The 1939–40 Lancashire Cup was the thirty-second occasion on which the Lancashire Cup completion had been held. Due to the start of the Second World War, the competition was delayed until early 1940.
Swinton won the trophy by beating
Widnes
Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464.
Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...
on a two legged final by the score of 21-15 aggregate.
The first leg was played at
Naughton Park
The DCBL Stadium (historically known as Lowerhouse Lane and Naughton Park) is a rugby league stadium in Widnes, Cheshire, England. It is the home of Rugby League side Widnes Vikings of the Betfred Championship, and American football side Halt ...
, Widnes, and the second led was played at
Station Road, Swinton.
Swinton won both legs, 5-4 away and 16-11 at home.
The attendances were 5,500 at Widnes and 9,000 at Swinton.
Preamble to changes
Prior to the
declaration of war on 3 September 1939, most clubs had played two or three fixtures (on Saturday 26, Thursday 31 August and Saturday 2 September).
During the following week, the
Northern Rugby League decided, after publicity from the Government, to suspend the championship. They almost immediately inaugurated two regional (Lancashire and Yorkshire), Wartime Emergency Leagues, with the winner of each league meeting in a play-off final to decide the overall winner.
The Challenge Cup and both County Cups were suspended. There was to be no Lancashire Cup competition in 1939.
But later in the season both County Cups were resurrected.
The Lancashire Cup started on Saturday 2 March 1940 and was played on consecutive weekends.
Each and every match was played on a two-legged home and away basis.
Background
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had already withdrawn from the league immediately after the end on the 1938-39 season.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.
The number of teams entering this year's competition decreased by one with the loss of
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 ...
to a total of 12.
The same 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 whole competition was played on the basis of two legged ties.
Competition and results
Round 1 – First Leg
Involved 6 matches (with two “blank” fixture) and 12 clubs
Round 1 – Second Leg
Involved 6 matches (with two “blank” fixture) and 12 clubs. The reverse fixtures of the first leg
Round 2 - Quarter Finals – First Leg
Involved 2 matches (with two) and 6 clubs
Round 2 - Quarter Finals –Second Leg
Involved 2 matches (with two) and 6 clubs. The reverse fixtures of the first leg
Round 3 – Semi-Finals – First Legs
Involved 2 matches and 4 clubs
Round 3 – Semi-Finals – Second Legs
Involved 2 matches and 4 clubs. The reverse fixtures of the first leg
Final – First Leg
Final – Second Leg
The reverse fixture of the first leg
Teams and scorers
Scoring - Try = three (3) points - Goal = two (2) points - Drop goal = two (2) points
[
]
The road to success
ALL ties were played on a two leg (home and away) basis
The first club named in each tie played the first leg at home
The scores shown are the aggregate score over the two legs
Notes and comments
This would be the last year of the Lancashire Cup until season 1945-46.
In the in-between years, many Lancashire clubs were invited (and accepted the invitation) to take part in the Yorkshire Cup competition.
See also
*
*Rugby league county cups
Historically, English rugby league clubs competed for the Lancashire Cup and the Yorkshire Cup, known collectively as the county cups. The leading rugby clubs in Yorkshire had played in a cup competition (affectionately known as ''t’owd tin pot ...
References
External links
Saints Heritage Society
1896–97 Northern Rugby Football Union season at wigan.rlfans.com
Hull&Proud Fixtures & Results 1896/1897
Widnes Vikings - One team, one passion Season In Review - 1896-97
The Northern Union at warringtonwolves.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:1939-40 Lancashire Cup
RFL Lancashire Cup
Lancashire Cup