# 1989–90 Regal Trophy

The 1989–90 Regal Trophy was a British rugby league knockout tournament. It was the 19th season that the competition was held, and was the first staging of the competition since it was re-named the Regal Trophy.
Wigan won the final, beating Halifax by the score of 24–12 in the match was played at Headingley, Leeds. The attendance was 17,810 and receipts were £73688

## Background

This season saw two changes in the existing members, and two new members, a new Chorley Borough (2) and an additional (now three in total) junior club This brought the number of entrants up to thirty-eight The changes in details are :- 1 Mansfield Marksman changed their name to Nottingham City and moved to a new Harvey Hadden Stadium in Nottingham 2 York had been renamed as Ryedale-York and moved to the new Ryedale Stadium on the outskirts of the city 3 Chorley Borough re-formed, this time as Trafford Borough and moved out of Chorley and to Moss Lane the home ground of Altrincham F.C. 4 and this left a vacancy in Chorley which was filled by a newly formed club using the name of the recently departed club, yet another Chorley Borough (2)

## Competition and results
### Preliminary round

Involved 6 matches and 12 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Notes |
| 1 | Wed 8 Nov 1989 | Leeds | 32-2 | Ryedale-York | Headingley | 4979 | |
| 2 | Wed 8 Nov 1989 | Warrington | 4-12 | Sheffield Eagles | Wilderspool | 2507 | |
| 3 | Sun 19 Nov 1989 | Crossfields (Warrington) | 14-19 | Workington Town | Wilderspool | 942 | 1, 2 |
| 4 | Sun 19 Nov 1989 | Batley | 28-14 | West Hull | Mount Pleasant | 844 | 3, 4 |
| 5 | Sun 19 Nov 1989 | Kells (Whitehaven) | 2-28 | Doncaster | Recreation Ground | 2127 | 5, 6, 7 |
| 6 | Sun 19 Nov 1989 | Wakefield Trinity | 12-19 | Hull F.C. | Belle Vue | 4731 | 8 |

### Round 1 - First Round

Involved 16 matches and 32 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Notes |
| 1 | Fri 1 Dec 1989 | Sheffield Eagles | 36-22 | Rochdale Hornets | Thrum Hall | 2307 | 9 |
| 2 | Sat 2 Dec 1989 | St. Helens | 40-26 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Knowsley Road | 4888 | |
| 3 | Sun 3 Dec 1989 | Bradford Northern | 38-10 | Keighley | Odsal | 3260 | |
| 4 | Sun 3 Dec 1989 | Bramley | 16-48 | Oldham | McLaren Field | 1632 | |
| 5 | Sun 3 Dec 1989 | Chorley Borough (2) | 18-42 | Castleford | Victory Park | 1256 | |
| 6 | Sun 3 Dec 1989 | Dewsbury | 14-4 | Carlisle | Crown Flatt | 631 | |
| 7 | Sun 3 Dec 1989 | Fulham | 18-32 | Halifax | Chiswick Poly * | 1549 | 10 |
| 8 | Sun 3 Dec 1989 | Hull F.C. | 18-21 | Salford | Boulevard | 4587 | |
| 9 | Sun 3 Dec 1989 | Hunslet | 10-6 | Barrow | Elland Road | 537 | |
| 10 | Sun 3 Dec 1989 | Leeds | 26-12 | Leigh | Headingley | 7712 | |
| 11 | Sun 3 Dec 1989 | Nottingham City | 18-48 | Widnes | Harvey Hadden Stadium | 2246 | |
| 12 | Sun 3 Dec 1989 | Swinton | 18-16 | Batley | Station Road | 1359 | |
| 13 | Sun 3 Dec 1989 | Trafford Borough | 18-36 | Featherstone Rovers | Moss Lane Altrincham | 934 | |
| 14 | Sun 3 Dec 1989 | Whitehaven | 20-10 | Runcorn Highfield | Recreation Ground | 603 | |
| 15 | Sun 3 Dec 1989 | Wigan | 62-4 | Doncaster | Central Park | 7854 | |
| 16 | Sun 3 Dec 1989 | Workington Town | 4-28 | Huddersfield | Derwent Park | 571 | |

### Round 2 - Second Round

Involved 8 matches and 16 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att |
| 1 | Sat 9 Dec 1989 | Wigan | 18-0 | Widnes | Central Park | 12398 |
| 2 | Sun 10 Dec 1989 | Halifax | 20-6 | Salford | Thrum Hall | 6005 |
| 3 | Sun 10 Dec 1989 | Hunslet | 4-34 | Featherstone Rovers | Elland Road | 2031 |
| 4 | Sun 10 Dec 1989 | Leeds | 27-8 | Bradford Northern | Headingley | 14459 |
| 5 | Sun 10 Dec 1989 | Oldham | 22-8 | Huddersfield | Watersheddings | 5292 |
| 6 | Sun 10 Dec 1989 | St. Helens | 12-12 | Dewsbury | Knowsley Road | 5847 |
| 7 | Sun 10 Dec 1989 | Swinton | 6-28 | Sheffield Eagles | Station Road | 1925 |
| 8 | Sun 10 Dec 1989 | Whitehaven | 2-62 | Castleford | Recreation Ground | 1838 |

