# 1996 Challenge Cup

The 1996 Challenge Cup was the 95th staging of the Challenge Cup tournament. Known as the Silk Cut Challenge Cup due to sponsorship from Silk Cut, it was the first Challenge Cup of the summer era. The tournament featured 40 teams playing 42 games, the culmination of which was the final at London's Wembley Stadium between Super League I teams St. Helens and Bradford Bulls.

## Prize money

The following is a table of prize amounts received by each club depending on which round of the Challenge Cup was reached. No prizes were awarded in the first two rounds of the competition, but amateur clubs who reached the Third Round each received £1,000.
| Round | Prize fund |
| Third round | £3,500 |
| Fourth round | £3,500 |
| Fifth round | £6,000 |
| Quarter Final | £9,000 |
| Semi Final | £12,500 |
| Runners-up | £35,000 |
| Winners | £70,000 |

## First round

| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 | Beverley | 14–10 | Bisons |
| 2 | Blackpool Gladiators | 14–10 | Fryston |
| 3 | Dudley Hill | 22–29 | Thatto Heath |
| 4 | Eastmoor | 24–6 | Upton & Frickley |
| 5 | Egremont | 12–8 | Hensingham |
| 6 | Hemel Hempstead | 32–8 | Worth Village |
| 7 | Heworth | 34–6 | Student RL Old Boys |
| 8 | Leigh Miners | 32–14 | Mysons |
| 9 | Lock Lane | 36–9 | Humberside University |
| 10 | Mayfield | 22–4 | Simms Cross |
| 11 | Millom | 12–22 | Skirlaugh |
| 12 | Nottingham City | 10–74 | West Bowling |
| 13 | Oldham St Annes | 28–12 | Underbank Rangers |
| 14 | Saddleworth | 43–6 | Lowca |
| 15 | Thornhill | 33–11 | Blackbrook |
| 16 | West Hull | 100–2 | Durham University |
| 17 | Wigan St Patricks | 34–4 | Haydock |
| 18 | Woolston Rovers | 62–4 | Sir John Moores Univ |

## Second round

| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 | Eastmoor | 17–16 | Leigh Miners |
| 2 | Lock Lane | 22–14 | Beverley |
| 3 | Oldham St Annes | 12–15 | Thatto Heath |
| 4 | Saddleworth | 8–17 | Heworth |
| 5 | Skirlaugh | 19–8 | Mayfield |
| 6 | Thornhill | 44–26 | Hemel Hempstead |
| 7 | West Hull | 35–18 | Blackpool Gladiators |
| 8 | Wigan St Patricks | 6–13 | West Bowling |
| 9 | Woolston Rovers | 20–20 | Egremont |
| Replay | Egremont | 13–6 | Woolston Rovers |

## Third round

| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 | Barrow Braves | 14–0 | Doncaster Dragons |
| 2 | Bramley | 22–18 | Heworth |
| 3 | Carlisle | 36–6 | West Bowling |
| 4 | Chorley Chieftains | 12–27 | Thatto Heath |
| 5 | Highfield | 20–35 | West Hull |
| 6 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 44–12 | Eastmoor |
| 7 | Hunslet Hawks | 30–8 | Skirlaugh |
| 8 | Leigh Centurions | 58–6 | Egremont |
| 9 | Swinton Lions | 52–4 | Thornhill |
| 10 | York | 30–10 | Lock Lane |

## Fourth round

| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 | Bradford Bulls | 60–18 | Batley Bulldogs |
| 2 | Carlisle | 18–34 | Wakefield Trinity |
| 3 | Castleford | 16–58 | St. Helens |
| 4 | Dewsbury | 12–10 | London Broncos |
| 5 | Huddersfield | 14–35 | Sheffield Eagles |
| 6 | Hull Sharks | 52–18 | Hunslet Hawks |
| 7 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 0–24 | Leigh Centurions |
| 8 | Keighley Cougars | 12–9 | Barrow Braves |
| 9 | Oldham Bears | 4–26 | Warrington |
| 10 | Rochdale Hornets | 54–8 | Thatto Heath |
| 11 | Salford Reds | 35–12 | Featherstone Rovers |
| 12 | Swinton Lions | 22–27 | Leeds |
| 13 | West Hull | 10–6 | York |
| 14 | Whitehaven | 6–18 | Halifax |
| 15 | Wigan | 74–12 | Bramley |
| 16 | Workington Town | 10–17 | Widnes |

