The Yorkshire Cup is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

Rugby Football Union The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It pro ...

competition founded in 1878. It is organised by the Yorkshire Rugby Football Union and is open to all eligible clubs in the

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

area. It was initially known as the Yorkshire Challenge Cup. The Yorkshire Senior Cup is currently the premier county cup competition for club sides based in Yorkshire that play in tier 4 ( National League 2 North), tier 5 ( National League 3 North) and tier 6 ( North 1 East) of the English rugby union league system. The current format is as a knock-out cup with a first round, second round, quarter-final, semi-final and final, which is to be played at neutral ground in the county. Teams ranked lower than tier 6 play in the Yorkshire Shield or Yorkshire Trophy.

History

Yorkshire Cup (Rugby Union) T'owd tin pot

In 1877, despite reservations within the

, the committee of the Yorkshire County Football Club (composed from the clubs of Bradford FC, Huddersfield FC, Leeds FC, Hull FC and York FC) sanctioned a knock-out tournament - the first of its kind in the UK. The notion of competing for a trophy appealed to the public of Yorkshire as much as it appalled the guardians of amateurism. The proceeds from the final were distributed among local charities. In the first season, 16 teams battled it out for the T'owd Tin Pot, with York eventually losing out to Halifax in the final. The trophy itself is known as "T'owd Tin Pot", pronounced with a Yorkshire accent. Since the schism of 1895 which led to the formation of the

Northern Rugby Football Union Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

and the development of

rugby league football Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playing field, field measur ...

, the cup has been competed for by clubs who remained with the Rugby Football Union. According to the Hallmarks on the trophy it was made by Martin, Hall & Co. Sheffield and London, in 1877. It is made of Sterling Silver .925. The trophy was won by Morley Rugby Club in the two seasons prior to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, and was kept "in a drawer under the secretary's bed" for the duration of the war.

Final results

Number of wins

* Halifax (13) *

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa ...

(12) *

Morley Morley may refer to: Places England * Morley, Norfolk, a civil parish * Morley, Derbyshire, a civil parish * Morley, Cheshire, a village * Morley, County Durham, a village * Morley, West Yorkshire, a suburban town of Leeds and civil parish * M ...

(11) *

Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...

(10) *

Otley Otley is a market town and civil parish at a bridging point on the River Wharfe, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the population was 13,668 at the 20 ...

(9) *

Wakefield RFC Wakefield RFC was an English rugby union club, founded in 1901 and folded in 2004 as a result of poor finances, with a trading loss of £105,000 for the season and unsecured creditors' loans of approximately £640,000. The club's final season w ...

(7) * Bradford RFC (6) *

Castleford RUFC Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins th ...

(5) * Halifax (5) *

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

(4) * Wakefield Trinity Wildcats (4) *

Wharfedale Wharfedale ( ) is the valley of the upper parts of the River Wharfe and one of the Yorkshire Dales. It is situated within the districts of Craven and Harrogate in North Yorkshire, and the cities of Leeds and Bradford in West Yorkshire. It ...

(4) *

Sandal Sandals are an open type of footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps going over the instep and around the ankle. Sandals can also have a heel. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can ...

(3) * Skipton RFC (3) *

Yorkshire Carnegie Leeds Tykes (formerly Leeds RUFC, Leeds Carnegie and Yorkshire Carnegie) is an English rugby union club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the National League 1. The club was founded as Headingley FC, but renamed in 1991 when it j ...

(3) * Old Thornensians (2) * Roundhay (2) *

Batley Batley is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Batley lies south-west of Leeds, north-west of Wakefield and Dewsbury, south-east of Bradford and north-east of Huddersfield. Batley is part of the ...

(1) * Bradford F.C. (1) *

Brighouse Brighouse is a town within the metropolitan borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated on the River Calder, east of Halifax. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 ...

(1) * Dewsbury Rams (1) * Goole Grammar School Old Boys (1) *

Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants are an English professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, the birthplace of rugby league, who play in the Super League competition. They play their home games at the John Smiths Stadium which is sha ...

(1) * Huddersfield RUFC (1) *

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

(1) *

Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challen ...

(1) *

Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central parliamenta ...

(1) * Keighlians (1) *

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the ...

(1) * Mytholmroyd (1) * Old Crossleyans (1) * Old Hymerians (1) * Old Roundheigians (1) * Ossett (1) * Pontefract (1) *

Rotherham Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...

(1) * Royal Signals (1) * Sowerby Bridge (1) * Thornes (1) * West Leeds Old Boys (1)

Bibliography

* Cup final programmes, including the 1978 Centenary Programme. * Wakefield Rugby Football Club—1901-2001 A Centenary History. Written and compiled by David Ingall in 2001. * Yorkshire Rugby Union Centenary 1869-1969 book produced by Yorkshire RFU.

References

External links

Yorkshire Cup results
on Yorkshire RU {{Rugby union in England, state=collapsed Rugby union cup competitions in England Recurring sporting events established in 1878