# 1942–43 Yorkshire Cup

The 1942–43 Yorkshire Cup was the thirty-fifth occasion on which the Yorkshire Cup competition was held.
It was a knock-out competition between (mainly professional) rugby league clubs from the county of Yorkshire. The actual area was at times increased to encompass other teams from outside the county such as Newcastle, Mansfield, Coventry, and even London (in the form of Acton & Willesden. The competition always took place early in the season, in the autumn, with the final taking place in (or just before) December. The only exception to this was when disruption of the fixture list was caused during, and immediately after, the two world wars.
The Second World War was continuing and the Yorkshire Cup was played in the early part of the 1942–43 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season.
Dewsbury won the trophy by beating Huddersfield over two legs by an aggregate score of 7–2.
Dewsbury played the first leg match at home (at Crown Flatt) and won 7–0. The attendance was 11,000 and receipts were £680.
Huddersfield were at home (at Fartown) for the second leg match and duly won 2-0. The attendance at the second leg match was 6,252 and receipts £618.

## Change in club participation

Hull Kingston Rovers dropped out of the wartime Lancashire league after the first (1939–40) season. They did not return to league competition until 1945–46 peacetime season.
Bramley withdrew after the third wartime season (1941–42) had finished and did not rejoin until the 1945–46 season.
Castleford withdrew after the third wartime season (1941–42) had finished and did not participate for two seasons, re-joining for the 1944–45 season.
Hunslet withdrew after the third wartime season (1941–42) had finished and did not participate for this season, re-joining for the next 1943–44 season.
Wigan entered the Yorkshire Cup competition for the third successive season
Oldham also entered the Yorkshire Cup competition and for the third successive season
St. Helens also entered the Yorkshire Cup competition and for their first season.
Dewsbury had a relatively successful time during the war years. Managed by Eddie Waring, and with the side boosted by the inclusion of a number of big-name guest players, the club won the Wartime Emergency League in 1941–42 and again the following season 1942–43 (though that championship was declared null and void when it was discovered they had used an ineligible player). They were also runners-up in the Championship in 1943–44, Challenge Cup winners in 1943 and Yorkshire Cup final appearances in this season 1940–41 and winners in 1942–43.

## Background

This season there were no junior/amateur clubs taking part. Bramley, Castleford and Hunslet withdrew, and St. Helens joined. With the continued presence of the two Lancashire clubs, Wigan and Oldham, this resulted in the number of entrants decreasing by two, to a total of fourteen.
This in turn resulted in two byes in the first round.
For the second successive year, all the ties (this season including the actual final) were played on a two-legged home and away basis.

## Competition and results
### Round 1 – first leg

Round 1's first leg involved six matches (with two byes) and 14 clubs.
All first round ties were played on a two-legged home and away basis.
| Game no. | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue |
| 1 | Sat 17 Oct 1942 | Batley | 6-2 | Wakefield Trinity | Mount Pleasant |
| 2 | Sat 17 Oct 1942 | Featherstone Rovers | 0-0 | Hull | Post Office Road |
| 3 | Sat 17 Oct 1942 | Halifax | 3-0 | Oldham | Thrum Hall |
| 4 | Sat 17 Oct 1942 | Keighley | 0-21 | Huddersfield | Lawkholme Lane |
| 5 | Sat 17 Oct 1942 | Leeds | 15-7 | Dewsbury | Headingley |
| 6 | Sat 17 Oct 1942 | York | 5-4 | Bradford Northern | Clarence Street |
| 7 | | Wigan | | bye | |
| 8 | | St. Helens | | bye | |

### Round 1 – second leg

Round 1's second leg involved six matches (with two byes) and 14 clubs.
All first round ties were played on a two-legged home and away basis.
| Game no. | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Agg |
| 1 | Sat 24 Oct 1942 | Wakefield Trinity | 7-13 | Batley | Belle Vue | 9-19 |
| 2 | Sat 24 Oct 1942 | Hull | 8-0 | Featherstone Rovers | Boulevard | 8-0 |
| 3 | Sat 24 Oct 1942 | Oldham | 3-9 | Halifax | Watersheddings | 3-12 |
| 4 | Sat 24 Oct 1942 | Huddersfield | 33-5 | Keighley | Fartown | 54-5 |
| 5 | Sat 24 Oct 1942 | Dewsbury | 18-5 | Leeds | Crown Flatt | 25-20 |
| 6 | Sat 24 Oct 1942 | Bradford Northern | 5-2 | York | Odsal | 9-7 |
| 7 | | Wigan | | bye | | |
| 8 | | St. Helens | | bye | | |

### Round 2 – quarterfinals – first leg

Round 2's quarterfinals' first leg involved four matches and eight clubs.
All second round ties were played on a two-legged home and away basis.
| Game no. | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Notes |
| 1 | Sat 24 Oct 1942 | St. Helens | 21-8 | Wigan | Knowsley Road | 1 |
| 2 | Sat 31 Oct 1942 | Batley | 5-10 | Huddersfield | Mount Pleasant | |
| 3 | Sat 31 Oct 1942 | Halifax | 7-10 | Bradford Northern | Thrum Hall | |
| 4 | Sat 31 Oct 1942 | Hull | 12-10 | Dewsbury | Boulevard | |