### Round 2 - Second Round Replays

Involved 1 match and 2 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| 1 | Wed 13 Dec 1989 | Dewsbury | 0-14 | St. Helens | Crown Flatt | 1981 | | | |

### Round 3 -Quarter Finals

Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Notes |
| 1 | Sat 16 Dec 1989 | Leeds | 10-10 | Wigan | Headingley | 9310 | |
| 2 | Sun 17 Dec 1989 | Halifax | 23-10 | Featherstone Rovers | Thrum Hall | 6075 | |
| 3 | Sun 17 Dec 1989 | St. Helens | 32-18 | Oldham | Knowsley Road | 7742 | |
| 4 | Sun 17 Dec 1989 | Sheffield Eagles | 2-18 | Castleford | Saltergate, Chesterfield | 3014 | 11 |

### Round 3 -Quarter Finals - Replays

Involved 1 match with 2 clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| 1 | Thu 21 Dec 1989 | Wigan | 8-0 | Leeds | Central Park | 20111 | | | |

### Round 4 – Semi-Finals

Involved 2 matches and 4 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| 1 | Sat 23 Dec 1989 | Halifax | 10-9 | St. Helens | Central Park | 6085 | | | |
| 2 | Sat 30 Dec 1989 | Wigan | 24-10 | Castleford | Headingley | 10193 | | | |

### Final

| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| | Saturday 13 January 1990 | Wigan | 24-12 | Halifax | Headingley | 17810 | 73688 | 12 | |

#### Teams and scorers

| Wigan | No. | Halifax |
| | teams | |
| Joe Lydon | 1 | Colin Whitfield |
| David Marshall | 2 | Eddie Riddlesden |
| Kevin Iro | 3 | Tony Anderson |
| Dean Bell | 4 | Brian Hetherington |
| Mark Preston | 5 | Wilf George |
| Shaun Edwards | 6 | John Dorahy (c) |
| Andy Gregory | 7 | John Lyons |
| Ian Lucas | 8 | Brendan Hill |
| Martin Dermott | 9 | Seamus McCallion |
| Andy Platt | 10 | Lindsey Johnston |
| Denis Betts | 11 | Peter Bell |
| Ian Gildart | 12 | Richard Milner |
| Ellery Hanley | 13 | Les Holliday |
| Andy Goodway (for Ian Gildart 21 min) | 14 | Steve Smith (rugby league, Halifax) (for Colin Whitfield 17 min) |
| Shaun Wane (for Ian Lucas 21 min) | 15 | Mick Scott (for Steve Smith 66 min) |
| | Coach | |
| 24 | score | 12 |
| 8 | HT | 4 |
| | Scorers | |
| | Tries | |
| Shaun Edwards (1) | T | Brendan Hill (1) |
| Andy Goodway (1) | T | |
| Ellery Hanley (3) | T | |
| | Goals | |
| Joe Lydon (2) | G | Les Holliday (4) |
| Referee | | D. Gerald "Gerry" Kershaw (Easingwold (York)) |
| Man of the match | | Ellery Hanley - Wigan - loose forward |
| Competition Sponsor | | Regal |
Scoring - Try = four points - Goal = two points - Drop goal = one point

#### Timeline in the final

| Time | Incident | Score |
| 5 min | try: Shaun Edwards | 4-0 |
| 15 min | penalty goal: Les Holliday | 4-2 |
| 31 min | penalty goal: Les Holliday | 4-4 |
| 38 min | sin bin - punching: Lindsey Johnson | |
| 38 min | cut nose - left field: Martin Dermott | |
| 39 min | try: Ellery Hanley | 8-4 |
| Half Time | : | 8-4 |
| 45 min | try: Ellery Hanley | 12-4 |
| | conversion: Joe Lydon | 14-4 |
| approx 52 min | penalty goal: Les Holliday | 14-6 |
| 53 min | sin bin brawling: Brendan Hill | |
| 53 min | sin bin brawling: Andy Platt | |
| 59 min | try: Ellery Hanley | 18-6 |
| | conversion: Joe Lydon | 20-6 |
| 71 min | try: Andy Goodway | 24-6 |
| 76 min | try: Brendan Hill | 24-10 |
| | conversion: Les Holliday | 24-12 |
| FT | : | 24-12 |

