# 1972–73 Player's No.6 Trophy

This was the second season of the League Cup, which was known as the Players No.6 Trophy for sponsorship reasons.
Leeds won the trophy by beating Salford 12–7 in the final. The match was played at Fartown, Huddersfield. The attendance was 10,102 and receipts were £4563.

## Background

This season saw no changes in the entrants, no new members and no withdrawals, the number remaining at thirty-two.

## Competition and results
### Round 1 - First Round

Involved 16 matches and 32 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Notes |
| 1 | Fri 22 Sep 1972 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 20-10 | Castleford | Craven Park (1) | | |
| 2 | Sat 23 Sep 1972 | Batley | 26-3 | Hunslet | Mount Pleasant | | |
| 3 | Sat 23 Sep 1972 | Bramley | 26-5 | Pilkington Recs | McLaren Field | 616 | 1, 2 |
| 4 | Sat 23 Sep 1972 | Halifax | 20-22 | St. Helens | Thrum Hall | 2446 | |
| 5 | Sat 23 Sep 1972 | Leigh | 10-9 | Workington Town | Hilton Park | | |
| 6 | Sat 23 Sep 1972 | Whitehaven | 11-16 | Featherstone Rovers | Recreation Ground | | |
| 7 | Sun 24 Sep 1972 | Barrow | 2-17 | Salford | Craven Park | | |
| 8 | Sun 24 Sep 1972 | Blackpool Borough | 9-51 | Leeds | Borough Park | | 3 |
| 9 | Sun 24 Sep 1972 | Bradford Northern | 32-6 | Rochdale Hornets | Odsal | | |
| 10 | Sun 24 Sep 1972 | Dewsbury | 22-4 | Dewsbury Celtic | Crown Flatt | 1897 | 4 |
| 11 | Sun 24 Sep 1972 | Doncaster | 7-22 | Widnes | Bentley Road Stadium/Tattersfield | | |
| 12 | Sun 24 Sep 1972 | Huddersfield | 23-15 | Warrington | Fartown | | |
| 13 | Sun 24 Sep 1972 | Hull F.C. | 17-10 | Oldham | Boulevard | | |
| 14 | Sun 24 Sep 1972 | Swinton | 29-10 | Huyton | Station Road | | |
| 15 | Sun 24 Sep 1972 | Wigan | 10-34 | Wakefield Trinity | Central Park | | 5 |
| 16 | Sun 24 Sep 1972 | York | 21-13 | Keighley | Clarence Street | | |

### Round 2 - Second Round

Involved 8 matches and 16 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Notes |
| 1 | Fri 24 Nov 1972 | Hull F.C. | 9-4 | Wakefield Trinity | Boulevard | | |
| 2 | Fri 24 Nov 1972 | St. Helens | 24-8 | Featherstone Rovers | Knowsley Road | 4800 | 6 |
| 3 | Fri 24 Nov 1972 | Salford | 19-3 | Dewsbury | The Willows | | |
| 4 | Sat 25 Nov 1972 | Leeds | 21-3 | Leigh | Headingley | | |
| 5 | Sun 26 Nov 1972 | Bradford Northern | 35-17 | York | Odsal | | |
| 6 | Sun 26 Nov 1972 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 25-5 | Bramley | Craven Park (1) | | |
| 7 | Sun 26 Nov 1972 | Swinton | 19-11 | Huddersfield | Station Road | | |
| 8 | Sun 26 Nov 1972 | Widnes | 21-8 | Batley | Naughton Park | | |

### Round 3 -Quarter Finals

Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Notes |
| 1 | Fri 8 Dec 1972 | Hull Kingston Rovers | A | Swinton | Craven Park (1) | 7 |
| 2 | Sat 9 Dec 1972 | St. Helens | 10-3 | Widnes | Knowsley Road | |
| 3 | Sun 10 Dec 1972 | Hull F.C. | 18-18 | Leeds | Boulevard | 8 |
| 4 | Sun 10 Dec 1972 | Salford | 39-2 | Bradford Northern | The Willows | 9 |

### Round 3 -Quarter Finals - Replays

Involved 2 matches with 4 clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| 1 | Wed 13 Dec 1972 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 30-6 | Swinton | Craven Park (1) | | | | |
| 2 | Tue 12 Dec 1972 | Leeds | 37-5 | Hull F.C. | Headingley | | | | |

### 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 30 Dec 1972 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 13-15 | Salford | Craven Park (1) | | | | |
| 2 | Sat 13 Jan 1973 | Leeds | 19-0 | St. Helens | Headingley | 5854 | | | |

### Final

| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| | Saturday 24 March 1973 | Leeds | 12-7 | Salford | Fartown | 10102 | 4563 | 10 | |

