# 1951–52 Challenge Cup

The 1951–52 Challenge Cup was the 51st staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup.

## First round
### First leg

First round, first leg scores :
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
| 9 Feb 1952 | Batley | 9–9 | Bramley |
| 9 Feb 1952 | Bradford Northern | 6–5 | Doncaster |
| 9 Feb 1952 | Cardiff | 7–7 | Dewsbury |
| 9 Feb 1952 | Castleford | 4–5 | Swinton |
| 9 Feb 1952 | Huddersfield | 5–13 | Halifax |
| 9 Feb 1952 | Hull FC | 8–6 | Oldham |
| 9 Feb 1952 | Leeds | 44–14 | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| 9 Feb 1952 | Leigh | 11–4 | Keighley |
| 9 Feb 1952 | Rochdale Hornets | 7–8 | Featherstone Rovers |
| 9 Feb 1952 | St Helens | 6–5 | Belle Vue Rangers |
| 9 Feb 1952 | Salford | 13–6 | Hunslet |
| 9 Feb 1952 | Wakefield Trinity | 18–13 | Wigan |
| 9 Feb 1952 | Warrington | 28–4 | Liverpool |
| 9 Feb 1952 | Whitehaven | 16–0 | Rylands Recs |
| 9 Feb 1952 | Widnes | 5–5 | Barrow |
| 9 Feb 1952 | York | 7–18 | Workington Town |

### Second leg

First round, second leg scores :
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Barrow | 8–2 | Widnes |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Belle Vue Rangers | 4–9 | St Helens |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Bramley | 0–9 | Batley |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Dewsbury | 16–0 | Cardiff |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Doncaster | 4–7 | Bradford Northern |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Featherstone Rovers | 17–2 | Rochdale Hornets |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Halifax | 5–5 | Huddersfield |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 3–5 | Leeds |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Hunslet | 6–3 | Salford |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Keighley | 0–8 | Leigh |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Liverpool | 6–6 | Warrington |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Oldham | 24–0 | Hull FC |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Rylands Recs | 9–9 | Whitehaven |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Swinton | 2–9 | Castleford |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Wigan | 40–3 | Wakefield Trinity |
| 16 Feb 1952 | Workington Town | 42–5 | York |
* ↑ Match played at Warrington's ground, Wilderspool

## Second round

Second round scores :
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
| 1 Mar 1952 | Batley | 4–11 | Featherstone Rovers |
| 1 Mar 1952 | Castleford | 6–7 | Leigh |
| 1 Mar 1952 | Leeds | 12–9 | Oldham |
| 1 Mar 1952 | Salford | 6–11 | Barrow |
| 1 Mar 1952 | Warrington | 26–9 | Dewsbury |
| 1 Mar 1952 | Whitehaven | 7–5 | Halifax |
| 1 Mar 1952 | Wigan | 28–12 | Bradford Northern |
| 8 Mar 1952 | Workington Town | 15–4 | St Helens |

## Quarter-finals

Quarter-final scores :
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
| 15 Mar 1952 | Featherstone Rovers | 14–11 | Wigan |
| 15 Mar 1952 | Leigh | 9–5 | Leeds |
| 15 Mar 1952 | Whitehaven | 2–10 | Barrow |
| 15 Mar 1952 | Workington Town | 14–0 | Warrington |

## Semi-finals

Semi-final scores :
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
| 29 Mar 1952 | Barrow | 2–5 | Workington Town |
| 29 Mar 1952 | Featherstone Rovers | 6–2 | Leigh |

## Final

Workington Town beat Featherstone Rovers 18–10 in the final played at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 19 April 1952 in front of a crowd of 72,093. Workington full-back and captain-coach Gus Risman became the oldest player to appear in a Cup final at age 41. Three Australians, Tony Paskins, John Mudge and Bevan Wilson came up with decisive plays to help relative newcomers Workington to victory. It was the club's first Challenge Cup win in their first appearance in the final. Billy Ivison, Workington Town's loose forward, was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy for man-of-the-match.
* 19 April 1952
| Workington Town | 18 – 10 | Featherstone Rovers |
| Try Lawrenson (2), Mudge, Wilson Goals Risman (3) | | Try Batten, Evans Goals Miller (2) |
* Wembley, London Attendance: 72,093 Referee: Charles F Appleton (Warrington) Player of the Match: Billy Ivison
| 1 | Gus Risman (c) |
| 2 | Johnny H. Lawrenson |
| 3 | Tony Paskins |
| 4 | Eppie Gibson |
| 5 | George Wilson |
| 6 | John H. Thomas |
| 7 | Albert Pepperell |
| 8 | Jimmy Hayton |
| 9 | Vince McKeating |
| 10 | Jimmy Wareing |
| 11 | Rupert Mudge |
| 12 | Bevan Wilson |
| 13 | Billy Ivison |
| Coach: |
| Gus Risman |
| 1 | Freddie Miller |
| 2 | Eric Batten (c) |
| 3 | Donald Metcalfe |
| 4 | Alan Tennant |
| 5 | Norman Mitchell |
| 6 | Ray Cording |
| 7 | Ray Evans |
| 8 | Ken Welburn |
| 9 | Bill Bradshaw |
| 10 | John Daly |
| 11 | Laurie Gant |
| 12 | Fred Hulme |
| 13 | Cliff Lambert |
| Coach: |
| Eric Batten |