1955–56 Northern Rugby Football League season

The 1955–56 Rugby Football League season was the leagues's 61st season.

1955–56 Rugby Football League season
LeagueNorthern Rugby Football League
Champions Hull
League Leaders Warrington
Top point-scorer(s) Harry Bath 344
Top try-scorer(s) Jack McLean 61

Season summary

Belle Vue Rangers dropped out of the competition shortly before the start of the season. There was no time to reschedule and so percentages were used.[1]

In 1955-56 Wigan took part in the Independent Television Association Trophy. This was a series of televised floodlit matches played in London and shown on the newly launched ITV. It only lasted one year but the idea would be picked up again by the BBC in 1965.

ITV Floodlit Competition winners were Warrington who beat Leigh 43-18 in the final.

Hull F.C. won their fourth Rugby Football League Championship when they beat Halifax 10-9 in the play-off final. Warrington had finished the regular season as league leaders.

The Challenge Cup winners were St. Helens who beat Halifax 13-2 in the final.

Warrington won the Lancashire League, and Halifax won the Yorkshire League. Leigh beat Widnes 26–9 to win the Lancashire County Cup, and Halifax beat Hull F.C. 10–10 (replay 7–0) to win the Yorkshire County Cup.

Championship
Team Pld W D L Pts Pct
1Warrington3427165580.88
2Halifax3628265880.55
3St. Helens3427075479.41
4Hull36251105170.83
5Wigan34222104667.64
6Featherstone Rovers36232114866.66
7Barrow34212114464.70
8Bradford Northern36222124663.88
9Oldham34200144058.82
10Swinton34192134058.82
11Leigh34192134058.82
12Leeds36210154258.33
13York36200164055.55
14Huddersfield36181173751.37
15Workington Town34170173450.00
16Keighley36180183850.00
17Wakefield Trinity36170193447.22
18Hunslet36170193447.22
19Bramley34160183247.05
20Rochdale Hornets34150193044.11
21Whitehaven34141192942.64
22Salford34131202739.70
23Widnes34110232232.35
24Hull Kingston Rovers36111242331.94
25Doncaster3475221927.94
26Blackpool Borough3490251826.47
27Castleford3690271825.00
28Liverpool City3480261623.52
29Dewsbury3480261623.52
30Batley3471261522.05
  Play-offs

Play-offs
Semi-finals Championship Final - 12th May 1956
      
1 Warrington 0
4 Hull 17
Hull 10
Halifax 9
2 Halifax 23
3 St. Helens 8

Challenge Cup
Main article: 1955–56 Challenge Cup
A marching band provides entertainment at Wembley Stadium before the 1956 Challenge Cup final.

In the Challenge Cup tournament's final St. Helens faced Halifax. Played on 28 April 1956 at Wembley Stadium in front of a crowd of 79,341, St Helens won 13-2.[2] This was Saints' first Challenge Cup final win in five Final appearances.[3] Alan Prescott, their prop forward was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy for man-of-the-match.

The St Helens team was greeted enthusiastically upon their return to the North. After detraining at Liverpool the team's open-top coach ride to St Helens attracted an estimated 100,000 people despite pouring rain.[4]

European Championship

This was the fifteenth European Championship and was won for the second time by the Other Nationalities.[5]

Results
12 September
Other nationalities   33–16  England
19 October
Other nationalities   32–19  France
10 May
France  23–9  England

Final standings
TeamPlayedWonDrewLostForAgainstDiffPoints
  Other nationalities22006535+304
 France21014241+12
 England20022556−310
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References
  1. "1955-56 Season summary". Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  2. "1956 Challenge Cup final". rugbyleagueproject.org. Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson and Bill Bates. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  3. "RFL Challenge Cup Roll of Honour". Archived from the original on 2009-09-16. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  4. Jeff Hill, Jack Williams (1996). Sport and Identity in the North of England. UK: Keele University Press. p. 98 & 99.
  5. Raymond Fletcher; David Howes (1995). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1995-1996. London: Headline Book Publishing. p. 425. ISBN 0-7472-7817-2.

Sources
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