### Prize money

As part of the sponsorship deal and funds, the prize money awarded to the competing teams for this season is as follows :-
| Finish Position | Cash Prize | No. receiving prize | Total Cash |
| Winner | 28000 | 1 | 28000 |
| Runner-up | 15500 | 1 | 15500 |
| losing semi-finalist | 8250 | 2 | 16500 |
| Losers in Rd 3 | 4800 | 4 | 19200 |
| Losers in Rd 2 | 2750 | 8 | 22000 |
| Losers in Rd 1 | 1745 | 16 | 27920 |
| Appearance in Prelim Round | 1740 | 12 | 20880 |
| | | | 150000 |
| to capital development fund | | | 100000 |
| Grand Total | | | 250000 |

### The road to success

This tree excludes any preliminary round fixtures
| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Final | Final | Final |
| Leeds | Leeds | 26 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leigh | Leigh | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leigh | Leigh | 12 | Leeds | Leeds | 27 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 38 | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 10 | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 10 (0) | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 10 (8) | | | | | | | | |
| Wigan | Wigan | 62 | | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 10 (8) | | | | | | | | |
| Doncaster | Doncaster | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Doncaster | Doncaster | 4 | Wigan | Wigan | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Widnes | Widnes | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Nottingham City | Nottingham City | 18 | Widnes | Widnes | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Widnes | Widnes | 48 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Widnes | Widnes | 48 | | | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 24 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Castleford | Castleford | 10 | | | | |
| Swinton | Swinton | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | Castleford | Castleford | 10 | | | | |
| Batley | Batley | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Batley | Batley | 16 | Swinton | Swinton | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Sheffield Eagles | Sheffield Eagles | 28 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Sheffield Eagles | Sheffield Eagles | 36 | Sheffield Eagles | Sheffield Eagles | 28 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 22 | | | | Sheffield Eagles | Sheffield Eagles | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Castleford | Castleford | 18 | | | | | | | | |
| Whitehaven | Whitehaven | 20 | | | | | | | Castleford | Castleford | 18 | | | | | | | | |
| Runcorn Highfield | Runcorn Highfield | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Runcorn Highfield | Runcorn Highfield | 10 | Whitehaven | Whitehaven | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Castleford | Castleford | 62 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Chorley Borough (2) | Chorley Borough (2) | 18 | Castleford | Castleford | 62 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Castleford | Castleford | 42 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Castleford | Castleford | 42 | | | | | | | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 24 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Halifax | Halifax | 12 |
| Fulham | Fulham | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Halifax | Halifax | 12 |
| Halifax | Halifax | 32 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Halifax | Halifax | 32 | Halifax | Halifax | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Salford | Salford | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 18 | Salford | Salford | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Salford | Salford | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Salford | Salford | 21 | | | | Halifax | Halifax | 23 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 10 | | | | | | | | |
| Hunslet | Hunslet | 10 | | | | | | | Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 10 | | | | | | | | |
| Barrow | Barrow | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Barrow | Barrow | 6 | Hunslet | Hunslet | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 34 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Trafford Borough | Trafford Borough | 18 | Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 34 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 36 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 36 | | | | | | | | Halifax | Halifax | 10 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 9 | | | | |
| St. Helens | St. Helens | 40 | | | | | | | | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 9 | | | | |
| Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 26 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 26 | St. Helens | St. Helens | 12 (14) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 12(0) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 14 | Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 12(0) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Carlisle | Carlisle | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Carlisle | Carlisle | 4 | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 32 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Oldham | Oldham | 18 | | | | | | | | |
| Bramley | Bramley | 16 | | | | | | | Oldham | Oldham | 18 | | | | | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 48 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 48 | Oldham | Oldham | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Workington Town | Workington Town | 4 | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 28 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Notes and comments

1 * Crossfields are a Junior (amateur) club from Warrington 2 * Score at half time was 8-8 3 * West Hull are a Junior (amateur) club from Hull 4 * Rothmans Yearbooks 1991–92 and 1991–92 and RUGBYLEAGUEproject give score as 28-14 but Wigan official archives gives it as 27-14 5 * Kells are a Junior (amateur) club from Cumbria 6 * The score at half time was 0-2 7 * The game was played at Whitehaven's ground 8 * This result is missing from the details given in RUGBYLEAGUEproject
9 * This match played at Thrum Hall, home of Halifax - NOTE After the Hillsborough Stadium disaster Sheffield Eagles were unable to play at their home ground and during this season used 7 different venues as temporary "home" grounds 10 * At this time Fulham were a bit nomadic, using a collection of grounds as their "home", but the likelihood was that this match was probably played at Chiswick Polytechnic Sports Ground 11 * This match played at Saltergate, the home of Chesterfield F.C. - NOTE After the Hillsborough Stadium disaster Sheffield Eagles were unable to play at their home ground and during this season used 7 different venues as temporary "home" grounds 12 * Headingley, Leeds, is the home ground of Leeds RLFC with a capacity of 21,000. The record attendance was 40,175 for a league match between Leeds and Bradford Northern on 21 May 1947.