1996 Challenge Cup Explained
| 1996 Silk Cut Challenge Cup |
| Duration: | 8 Rounds |
| Highest Attendance: | 78,550 |
| Tv: |  BBC Sport |
| Season: | 1996 |
| Season Champs: | St. Helens |
| Season Champ Name: | Winners |
| Second Place: | Bradford Bulls |
| Mvp: | Robbie Paul |
| Mvp Link: | Lance Todd Trophy |
| Prevseason Link: | 1994–95 Challenge Cup |
| Prevseason Year: | 1994–95 |
| Nextseason Link: | 1997 Challenge Cup |
| Nextseason Year: | 1997 |
The 1996 Challenge Cup was the 95th staging of the Challenge Cup tournament. Known as the Silk Cut Challenge Cup due to sponsorship from Silk Cut, it was the first Challenge Cup of the summer era. The tournament featured 40 teams playing 42 games, the culmination of which was the final at London's Wembley Stadium between Super League I teams St. Helens and Bradford Bulls.[1]
Prize money
The following is a table of prize amounts received by each club depending on which round of the Challenge Cup was reached. No prizes were awarded in the first two rounds of the competition, but amateur clubs who reached the Third Round each received £1,000.[2]
| Round | Prize fund |
|---|
| Third round | £3,500 |
| Fourth round | £3,500 |
| Fifth round | £6,000 |
| Quarter Final | £9,000 |
| Semi Final | £12,500 |
| Runners-up | £35,000 |
| Winners | £70,000 | |
First round
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|
| 1 | Beverley | 14–10 | Bisons |
| 2 | Blackpool Gladiators | 14–10 | Fryston |
| 3 | Dudley Hill | 22–29 | Thatto Heath |
| 4 | Eastmoor | 24–6 | Upton & Frickley |
| 5 | Egremont | 12–8 | Hensingham |
| 6 | Hemel Hempstead | 32–8 | Worth Village |
| 7 | Heworth | 34–6 | Student RL Old Boys |
| 8 | Leigh Miners | 32–14 | Mysons |
| 9 | Lock Lane | 36–9 | Humberside University |
| 10 | Mayfield | 22–4 | Simms Cross |
| 11 | Millom | 12–22 | Skirlaugh |
| 12 | Nottingham City | 10–74 | West Bowling |
| 13 | Oldham St Annes | 28–12 | Underbank Rangers |
| 14 | Saddleworth | 43–6 | Lowca |
| 15 | Thornhill | 33–11 | Blackbrook |
| 16 | West Hull | 100–2 | Durham University |
| 17 | Wigan St Patricks | 34–4 | Haydock |
| 18 | Woolston Rovers | 62–4 | Sir John Moores Univ | |
Second round
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|
| 1 | Eastmoor | 17–16 | Leigh Miners |
| 2 | Lock Lane | 22–14 | Beverley |
| 3 | Oldham St Annes | 12–15 | Thatto Heath |
| 4 | Saddleworth | 8–17 | Heworth |
| 5 | Skirlaugh | 19–8 | Mayfield |
| 6 | Thornhill | 44–26 | Hemel Hempstead |
| 7 | West Hull | 35–18 | Blackpool Gladiators |
| 8 | Wigan St Patricks | 6–13 | West Bowling |
| 9 | Woolston Rovers | 20–20 | Egremont |
| Replay | Egremont | 13–6 | Woolston Rovers | |
Third round
Fourth round
Fifth round
Quarter-final
Semi finals
----
Final
The 1996 tournament's final featured
Super League clubs
St. Helens and
Bradford Bulls, and was played on Saturday, 27 April
[3] at London's
Wembley Stadium before a crowd of 78,550.
[4] The match was refereed by
Stuart Cummings and at half time Bradford led 14-12.
[5] Trailing 26-12 from the 53rd to the 57th minute, St Helens overcame this 14-point deficit, the biggest in Challenge Cup final history for a winning team, to prevail by 40-32. This also made it the highest-scoring Challenge Cup final in history.
[6] Bradford's 32 points set a new record for most points scored in a Challenge Cup final-losing team. Bradford's scrum half back, Robbie Paul, became the fourth player ever to achieve what was a Challenge Cup final record of three tries, and was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy for man-of-the-match.[7]
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: Challenge Cup 1996. rugbyleagueproject.org. Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson and Bill Bates. 3 June 2012.
- Book: Fletcher, Raymond . 1997 . Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1997 . Headline Book Publishing . 250 . 978-0-7472-7764-4 .
- Web site: Grandstand - BBC One London - 27 April 1996 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-02-10.
- Web site: Past Winners. thechallengecup.com. Rugby Football League. 3 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120720023237/http://thechallengecup.com/page.php?id=767. 20 July 2012. dead.
- Web site: steveprescottfoundation.co.uk. Steve Prescott Stats. Steve Prescott Foundation. 3 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120808052156/http://www.steveprescottfoundation.co.uk/About/StevePrescottStats.aspx. 8 August 2012. dead.
- Web site: Challenge Cup Records. thechallengecup.com. Rugby Football League. 3 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120720023222/http://thechallengecup.com/page.php?id=1832. 20 July 2012. dead.
- Web site: Lance Todd Trophy. thechallengecup.com. Rugby Football League. 3 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120720023242/http://thechallengecup.com/page.php?id=768. 20 July 2012. dead.
