Rugby league season
| 1980–81 John Player Trophy |
|---|
| Structure | National knockout championship |
|---|
| Teams | 32 |
|---|
| Winners | Warrington |
|---|
| Runners-up | Barrow |
|---|
|
This was the tenth season for rugby league's League Cup competition. It was again known as the John Player Trophy for sponsorship purposes.
Warrington won the final, beating Barrow by the score of 12-5 at Central Park, Wigan in front of a crowd of 12,802. The gate receipts were £21020.
Background
This season saw only one change in the entrants, with the admittance of Fulham to the league and to this competition, resulted in only one junior club being invited, the total number remaining at thirty-two.
Competition and results
[1]
Round 1 - First Round
[2]
Involved 16 matches and 32 Clubs
Round 2 - Second Round
[2]
Involved 8 matches and 16 Clubs
Round 3 -Quarter Finals
[2]
Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs
Round 4 – Semi-Finals
[2]
Involved 2 matches and 4 Clubs
Round 3 – Semi-Finals - Replays
Involved 1 match and 2 Clubs
Final
| Warrington
|
12 – 5
|
Barrow
|
Tries: Bevan (2)
Goals: Hesford (2)
Drop goals: Hesford (2)
|
|
Tries: Mason
Goals: Ball
|
Teams
Prize money
As part of the sponsorship deal and funds, the prize money awarded to the competing teams for this season is as follows:
| Finish Position
|
Cash Prize
|
No. receiving prize
|
Total Cash
|
| Winner |
£8,500 |
1 |
£8,500
|
| Runner-up |
£4,000 |
1 |
£4,000
|
| Semi-finalists |
£2,000 |
2 |
£4,000
|
| Losers in Rd 3 |
£1,000 |
4 |
£4,000
|
| Losers in Rd 2 |
£800 |
8 |
£6,400
|
| Losers in Rd 1 |
£600 |
16 |
£9,600
|
| Grand Total |
£36,500
|
The road to success
This tree excludes any preliminary round fixtures
1 * Pilkington Recs are a Junior (amateur) club from St Helens, home ground was City Road until they moved to Ruskin Drive from 2011-12
2 * Wigan official archives[2] gives the score as 15-34 but RUGBYLEAGUEproject[1] gives it as 16-34
3 * RUGBYLEAGUEproject[1] gives the attendance as 3,571, the same as the previously listed match (which was Widnes v Huddersfield in round 2), but the Widnes official website[9] omits to give the attendance for this match, one of only a few matches for that season without an attendance noted
4 * Wigan official archives[2] give the score as 13-10 but RUGBYLEAGUEproject[1] gives it as 13-15. As Barrow progressed into the semi-final, the score given in the Wigan archives was obviously in error
5 * RUGBYLEAGUEproject[1] gives the attendance as 12,820 but Rothman's Yearbooks 1990-91 and 1992-93 give it as 12,802
6 * The attendance was a record for the final of this tournament (but would be broken next season)
7 * Central Park was the home ground of Wigan with a final capacity of 18,000, although the record attendance was 47,747 for Wigan v St Helens 27 March 1959
See also
References
General
- Fletcher, Raymond; Howes, David, eds. (1981). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1981-82. Rothmans Publications. ISBN 978-0-907574-07-1.
Specific
External links
