1988–89 John Player Special Trophy | |
Structure: | National knockout championship |
Season Champs: | Wigan |
Season Champ Name: | Winners |
Runner-Up Name: | Runner-up |
Second Place: | Widnes |
Prevseason Link: | 1987–88 John Player Special Trophy |
Prevseason Year: | 1987–88 |
Nextseason Link: | 1989–90 Regal Trophy |
Nextseason Year: | 1989–90 |
No Of Teams: | 18 |
The 1988–89 John Player Special Trophy was the eighteenth season for the competition (named as such due to sponsorship from John Player & Sons).
Wigan won the final, beating Widnes by the score of 12-6. The match was played at Burnden Park, Bolton, Greater Manchester. The attendance was 20,709 and receipts were £94874.
This season saw no changes in the entrants, no new members and no withdrawals, the number remaining at thirty-six
Huddersfield dropped the "Barracuda" suffix and the ground reverted to the traditional Fartown name, much to the relief of most of the fans - and - Springfield Borough moved to Chorley after only one season and re-branded themselves Chorley Borough, playing at Victory Park, the home of Chorley FC
[3] Involved 4 matches and 8 Clubs
width=10 abbr="No" | Game No | width=110 abbr="Date" | Fixture Date | width=150 abbr="Home Team" | Home Team | width=5 abbr="space" | width=20 abbr="Score" | Score | width=5 abbr="space" | width=150 abbr="Away Team" | Away Team | width=150 abbr="Venue" | Venue | width=30 abbr="Att" | Att | width=30 abbr="Rec" | Rec | width=20 abbr="Notes" | Notes | width=30 abbr="Ref" | Ref | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sun 30 Oct 1988 | Featherstone Rovers | 46-2 | Hunslet | Post Office Road | 1972 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Sun 30 Oct 1988 | Wigan St Patricks | 36-2 | Elland (Halifax) | Central Park | 2510 | 1, 2 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | Sun 30 Oct 1988 | Workington Town | 2-28 | Castleford | Derwent Park | 1502 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Sun 6 Nov 1988 | Bramley | 56-10 | Fulham | McLaren Field | 850 |
[3] Involved 16 matches and 32 Clubs
width=10 abbr="No" | Game No | width=110 abbr="Date" | Fixture Date | width=150 abbr="Home Team" | Home Team | width=5 abbr="space" | width=20 abbr="Score" | Score | width=5 abbr="space" | width=150 abbr="Away Team" | Away Team | width=150 abbr="Venue" | Venue | width=30 abbr="Att" | Att | width=30 abbr="Rec" | Rec | width=20 abbr="Notes" | Notes | width=30 abbr="Ref" | Ref | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sat 12 Nov 1988 | Leeds | 12-21 | Castleford | Headingley | 10006 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Bradford Northern | 34-18 | Dewsbury | Odsal | 2555 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Bramley | 32-6 | Mansfield Marksman | McLaren Field | 1151 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Halifax | 22-4 | Salford | Thrum Hall | 6661 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Huddersfield | 4-22 | Chorley Borough | Fartown | 1120 | [4] | ||||||||||||||||
6 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Hull F.C. | 26-10 | Batley | Boulevard | 4054 | [5] | ||||||||||||||||
7 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 40-0 | Keighley | Craven Park (1) | 3319 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Leigh | 42-14 | Barrow | Hilton Park | 3256 | |||||||||||||||||
9 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Rochdale Hornets | 26-20 | Whitehaven | Athletic Grounds | 888 | |||||||||||||||||
10 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Runcorn Highfield | 2-92 | Wigan | Central Park | 7233 | 3, 4, 5 | ||||||||||||||||
11 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Sheffield Eagles | 80-8 | Wigan St Patricks | Owlerton Stadium | 621 | |||||||||||||||||
12 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Swinton | 13-16 | Doncaster | Station Road | 2182 | |||||||||||||||||
13 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Wakefield Trinity | 34-14 | Carlisle | Belle Vue | 2513 | [6] | ||||||||||||||||
14 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Warrington | 21-14 | Oldham | Wilderspool | 5528 | [7] | ||||||||||||||||
