The 1945–46 Lancashire Cup was the thirty-third occasion on which the Lancashire Cup competition had been held in rugby league, and the first since the end of the Second World War in Europe.
For the first time for several seasons there is a new name on the trophy; that of one of the founder members of the

Northern Union The Rugby Football League (RFL) is the governing body for rugby league in England. Founded in 1895 as the Northern Rugby Football Union following 22 clubs resigning from the Rugby Football Union, it changed its name in 1922 to the Rugby Footb ...

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census had a population of 62,400. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, ...

, who won the trophy by beating

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

by the score of 7–3.
The match was played at Wilderspool,

Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...

, (

historically History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

in the county of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

). The attendance was 28,184 and receipts were £2,600.

Background

The number of teams entering showed little change from before the war.

St Helens Recs St Helens Recreation Rugby League Football Club, often known as St Helens Recs or just the Recs, is a former professional rugby league club from St. Helens, Lancashire, that played in the Rugby Football League during the inter-war years. The club ...

had already withdrawn from the league immediately after the end on the 1938–39 season. The club had been struggling to survive for a few years with falling attendances and the economic depression and it was obviously not possible for the town to sustain two top teams.

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...

lost its ground to in August 1940 when Callender's Cable and Construction Company bought the Mather Lane site to store drums etc as part of the war effort. The club did not resume playing until the 1946–47 season when they found a temporary ground.

Workington Town Workington Town is a semi-professional rugby league club based in Workington, West Cumbria, England. The club plays home games at Derwent Park and competes in the RFL League One, League One, the third tier of British rugby league system, Briti ...

from

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

had joined the league.
Overall, the number of teams entering this year's competition had decreased from the pre-war total by just one and was now 12. The same pre-war fixture format was retained. This season saw no byes but two "blank" or "dummy" fixture in the first round. The second round now had two byes.
The first round of the competition was played on the basis of two legged, home and away, ties.

Competition and results

Round 1

Involved 6 matches (with two "blank" fixture) and 12 clubs

Round 1 – second leg

Involved 6 matches (with two "blank" fixture) and 12 clubs. These are the reverse fixture from the first leg

Round 2 – quarterfinals

Involved 2 matches (with two byes) and 6 clubs

Round 3 – semifinals

Involved 2 matches and 4 clubs

Final

Teams and scorers

Scoring – Try = three (3) points – Goal = two (2) points – Drop goal = two (2) points

The road to success

All the first round ties were played on a two leg (home and away) basis The first club named in each of the first round ties played the first leg at home the scores shown in the first round are the aggregate score over the two legs 1 * The first match in the Lancashire Cup competition to be played by the new club and at this ground (of Workington AFC)
2 * Wilderspool was the home ground of

from 1883 to the end of the 2003 Summer season when they moved into the new purpose built

Halliwell Jones Stadium Halliwell Jones Stadium is a rugby league stadium in Warrington, England, which is the home ground of the Warrington Wolves. It has also staged Challenge Cup semi-finals, the European Nations Final, the National League Grand Finals' Day, two g ...

. Wilderspool remained as a sports/Ruugby League ground and is/was used by Woolston Rovers/

Warrington Wizards Woolston Rovers are a rugby league team based in Warrington. The open age teams play in the National Division of the Rugby League Conference. History Woolston Rovers Woolston Rovers Rugby Club was founded at the Lido Country Club on Manchester ...

junior club.
The ground had a final capacity of 9,000 although the record attendance was set in a Challenge cup third round match on 13 March 1948 when 34,304 spectators saw Warrington lose to Wigan 10–13.

References

External links

Saints Heritage Society1896–97 Northern Rugby Football Union season at wigan.rlfans.comHull&Proud Fixtures & Results 1896/1897Widnes Vikings – One team, one passion Season In Review – 1896–97The Northern Union at warringtonwolves.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:1945 Lancashire Cup 1945 in English rugby league RFL Lancashire Cup