## Fifth round

| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 | Dewsbury | 16–36 | Widnes |
| 2 | Halifax | 24–20 | Sheffield Eagles |
| 3 | Hull Sharks | 42–10 | Keighley Cougars |
| 4 | Leigh Centurions | 12–44 | Bradford Bulls |
| 5 | Rochdale Hornets | 20–58 | St. Helens |
| 6 | Salford Reds | 26–16 | Wigan |
| 7 | Warrington | 10–30 | Leeds |
| 8 | West Hull | 8–40 | Wakefield Trinity |

## Quarter-final

| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 | Bradford Bulls | 30–18 | Wakefield Trinity |
| 2 | Halifax | 24–35 | Leeds |
| 3 | Hull Sharks | 0–20 | Widnes |
| 4 | Salford Reds | 26–46 | St. Helens |

## Semi finals

* 9 March 1996
| St. Helens | 24 – 14 | Widnes |
| Try: Sullivan, Hunte, Hammond, Northey Goal: Goulding (4) | Report | Try: Spruce, Devereux, D. Hulme Goal: Tyrer |
* Central Park, Wigan Attendance: 13,424 Referee: Russell Smith
* 23 March 1996
| Bradford Bulls | 28 – 6 | Leeds |
| Try: Scales (3), Calland, Knox Goal: Cook (4) | Report | Try: Cummins Goal: Holroyd |
* Alfred McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield Attendance: 17,139 Referee: Stuart Cummings

## Final

* 27 April 1996
| St Helens | 40 – 32 | Bradford Bulls |
| Tries: Prescott (2), Arnold (2), Cunningham, Booth, Pickavance, Perelini Goals: Goulding (4) | | Tries: Paul (3), Scales, Dwyer Goals: Cook (6) |
* Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 78,550 Player of the Match: Robbie Paul
| Bradford Bulls | Pos. | St. Helens |
| Nathan Graham | FB | Stephen Prescott |
| Paul Cook | WG | Danny Arnold |
| Matt Calland | CE | Scott Gibbs |
| Paul Loughlin | CE | Paul Newlove |
| Jon Scales | WG | Anthony Sullivan |
| Graeme Bradley | Stand-off | Karle Hammond |
| Robbie Paul (c) | HB | Bobbie Goulding (c) |
| Brian McDermott | PR | Apollo Perelini |
| Bernard Dwyer | HK | Keiron Cunningham |
| Jon Hamer | PR | Andy Leathem |
| Jeremy Donougher | SR | Chris Joynt |
| Sonny Nickle | SR | Simon Booth |
| Simon Knox | LF | Andy Northey |
| Karl Fairbank | Int. | Tommy Martyn |
| Paul Medley | Int. | Ian Pickavance |
| Jason Donohue | Int. | Vila Matautia |
| Carlos Hassan | Int. | Alan Hunte |
| Brian Smith | Coach | Shaun McRae |
The 1996 tournament's final featured Super League clubs St. Helens and Bradford Bulls, and was played on Saturday, 27 April at London's Wembley Stadium before a crowd of 78,550. The match was refereed by Stuart Cummings and at half time Bradford led 14-12. Trailing 26-12 from the 53rd to the 57th minute, St Helens overcame this 14-point deficit, the biggest in Challenge Cup final history for a winning team, to prevail by 40-32. This also made it the highest-scoring Challenge Cup final in history.
Bradford's 32 points set a new record for most points scored in a Challenge Cup final-losing team. Bradford's scrum half back, Robbie Paul, became the fourth player ever to achieve what was a Challenge Cup final record of three tries, and was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy for man-of-the-match.