### Round 2 – second leg

Round 2's second leg involved four matches and eight clubs.
All second round ties were played on a two-legged home and away basis.
| Game no. | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Agg | Notes |
| 1 | Sat 07 Nov 1942 | Wigan | 32-11 | St. Helens | Central Park | 40-32 | 2 |
| 2 | Sat 07 Nov 1942 | Huddersfield | 36-3 | Batley | Fartown | 39-16 | |
| 3 | Sat 07 Nov 1942 | Bradford Northern | 6-5 | Halifax | Odsal | 16-12 | |
| 4 | Sat 07 Nov 1942 | Dewsbury | 23-7 | Hull | Crown Flatt | 33-19 | |

### Round 3 – semifinals – first leg

Round 3's semifinals' first leg involved two matches and four clubs.
Both semifinal ties were played on a two-legged home and away basis.
| Game no. | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Agg | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| 1 | Sat 14 Nov 1942 | Dewsbury | 11-3 | Wigan | Crown Flatt | | | | | |
| 2 | Sat 14 Nov 1942 | Huddersfield | 6-0 | Bradford Northern | Fartown | | | | | |

### Semifinal – second leg

The semifinal's second leg involved two matches and four clubs.
Both semifinal ties were played on a two-legged home and away basis.
| Game no. | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Agg | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| 1 | Sat 21 Nov 1942 | Wigan | 0-6 | Dewsbury | Central Park | 3-17 | | | | |
| 2 | Sat 21 Nov 1942 | Bradford Northern | 4-11 | Huddersfield | Odsal | 4-17 | | | | |

### Final – first leg

The final was played on a two-legged home and away basis this season.
| Game no. | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Agg | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| | Saturday 28 November 1942 | Dewsbury | 7-0 | Huddersfield | Crown Flatt | | 11000 | 680 | | |

### Final – second leg

The final was played on a two-legged home and away basis this season.
| Game no. | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Agg | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| | Saturday 5 December 1942 | Huddersfield | 2-0 | Dewsbury | Fartown Ground | | | | | |

#### Teams and scorers

| Dewsbury | No. | Huddersfield |
| Teams unknown | Teams | |
| | 1 | |
| Barney Hudson (position uncertain) | 2 | |
| | 3 | |
| | 4 | |
| | 5 | |
| | 6 | |
| | 7 | |
| | 8 | |
| | 9 | |
| | 10 | |
| | 11 | |
| | 12 | |
| | 13 | |
| Eddie Waring | Coach | ?? |
| 7 | Score | 0 |
| | HT | |
| | Scorers | |
| | Tries | |
| | T | |
| | T | |
| | T | |
| | T | |
| | T | |
| | T | |
| | T | |
| | Goals | |
| | G | |
| | G | |
| | G | |
| | Drop goals | |
| | DG | |
| | DG | |
| | DG | |
| Referee | | unknown |
| Second leg |
| Dewsbury | teams | Huddersfield |
| | 1 | |
| Barney Hudson (position uncertain) | 2 | |
| | 3 | |
| | 4 | Bill Davies |
| | 5 | |
| | 6 | |
| | 7 | |
| | 8 | |
| | 9 | |
| | 10 | |
| | 11 | |
| | 12 | |
| | 13 | |
| Eddie Waring | Coach | ?? |
| 0 | Score | 2 |
| | HT | |
| | Scorers | |
| | Goals | |
| | G | Bill Davies (1) |
| Referee | | unknown |
Scoring - Try = three (3) points - Goal = two (2) points - Drop goal = two (2) points

### The road to success

All the ties (including the final itself) were played on a two-leg (home and away) basis.
The first club named in each of the ties played the first leg at home.
The scores shown are the aggregate score over the two legs.
| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Final | Final | Final |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hull | Hull | 8 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hull | Hull | 8 | Hull | Hull | 19 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 33 | | | | | | | |
| Leeds | Leeds | 5 | Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 33 | | | | | | | |
| Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 18 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 18 | | | | Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 17 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 3 | | | | |
| St. Helens | St. Helens | | | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 3 | | | | |
| bye | bye | | | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 32 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Wigan | Wigan | 40 | | | | | | | |
| Wigan | Wigan | | Wigan | Wigan | 40 | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | | | | | | | | Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 7 |
| | | | | | | | | | | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 2 |
| Batley | Batley | 13 | | | | | | | | | | | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 2 |
| Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 7 | Batley | Batley | 13 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 39 | | | | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 5 | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 39 | | | | | | | |
| Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 33 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 33 | | | | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 17 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 4 | | | | |
| Halifax | Halifax | 12 | | | | | | | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 4 | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 3 | Halifax | Halifax | 12 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 16 | | | | | | | |
| York | York | 7 | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 16 | | | | | | | |
| Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 9 | | | | | | | | | | |