20 2 14 42
11 Salford 36 20 1 15 41
12 Hull 36 19 1 16 39
13 Castleford 36 19 1 16 39
14 Leigh 36 18 1 17 37
15 Dewsbury 36 17 2 17 36
16 Oldham 36 17 1 18 35
17 Belle Vue Rangers 36 17 0 19 34
18 Halifax 36 16 0 20 32
19 Swinton 36 15 1 20 31
20 Keighley 36 15 1 20 31
21 Barrow 36 14 2 20 30
22 Rochdale Hornets 36 11 2 23 24
23 Bramley 36 12 0 24 24
24 Batley 36 11 1 23 23
25 Hull Kingston Rovers 36 10 1 25 21
26 Liverpool Stanley 36 8 1 27 17
27 Featherstone Rovers 36 6 0 30 12
28 Cardiff RLFC 36 4 1 31 9

Play-offs

  Semi-finals Championship Final
                 
1  Wigan 3  
4  Bradford Northern 15  
     Warrington 15
   Bradford Northern 5
2  Warrington 17
3  Huddersfield 5  

Challenge Cup

Wigan beat Bradford 8-3 in the final played at Wembley in front of a crowd of 91,465. This was the first Rugby League match ever attended by the reigning monarch, HM King George VI, who presented the trophy.[2]

This was Wigan’s third Cup Final win in seven Final appearances including one loss during World War II.[3] Frank Whitcombe, Bradford Northern's prop forward was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy for man-of-the-match.

European Championship

Main article: 1947–48 European Rugby League Championship

The eighth tri-nation tournament was played between September 1947 and April 1948. England won their fourth title.

Results

20 September
 Wales  10–8  England Wigan
25 October
 England  20–15  France Huddersfield
23 November
 France  29–21  Wales Bordeaux
6 December
 England  18–7  Wales Swansea
20 March
 France  20–12  Wales Swansea
11 April
 England  25–10  France Marseilles

Final standings

Team Played Won Drew Lost For Against Diff Points
 England 4 3 0 1 71 42 +29 6
 France 4 2 0 2 74 78 −4 4
 Wales 4 1 0 3 50 75 −25 2

References

  1. ^ "1947-48 Season summary". http://wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/index.php?page_id=367. Retrieved 2009-08-08. 
  2. ^ John Hesman - NAK Corporate World. "Royal approval". Archived from the original on 2009-09-16. http://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/content/History/3559/1940%20-%201950:%20Wartime%20&%20Wembley. Retrieved 2009-08-07. 
  3. ^ "RFL All Time Records". http://www.therfl.co.uk/challengecup/page.php?areaid=64. Retrieved 2009-08-07. 

Sources

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