15 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Widnes | 37-12 | Featherstone Rovers | Naughton Park | 5299 | 6 | [8] | |||||||||||||||
16 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | York | 6-14 | St. Helens | Clarence Street | 3082 | [9] |
[10] Involved 8 matches and 16 Clubs
width=10 abbr="No" | Game No | width=110 abbr="Date" | Fixture Date | width=150 abbr="Home Team" | Home Team | width=5 abbr="space" | width=20 abbr="Score" | Score | width=5 abbr="space" | width=150 abbr="Away Team" | Away Team | width=150 abbr="Venue" | Venue | width=30 abbr="Att" | Att | width=30 abbr="Rec" | Rec | width=20 abbr="Notes" | Notes | width=30 abbr="Ref" | Ref | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sat 26 Nov 1988 | Wigan | 20-16 | Halifax | Central Park | 10826 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Sun 27 Nov 1988 | Castleford | 18-19 | Bradford Northern | 7688 | ||||||||||||||||||
3 | Sun 27 Nov 1988 | Chorley Borough | 22-36 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Victory Park | 983 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Sun 27 Nov 1988 | Leigh | 40-8 | Doncaster | Hilton Park | 4321 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Sun 27 Nov 1988 | St. Helens | 16-13 | Hull F.C. | Knowsley Road | 7485 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | Sun 27 Nov 1988 | Sheffield Eagles | 9-32 | Widnes | Owlerton Stadium | 2716 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Sun 27 Nov 1988 | Wakefield Trinity | 38-12 | Rochdale Hornets | Belle Vue | 2486 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | Sun 27 Nov 1988 | Warrington | 42-10 | Bramley | Wilderspool | 3274 |
[11] Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs
width=10 abbr="No" | Game No | width=110 abbr="Date" | Fixture Date | width=150 abbr="Home Team" | Home Team | width=5 abbr="space" | width=20 abbr="Score" | Score | width=5 abbr="space" | width=150 abbr="Away Team" | Away Team | width=150 abbr="Venue" | Venue | width=30 abbr="Att" | Att | width=30 abbr="Rec" | Rec | width=20 abbr="Notes" | Notes | width=30 abbr="Ref" | Ref | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sat 3 Dec 1988 | Widnes | 16-7 | Warrington | Naughton Park | 6449 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Sun 4 Dec 1988 | Bradford Northern | 6-0 | Leigh | Odsal | 3975 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Sun 4 Dec 1988 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 16-16 | Wigan | Craven Park (1) | 7142 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Sun 4 Dec 1988 | St. Helens | 34-18 | Wakefield Trinity | Knowsley Road | 7602 |
Involved 1 match with 2 clubs
width=10 abbr="No" | Game No | width=110 abbr="Date" | Fixture Date | width=150 abbr="Home Team" | Home Team | width=5 abbr="space" | width=20 abbr="Score" | Score | width=5 abbr="space" | width=150 abbr="Away Team" | Away Team | width=150 abbr="Venue" | Venue | width=30 abbr="Att" | Att | width=30 abbr="Rec" | Rec | width=20 abbr="Notes" | Notes | width=30 abbr="Ref" | Ref | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wed 7 Dec 1988 | Wigan | 30-0 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Central Park | 13278 |
[12] Involved 2 matches and 4 Clubs
width=10 abbr="No" | Game No | width=110 abbr="Date" | Fixture Date | width=150 abbr="Home Team" | Home Team | width=5 abbr="space" | width=20 abbr="Score" | Score | width=5 abbr="space" | width=150 abbr="Away Team" | Away Team | width=150 abbr="Venue" | Venue | width=30 abbr="Att" | Att | width=30 abbr="Rec" | Rec | width=20 abbr="Notes" | Notes | width=30 abbr="Ref" | Ref | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sat 10 Dec 1988 | Widnes | 20-18 | St. Helens | Wigan ?? | 6755 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Sat 17 Dec 1988 | Wigan | 16-5 | Bradford Northern | Leeds ?? | 6809 |
