1977–78 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy
StructureFloodlit knockout championship
Teams22
WinnersHull Kingston Rovers
Runners-upSt. Helens

The 1977–78 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy was the thirteenth occasion on which the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy competition had been held. This year there was another new name added when Hull Kingston Rovers won the trophy by beating St. Helens in the final by the score of 26-11. The match was played at Craven Park (1), in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire. The attendance was 10,099, and the receipts were £6,586.

Background

The Rugby Football League's BBC2 Floodlit Trophy was a knock-out competition sponsored by the BBC and between rugby league clubs, entrance to which was conditional upon the club having floodlights. Most matches were played on an evening, and those of which the second half was televised, were played on a Tuesday evening.
Despite the competition being named as 'Floodlit', many matches took place during the afternoons and not under floodlights, and several of the entrants, including Barrow and Bramley did not have adequate lighting. And, when in 1973, due to the world oil crisis, the government restricted the use of floodlights in sport, all the matches, including the Trophy final, had to be played in the afternoon rather than at night.
The Rugby League season always (until the onset of "Summer Rugby" in 1996) ran from around August-time through to around May-time and this competition always took place early in the season, in the Autumn, with the final taking place in December (The only exception to this was when disruption of the fixture list was caused by inclement weather)

Competition and results

This season Bramley, winners in 1973, did not enter the competition (they returned next year), but Batley joined the competition; thus the number of entrants remaining the same at twenty-two.[1][2] The format remained as a knock-out competition from the preliminary round through to the final. The preliminary round involved twelve clubs, to reduce the numbers taking part in the competition proper to just sixteen.

Preliminary round

Involved 6 matches and 12 clubs

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue Att Rec Notes Ref
PSun 28 Aug 1977Halifax5-43LeighThrum Hall
PTue 30 Aug 1977Huddersfield18-22WiganFartown[3][4]
PTue 30 Aug 1977Salford39-5New HunsletThe Willows
PWed 7 Sep 1977Keighley25-2SwintonLawkholme Lane
PTue 13 Sep 1977Bramley4-14Wakefield TrinityMcLaren Field1[5]
PTue 27 Sep 1977Leeds16-13WidnesHeadingley[6]

Round 1 – first round

Involved 8 matches and 16 clubs

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue Att Rec Notes Ref
1Wed 28 Sep 1977Barrow6-10LeighCraven Park
2Tue 4 Oct 1977Whitehaven5-6SalfordRecreation Ground
3Wed 5 Oct 1977Oldham13-11WarringtonWatersheddings[7]
4Wed 5 Oct 1977Wakefield Trinity15-8KeighleyBelle Vue[5]
5Tue 11 Oct 1977St. Helens51-0DewsburyKnowsley Road2,7542[8]
6Wed 12 Oct 1977Leeds19-5Rochdale HornetsHeadingley
7Tue 25 Oct 1977Hull Kingston Rovers18-7WiganCraven Park (1)3[9]
8Tue 18 Oct 1977Hull F.C.ACastlefordBoulevard4[10]

Round 1 – first round – replay

Involved 8 matches and 16 clubs

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue Att Rec Notes Ref
8Wed 26 Oct 1977Hull F.C.7-10CastlefordBoulevard[10]

Round 2 – quarter finals

Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue Att Rec Notes Ref
1Tue 1 Nov 1977Salford29-10OldhamThe Willows
2Tue 8 Nov 1977Wakefield Trinity14-22Hull Kingston RoversBelle Vue[5]
3Tue 15 Nov 1977Castleford14-10LeedsWheldon Road
4Tue 22 Nov 1977Leigh7-14St. HelensHilton Park4,011[8]

Round 3 – semi-finals

Involved 2 matches and 4 clubs

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue Att Rec Notes Ref
1Tue 29 Nov 1977Castleford5-23Hull Kingston RoversWheldon Road
2Tue 6 Dec 1977St. Helens7-4SalfordKnowsley Road3,500[8]

Final

Game No Fixture date Home team Score Away team Venue Att Rec Notes Ref
1Tuesday 13 December 1977Hull Kingston Rovers26-11St. HelensCraven Park (1)10,0996,5863 5[8][11][12]

Teams and scorers

Hull Kingston Rovers St. Helens
teams
Dave Hall1Geoff Pimblett
Gerald "Ged" Dunn2Les Jones
Mike Smith3Derek Noonan
Bernard Watson4Eddie Cunningham
Clive Sullivan5Peter Glynn
Steve Hartley6Bill Francis
Roger Millward7Ken Gwilliam
John Millington8David "Dave" Chisnall
David Watkinson9Graham Liptrot
John Cunningham10Mel James
Phil Lowe11Mick Hope
Paul Rose12Anthony "Tony" Karalius
Len Casey13Harry Pinner
Roger MillwardCoachEric Ashton
26score11
11HT3
Scorers
Tries
Gerald "Ged" Dunn (2)TEddie Cunningham (1)
Mike Smith (1)TPeter Glynn (2)
Clive Sullivan (1)T
Steve Hartley (1)T
Paul Rose (1)T
Goals
Dave Hall (4)GPeter Glynn (1)
RefereeMichael "Mick" J. Naughton (Widnes)

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

[8][11]

The road to success

This tree excludes any preliminary round fixtures

First round Second round Semi-finals Final
            
Hull F.C. 7
Castleford 10
Castleford 14
Leeds 10
Leeds 19
Rochdale Hornets 5
Castleford 5
Hull KR 23
Wakefield Trinity 15
Keighley 8
Wakefield Trinity 14
Hull KR 22
Hull KR 18
Wigan 7
Hull KR 26
St. Helens 11
Barrow 6
Leigh 10
Leigh 7
St. Helens 14
St. Helens 51
Dewsbury 0
St. Helens 7
Salford 4
Whitehaven 5
Salford 6
Salford 29
Oldham 10
Oldham 13
Warrington 11

Notes

1 * Batley join the competition and play first game in the competition, and first at home in the competition. It was also their one and only game as they did not enter the competition again
2 * At the time this highest score and greatest winning margin, never to be beaten
3 * This match was televised
4 * Abandoned after 25 Minutes due to Fog - Second Half was due to be Live on BBC 2
5 * Craven Park (1) was the home ground of Hull Kingston Rovers from 2 September 1922 to 9 April 1989. The final capacity was estimated to be under 10,000 although the record attendance was 22,282 set on 7 October 1922 in a match against local rivals Hull FC. The stadium was demolished in 1989 and a new supermarket constructed for the Co-op, and now occupied by Morrisons.

See also

References

  1. "Rugby League Project".
  2. "Wigan "Cherry and White" matches".
  3. "Huddersfield Rugby League Heritage" (PDF).
  4. "Wigan "Cherry and White" archived results". Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "I'm Wakefield 'til I die..."
  6. "Widnes Vikings - History - Season In Review - 1977".
  7. "Warrington Wolves - Results Archive - 1977".
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Saints Heritage Society - History - Season 1896-97".
  9. "Wigan "Cherry and White" archived results".
  10. 1 2 "HULL&PROUD - Stats - Fixtures & Results".
  11. 1 2 Raymond Fletcher and David Howes (1990). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1990-1991. Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0 35617851 X.
  12. Raymond Fletcher and David Howes (1991). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1991-100. Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0 35617852 8.
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