The 1952–53 Challenge Cup was the 52nd staging of

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup.

First round

Second round

Quarterfinals

A club record 69,429 people watch the Challenge Cup 3rd Round tie at Odsal between Bradford Northern and Huddersfield. Larger crowds had watched matches at Odsal, but this was the largest involving the home side.

Semifinals

Final

In the final,

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

beat St. Helens 15-10 at Wembley in front of a crowd of 89,588. This produced a record gate taking for a Challenge Cup final of £31,000. This was

’s sixth Cup final win in seven Final appearances, including one win during the Second World War. coached by William R. 'Bill' Smith, their stand-off half, Peter Ramsden, became the youngest player to win the

Lance Todd Trophy The Lance Todd Trophy is a trophy in rugby league, awarded to the annual Challenge Cup Final's man of the match. Introduced in 1945–46, the trophy was named in memory of Lance Todd, the New Zealand-born player and administrator, who was killed i ...

for man-of-the-match at 19. the Huddersfield team also featured Australian

Pat Devery Patrick Charles Devery (9 August 1922 – 17 December 2017) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s, and coached in the 1950s. An Australian international representative half, he played in Austr ...

and New Zealand's Peter Henderson.

Coverage

The draw for the first round of the cup was broadcast live on television, and was the first time a rugby league cup draw had been televised. The final itself was untelevised, as the Rugby League Council refused permission to broadcast the match due to concerns that this would impact the attendance.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1952-53 Challenge Cup Challenge Cup Challenge Cup