width=10 abbr="No" | Game No | width=110 abbr="Date" | Fixture Date | width=150 abbr="Home Team" | Home Team | width=5 abbr="space" | width=20 abbr="Score" | Score | width=5 abbr="space" | width=150 abbr="Away Team" | Away Team | width=150 abbr="Venue" | Venue | width=45 abbr="Att" | Att | width=60 abbr="Rec" | Rec | width=20 abbr="Notes" | Notes | width=30 abbr="Ref" | Ref | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday 7 January 1989 | Wigan | 12-6 | Widnes | Burnden Park | 20709 | 94874 | 7 | [13] [14] [15] |
width=280 abbr=winner | Wigan | width=60 abbr="Number" | № | width=280 abbr=runner-up | Widnes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
teams | |||||
Steve Hampson | 1 | Alan Tait | |||
Dean Bell | 2 | Rick Thackrayhttp://wolvesplayers.thisiswarrington.co.uk/martini/results.asp?txtName=Thackray&ddlAppearances=0&ddlTries=0&ddlGoals=0&ddlPoints=0&code=%25&Search=Search | |||
Kevin Iro | 3 | Andy Currier | |||
Joe Lydon | 4 | Darren Wright | |||
Tony Iro | 5 | Martin "Chariots" Offiah | |||
Ged Byrne | 6 | Tony Myler | |||
Shaun Edwards | 7 | David Hulme | |||
Adrian Shelford | 8 | Kurt Sorensen | |||
Martin Dermott | 9 | Phil McKenzie | |||
Shaun Wane | 10 | Joe Grima | |||
Denis Betts | 11 | Mike O'Neill | |||
Ian Potter | 12 | Emosi Koloto | |||
Ellery Hanley | 13 | "Richie" Eyres | |||
Andy Gregory (for Joe Lydon 51 min) | 14 | ?? Not used | |||
Andy Goodway (for Adrian Shelford 20 min) | 15 | Paul Hulme (for Emosi Koloto 44 min) | |||
Graham Lowe | Coach | Doug Laughton | |||
12 | score | 6 | |||
6 | HT | 6 | |||
Scorers | |||||
Tries | |||||
Kevin Iro (1) | T | Darren Wright (1) | |||
Ellery Hanley (1) | T | ||||
Goals | |||||
Joe Lydon (2) | G | Andy Currier (1) | |||
Referee | John Holdsworth (Kippax) | ||||
Man of the match | Ellery Hanley - Wigan - | ||||
Competition Sponsor | John Player Special |
width=100 abbr="Time" | Time | width=250 abbr="Incident" | Incident | width=50 abbr="Score" | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
incidents | incidents | score | |||
6th Minute | Try: Kevin Iro | 4-0 | |||
13th Minute | Try: Darren Wright | 4-4 | |||
Conversion: Andy Currier | 4-6 | ||||
21st Minute | Penalty Goal: Joe Lydon | 6-6 | |||
Half Time | 6-6 | ||||
42nd Minute | Penalty Goal: Joe Lydon | 8-6 | |||
69th Minute | Try: Ellery Hanley | 12-6 | |||
Full Time | 12-6 |
As part of the sponsorship deal and funds, the prize money awarded to the competing teams for this season is as follows :-
width=100 abbr="Finish Position" | Finish Position | width=110 abbr="Cash Prize" | Cash Prize | width=50 abbr="No. receiving prize" | No. receiving prize | width=100 abbr="Total Cash" | Total Cash |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | ? | 1 | ? | ||||
Runner-up | ? | 1 | ? | ||||
semi-finalist | ? | 2 | ? | ||||
loser in Rd 3 | ? | 4 | ? | ||||
loser in Rd 2 | ? | 8 | ? | ||||
Loser in Rd 1 | ? | 16 | ? | ||||
Loser in Prelim Round | ? | ? | ? | ||||
Grand Total |
This tree excludes any preliminary round fixtures
1 * Wigan St Patricks are a Junior (amateur) club from Wigan[17]
2 * Elland are a Junior (amateur) club from the Halifax area of Yorkshire[18]
3 * Runcorn Highfield forfeited home advantage for a larger gate. Runcorn Players were also in dispute and the club fielded a very reduced strength team comprised a number of trialists and reserves (and coach Bill Ashurst, (an ex Wigan player) who came out of retirement especially to play, and was disappointedly sent off 12 minutes after coming off the subs bench)
4 * A Wigan record victory in this tournament
5 * The highest score, highest score by home team and highest winning margin in the competition, between all clubs to date
6 * RUGBYLEAGUEproject[1] and Widnes official archives[8] give the score as 37-12 but Wigan official archives[2] gives it as 37-2
7 * Burnden Park was the home of English football club Bolton Wanderers from 1895 to 1997. It hosted the 1900-01 FA Cup Final replay in which Tottenham Hotspur beat Sheffield United 3.1. The record attendance was for a 6th round F A Cup match with Stoke City (Stanley Matthews played for Stoke at the time) at which, although the ground capacity was set at 70,000, an estimated 85,000 fans crowded in, and when two crush barriers broke, the result was 33 fans killed and another 400 injured. The capacity at closure was a mere 25,000