1967–68 Northern Rugby Football League season

1967–68 Rugby Football League season
League Northern Rugby Football League
Champions Wakefield Trinity
League Leaders Leeds
Top point-scorer(s) Bev Risman (Leeds) 332
Top try-scorer(s) Roger Millward (Hull KR) 38
< 1966–67 Seasons 1968–69 >

The 1967–68 Rugby Football League season was the seventy second season of rugby league football.

Contents

Season summary

Leeds had ended the regular season as league leaders for the second successive season. Wakefield Trinity won their second Championship, the second in successive seasons, when they beat Hull Kingston Rovers 17-10 in the Championship Final. Gary Cooper was awarded the Harry Sunderland Trophy as man-of-the-match.

The Challenge Cup winners were Leeds who beat Wakefield Trinity 11-10 in the final.

The BBC2 Floodlit Trophy winners were Castleford who beat Leigh 8-5 in the final.[1]

Clive Sullivan of Hull set a club record of 7-tries scored in a match against Doncaster on 15 April 1968.[2]

Warrington won the Lancashire League, and Leeds won the Yorkshire League. St. Helens beat Warrington 2–2 (replay 13–10) to win the Lancashire Cup, and Hull Kingston Rovers beat Hull 8–7 to win the Yorkshire Cup.

Championship

Team Pld W D L Pts
1 Leeds 34 28 0 6 56
2 Wakefield Trinity 34 24 1 9 49
3 Hull Kingston Rovers 34 24 1 9 49
4 St Helens RLFC 34 24 1 9 49
5 Warrington 34 24 0 10 48
6 Bradford Northern 34 24 0 10 48
7 Leigh 34 22 1 11 45
8 Castleford 34 22 1 11 45
9 Salford 34 22 0 12 44
10 Workington Town 34 21 1 12 43
11 Wigan 34 21 0 13 42
12 Hull 34 21 0 13 42
13 Halifax 34 19 2 13 40
14 Swinton 34 18 1 15 37
15 Huddersfield 34 17 2 15 36
16 Widnes 34 17 1 16 35
17 Dewsbury 34 17 0 17 34
18 Featherstone Rovers 34 16 0 18 32
19 Barrow 34 14 0 20 28
20 Bramley 34 14 0 20 28
21 Hunslet 34 13 0 21 26
22 Oldham 34 13 0 21 26
23 Rochdale Hornets 34 13 0 21 26
24 Liverpool City 34 11 2 21 24
25 Whitehaven 34 10 1 23 21
26 York 34 9 1 24 19
27 Keighley 34 8 0 26 16
28 Blackpool Borough 34 6 1 27 13
29 Doncaster 34 4 2 28 10
30 Batley 34 4 1 29 9

Play-offs

Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                           
           
 Leeds  31
 Widnes  17  
 Leeds  7
   Wigan  11  
 Bradford Northern  8
 Wigan  28  
 Wigan  9
   Wakefield Trinity  17  
 Castleford  47
 Salford  15  
 Catleford  14
   Wakefield Trinity  17  
 Wakefield Trinity  20
 Huddersfield  11  
 Wakefield Trinity  17
   Hull K R  10
 Warrington  12
 Hull  9  
 Warrington  0
   St Helens  20  
 St Helens  
 Halifax    
 St Helens  10
   Hull K R  23   Third place
 Hull K R  17
 Swinton  2  
 Hull K R  22    
   Leigh  3      
 Leigh  43
 Workington Tn  4  

Challenge Cup

Leeds beat Wakefield 11-10 in the final played at Wembley in front of a crowd of 87,100.

This was Leeds’ ninth Cup Final win in eleven Final appearances.[3] The Leeds winning team was Risman, A Smith, Hynes, B Watson, Atkinson, Shoebottom, Seabourne, Clark (c), Crosby, K Eyre, Ramsey, A Eyre, Batten. Subs: Langley, M Joyce.

Dubbed the "Watersplash Final", this match was remembered for the atrocious pitch conditions caused by a torrential downpour that left many large puddles on the playing surface.[4] The conditions contributed to a nail biting finale. Leeds had taken a 11-7 lead with a minute to go, but Wakefield scored a try next to the posts from the kick-off. Don Fox had only to convert to win the Final, but pushed it wide of the posts.[5]

Operational rules

The playing of matches on Sundays was sanctioned for the first time in December 1967. This change was made to avoid competition from association football clubs.

References

  1. ^ "1967-68 Season summary". Archived from the original on 2009-09-16. http://wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/index.php?page_id=388. Retrieved 2009-08-08. 
  2. ^ "Hull F.C. History". http://www.hullfc.com/hullfc/contents/?page_id=20. Retrieved 2009-10-23. 
  3. ^ "RFL Challenge Cup Roll of Honour". Archived from the original on 2009-09-16. http://www.therfl.co.uk/challengecup/page.php?areaid=65. Retrieved 2009-08-07. 
  4. ^ Demsteader, Christine (2000-10-01). "Rugby League's home from home". BBC Sport (UK: BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/in_depth/2000/wembley/944481.stm. Retrieved 2009-12-04. 
  5. ^ "Watersplash Final". Archived from the original on 2009-09-16. http://www.therhinos.co.uk/club/history/holy_grail.php. Retrieved 2009-08-07. 

Sources

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