# 1988–89 Challenge Cup

The 1989 Challenge Cup was the 88th staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup. Known as the Silk Cut Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons, the final was contested by Wigan and St. Helens at Wembley. Wigan won the match 27–0.

## Preliminary round

| Date | Team One | Team Two | Score |
| 15 Jan | Barrow Island | Thatto Heath | 11-18 |
| 15 Jan | Leeds | Hunslet | 32-6 |
| 15 Jan | Milford Amateurs | Swinton | 0-36 |
| 15 Jan | Wakefield Trinity | Bramley | 18-10 |
| 15 Jan | West Hull | Doncaster | 2-48 |
| 15 Jan | York | Workington Town | 35-8 |

## First round

| Date | Team One | Team Two | Score |
| 28 Jan | Hull FC | Castleford | 4-7 |
| 29 Jan | Barrow | Huddersfield | 38-16 |
| 29 Jan | Carlisle | Mansfield | 58-1 |
| 29 Jan | Chorley | Thatto Heath | 8-4 |
| 29 Jan | Dewsbury | Oldham | 9-40 |
| 29 Jan | Doncaster | Wigan | 6-38 |
| 29 Jan | Fulham | Bradford Northern | 10-28 |
| 29 Jan | Rochdale Hornets | Hull Kingston Rovers | 24-28 |
| 29 Jan | Runcorn | Keighley | 10-28 |
| 29 Jan | Salford | Widnes | 14-18 |
| 29 Jan | Sheffield Eagles | Leigh | 23-17 |
| 29 Jan | Swinton | St Helens | 5-16 |
| 29 Jan | Wakefield Trinity | Batley | 34-4 |
| 29 Jan | Warrington | Halifax | 25-8 |
| 29 Jan | Whitehaven | Featherstone Rovers | 0-32 |
| 29 Jan | York | Leeds | 9-28 |

## Second round

| Date | Team One | Team Two | Score |
| 11 Feb | Castleford | Widnes | 18-32 |
| 12 Feb | Bradford Northern | Wigan | 4-17 |
| 12 Feb | Hull Kingston Rovers | Chorley | 28-4 |
| 12 Feb | Leeds | Carlisle | 24-4 |
| 12 Feb | St Helens | Barrow | 28-6 |
| 12 Feb | Sheffield Eagles | Oldham | 20-32 |
| 12 Feb | Wakefield Trinity | Featherstone Rovers | 4-10 |
| 12 Feb | Warrington | Keighley | 56-7 |

## Quarter-finals

| Date | Team One | Team Two | Score |
| 25 Feb | Oldham | Wigan | 4-12 |
| 26 Feb | Hull Kingston Rovers | Warrington | 4-30 |
| 26 Feb | Leeds | Widnes | 4-24 |
| 26 Feb | St Helens | Featherstone Rovers | 32-3 |

## Semi finals

* 11 March 1989
| St. Helens | 16 – 14 | Widnes |
| Try: Quirk (2), Bloor Goal: Loughlin (2) | Report | Try: Wright, D. Hulme Goal: Currier (3) |
* Central Park, Wigan Attendance: 17,119
* 25 March 1989
| Wigan | 13 – 6 | Warrington |
| Try: Lydon, Edwards Goal: Lydon (2) Drop goal: Lydon | Report | Goal: Woods (3) |
* Maine Road, Manchester Attendance: 26,529

## Final

This was the first time since 1951 that a team had been held scoreless in a Challenge Cup Final at Wembley.
* Saturday 29 April, 1989
| Wigan | 27 – 0 | St. Helens |
| Tries: Kevin Iro (2) Ellery Hanley Andy Gregory Steve Hampson Goals: Joe Lydon (3/5) Drop Goals: Andy Gregory (1) | Report | Tries: Goals: |
* Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 78,000 Referee: Ray Tennant Player of the Match: Ellery Hanley
| FB | 1 | Steve Hampson |
| RW | 2 | Tony Iro |
| RC | 3 | Kevin Iro |
| LC | 4 | Dean Bell |
| LW | 5 | Joe Lydon |
| SO | 6 | Shaun Edwards |
| SH | 7 | Andy Gregory |
| PR | 8 | Ian Lucas |
| HK | 9 | Nicky Kiss |
| PR | 10 | Adrian Shelford |
| SR | 11 | Andy Platt |
| SR | 12 | Ian Potter |
| LF | 13 | Ellery Hanley (c) |
| Substitutions: ||
| IC | 14 | Denis Betts |
| IC | 15 | Andy Goodway |
| Coach: ||
| Graham Lowe ||
| FB | 1 | Gary Connolly |
| RW | 2 | Mike O'Connor |
| RC | 3 | Phil Veivers |
| LC | 4 | Paul Loughlin |
| LW | 5 | Les Quirk |
| SO | 6 | Shane Cooper |
| SH | 7 | Neil Holding |
| PR | 8 | Tony Burke |
| HK | 9 | Paul Groves |
| PR | 10 | Paul Forber |
| SR | 11 | Bernard Dwyer |
| SR | 12 | Roy Haggerty |
| LF | 13 | Paul Vautin (c) |
| Substitutions: ||
| IC | 14 | Darren Bloor |
| IC | 15 | Stuart Evans |
| Coach: ||
| Alex Murphy ||