#### Teams and scorers

| Leeds | № | Salford |
| | teams | |
| John Holmes | 1 | Paul Charlton |
| Alan Smith | 2 | Anthony "Tony" Colloby |
| Syd Hynes | 3 | David Watkins |
| Les Dyl | 4 | Chris Hesketh |
| John Atkinson | 5 | Maurice Richards |
| Alan Hardisty | 6 | Ken Gill |
| Keith Hepworth | 7 | Peter Banner |
| Terry Clawson | 8 | John Ward |
| Tony Fisher | 9 | Terry Ramshaw |
| David Jeanes | 10 | Graham Mackay |
| Bob Haigh | 11 | Alan Grice |
| Phil Cookson | 12 | William Kirkbride |
| Graham Eccles | 13 | Colin Dixon |
| David Ward (for Terry Clawson) | 14 | xPhil Ward (for Ken Gill) |
| xFred Pickup (for Tony Fisher) | 15 | Doug Davies (for Alan Grice) |
| | Coach | |
| 12 | score | 7 |
| 10 | HT | 5 |
| | Scorers | |
| | Tries | |
| John Atkinson (2) | T | Colin Dixon (1) |
| | Goals | |
| John Holmes (1) | G | David Watkins (2) |
| Terry Clawson (2) | G | |
| Referee | | William "Billy" H. Thompson (Huddersfield) |
| Man of the match | | Keith Hepworth - Leeds - scrum-half |
| Competition Sponsor | | Player's №6 |
Scoring - Try = three points - Goal = two points - Drop goal = one point

### Prize money

As part of the sponsorship deal and funds, the prize money awarded to the competing teams for this season was as follows:
| Finish Position | Cash Prize | No. receiving prize | Total Cash |
| Winner | £5,000 | 1 | £5,000 |
| Runner-up | £2,500 | 1 | £2,500 |
| Semi-finalist | £1,000 | 2 | £2,000 |
| Loser in Rd 3 | £450 | 4 | £1,800 |
| Loser in Rd 2 | £300 | 8 | £2,400 |
| Loser in Rd 1 | £150 | 16 | £2,400 |
| Grand Total | Grand Total | Grand Total | £16,100 |

### The road to success

| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Final | Final | Final |
| Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 17 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 10 | Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wigan | Wigan | 10 | Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 34 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 34 | | | | Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 18 (5) | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 18 (37) | | | | | | | | |
| Blackpool Borough | Blackpool Borough | 9 | | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 18 (37) | | | | | | | | |
| Leeds | Leeds | 51 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leeds | Leeds | 51 | Leeds | Leeds | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Leigh | Leigh | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leigh | Leigh | 10 | Leigh | Leigh | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Workington Town | Workington Town | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Workington Town | Workington Town | 9 | | | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 19 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 0 | | | | |
| Halifax | Halifax | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 0 | | | | |
| St. Helens | St. Helens | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| St. Helens | St. Helens | 22 | St. Helens | St. Helens | 24 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Whitehaven | Whitehaven | 11 | Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 16 | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 10 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| Doncaster | Doncaster | 7 | | | | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| Widnes | Widnes | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Widnes | Widnes | 22 | Widnes | Widnes | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Batley | Batley | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Batley | Batley | 26 | Batley | Batley | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hunslet | Hunslet | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hunslet | Hunslet | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 12 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Salford | Salford | 7 |
| Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Salford | Salford | 7 |
| Castleford | Castleford | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Castleford | Castleford | 10 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 25 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Bramley | Bramley | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bramley | Bramley | 26 | Bramley | Bramley | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Pilkington Recs | Pilkington Recs | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Pilkington Recs | Pilkington Recs | 5 | | | | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 30 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Swinton | Swinton | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| Swinton | Swinton | 29 | | | | | | | Swinton | Swinton | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| Huyton | Huyton | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Huyton | Huyton | 10 | Swinton | Swinton | 19 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 23 | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Warrington | Warrington | 15 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Warrington | Warrington | 15 | | | | | | | | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 13 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Salford | Salford | 15 | | | | |
| Barrow | Barrow | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | Salford | Salford | 15 | | | | |
| Salford | Salford | 17 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Salford | Salford | 17 | Salford | Salford | 19 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 22 | Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Dewsbury Celtic | Dewsbury Celtic | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Dewsbury Celtic | Dewsbury Celtic | 4 | | | | Salford | Salford | 39 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 32 | | | | | | | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 6 | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 35 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | York | York | 17 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| York | York | 21 | York | York | 17 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 13 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Notes and comments

1 * Pilkington Recs are a Junior (amateur) club from St Helens, home ground was City Road until they moved to Ruskin Drive from 2011 to 2012 2 * Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1990–1991, Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1991–1992, and RUGBYLEAGUEproject give the score as 26–5 but News of the World Football Annual 1973–74 gives the score as 28–5 3 * highest score to date 4 * Dewsbury Celtic are a Junior (amateur) club from Dewsbury, home ground is Crow Nest Park 5 * RUGBYLEAGUEproject gives score as 10–28 but the Wigan official archives and 100 Years of Rugby. The History of Wakefield Trinity 1873–1973 and Wakefield until I die all give the score as 10–34 6 * News of the World Football Annual 1973–74 gives score as 24–3 but both RUGBYLEAGUEproject and Wigan official archives give it as 24–8 7 * Abandoned after 22 Minutes due to Fog with the score at 4–2 - Result declared void 8 * NO mention on Hull official website of any replay 9 * News of the World Football Annual 1973–74 gives the score as 30–2 but both RUGBYLEAGUEproject and Wigan official archives give it as 39–2 10 * Fartown was the home ground of Huddersfield from 1878 to the end of the 1991–92 season to Huddersfield Town FC's Leeds Road stadium, and then to the McAlpine Stadium in 1994. Fartown remained as a sports/Rugby League ground but is now rather dilapidated, and is only used for staging amateur rugby league games. Due to lack of maintenance, terrace closures and finally major storm damage closing one of the stands in 1986, the final ground capacity had been reduced to just a few thousands although the record attendance was set in a Challenge cup semi-final on 19 April 1947 when a crowd of 35,136 saw Leeds beat Wakefield Trinity 21–0.