# 1949–50 Northern Rugby Football League season

The 1949–50 Rugby Football League season was the 55th season of rugby league football. First placed Wigan successfully defended a challenge from second placed Huddersfield in the play-off final to claim the Rugby Football League Championship. The Challenge Cup winners were Warrington who beat Widnes 19-0 in the final. Wigan won the Lancashire League, and Huddersfield won the Yorkshire League. Wigan beat Leigh 20–7 to win the Lancashire Cup, and Bradford beat Huddersfield 11–4 to win the Yorkshire Cup. Crowds peaked in 1949-50 with a record 69.8 million paying to watch rugby league matches.

## Championship

This season the Rugby Football League Championship was determined by a final.
| | Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Wigan | 36 | 31 | 1 | 4 | 63 |
| 2 | Huddersfield | 36 | 28 | 1 | 7 | 57 |
| 3 | Swinton | 36 | 25 | 4 | 7 | 54 |
| 4 | Halifax | 36 | 25 | 0 | 11 | 50 |
| 5 | Salford | 36 | 24 | 2 | 10 | 50 |
| 6 | Leigh | 36 | 24 | 1 | 11 | 49 |
| 7 | St. Helens | 36 | 23 | 2 | 11 | 48 |
| 8 | Leeds | 36 | 24 | 0 | 12 | 48 |
| 9 | Dewsbury | 36 | 23 | 0 | 13 | 46 |
| 10 | Workington Town | 36 | 22 | 1 | 13 | 45 |
| 11 | Warrington | 36 | 22 | 0 | 14 | 44 |
| 12 | Castleford | 36 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 40 |
| 13 | Keighley | 36 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 40 |
| 14 | Wakefield Trinity | 36 | 19 | 0 | 17 | 38 |
| 15 | Hunslet | 36 | 18 | 1 | 17 | 37 |
| 16 | Widnes | 36 | 16 | 4 | 16 | 36 |
| 17 | Belle Vue Rangers | 36 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 34 |
| 18 | Oldham | 36 | 15 | 4 | 17 | 34 |
| 19 | Hull | 36 | 15 | 3 | 18 | 33 |
| 20 | Barrow | 36 | 14 | 1 | 21 | 29 |
| 21 | Bradford | 36 | 14 | 1 | 21 | 29 |
| 22 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 36 | 14 | 1 | 21 | 29 |
| 23 | Whitehaven | 36 | 11 | 4 | 21 | 26 |
| 24 | Batley | 36 | 10 | 0 | 26 | 20 |
| 25 | Featherstone Rovers | 36 | 9 | 2 | 25 | 20 |
| 26 | Bramley | 36 | 6 | 1 | 29 | 13 |
| 27 | Rochdale Hornets | 36 | 5 | 2 | 29 | 12 |
| 28 | York | 36 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 12 |
| 29 | Liverpool Stanley | 36 | 4 | 0 | 32 | 8 |

### Play-offs

The top four finishing teams entered a play-off series which culminated in a final between Wigan and Huddersfield, but not before Wigan had to re-play and defeat Halifax, with whom they drew in their first play-off match.
| Semi-final / Replay | Semi-final / Replay | Semi-final / Replay | Semi-final / Replay | Championship final | Championship final | Championship final | Championship final |
| 1 | Wigan | 5 | 18 | | | | |
| 4 | Halifax | 5 | 2 | | | | |
| 4 | Halifax | 5 | 2 | Wigan | Wigan | Wigan | 20 |
| | | | | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 2 |
| 2 | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 9 | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 2 |
| 3 | Swinton | Swinton | 0 | | | | |
Wigan were without eight of their regular starters for the final, as the players had been selected for the 1950 Great Britain Lions tour, and had already departed for Australia. Despite a weakened team, Wigan were able to win, claiming their seventh Rugby Football League Championship.
* 13 May 1950
| Wigan | 20 – 2 | Huddersfield |
| Tries: Silcock, Broome, Nordgren, Blan Goals: Ward (4) | | Goals: Bawden |
* Maine Road, Manchester Attendance: 65,065 Referee: M. Coates (Pudsey)
| Wigan | Number | Huddersfield |
| | Teams | |
| Ted Ward | 1 | Johnny Hunter |
| Nat Silcock Jr. | 2 | Dick Cracknell |
| Jack Broome | 3 | Jeff Bawden |
| George Roughley | 4 | Pat Devery |
| Brian Nordgren | 5 | Lionel Cooper |
| Cecil Mountford | 6 | Russ Pepperell |
| Johnny Alty | 7 | Billy Banks |
| Ted Slevin | 8 | John Daly |
| Harold McIntyre | 9 | James Mundy |
| Frank Barton | 10 | Arthur Wilmot |
| Bill Hudson | 11 | Ken Morrison |
| Jack Large | 12 | Bob Nicholson |
| Billy Blan | 13 | Ike Owens |
| | 0 | |
| Jim Sullivan | Coach | Alex Fiddes |

## Challenge Cup

Warrington beat Widnes 19-0 in the final played at Wembley in front of a crowd of 94,249. This was Warrington’s third Cup final win in nine Final appearances. In the match Albert Naughton, at centre for Warrington opposed his older brother Johnny, who was in the Widnes second row. This was the second successive Final that the losing side had failed to score. The Warrington scrum-half Gerry Helme won the Lance Todd Trophy for man-of-the-match.

## County cups

| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Final | Final | Final |
| Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 10 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bramley | Bramley | 16 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bramley | Bramley | 16 | Bramley | Bramley | 5 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Keighley | Keighley | 4 | | | | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 60 | Keighley | Keighley | 4 | | | | | | | |
| Yorkshire Amateurs | Yorkshire Amateurs | 10 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Yorkshire Amateurs | Yorkshire Amateurs | 10 | | | | Bramley | Bramley | 6 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Bradford | Bradford | 8 | | | | |
| York | York | 22 | | | | | | | Bradford | Bradford | 8 | | | | |
| Bradford | Bradford | 53 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bradford | Bradford | 53 | Bradford | Bradford | 13 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Castleford | Castleford | 6 | | | | | | | |
| Castleford | Castleford | 25 | Castleford | Castleford | 6 | | | | | | | |
| Hull | Hull | 21 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hull | Hull | 21 | | | | | | | | Bradford | Bradford | 11 |
| | | | | | | | | | | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 4 |
| Hunslet | Hunslet | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 4 |
| Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 29 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 29 | Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 12 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Batley | Batley | 5 | | | | | | | |
| Batley | Batley | 17 | Batley | Batley | 5 | | | | | | | |
| Halifax | Halifax | 9 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Halifax | Halifax | 9 | | | | Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 2 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 7 | | | | |
| Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 29 | | | | | | | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 7 | | | | |
| Leeds | Leeds | 13 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leeds | Leeds | 13 | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 20 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 12 | | | | | | | |
| Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 31 | Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 12 | | | | | | | |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 14 | | | | | | | | | | |