# 1984–85 John Player Special Trophy

This was the fourteenth season for the League Cup, which was again known as the John Player Special Trophy for sponsorship purposes.
Hull Kingston Rovers claimed the trophy by beating their local rivals Hull F.C. by the score of 12–0 in the final. The match was played at Boothferry Park, Kingston upon Hull on 26 January 1985 and the attendance was 25,326. Gate receipts were £69,355 (equivalent to £265,000 in 2023).
As of October 2024, this marked the last time that Hull Kingston Rovers won a major trophy in a final. Most recently in the Super League era, Hull Kingston Rovers lost the 2024 Super League Grand Final against the Wigan Warriors, who also claimed the 2024 season's League Leader's Shield, as well as the 2015 and 2023 Challenge Cup Finals to Leeds Rhinos and Leigh Leopards respectively.

## Background

This season saw several changes in the entrants:
* Cardiff City Blue Dragons were renamed Bridgend Blue Dragons and Kent Invicta were renamed Southend Invicta
* Mansfield Marksman and Sheffield Eagles joined the league and also the competition
* Huyton changed their name to Runcorn Highfield and moved from Alt Park, Huyton to Canal Street, Runcorn
* and the re-introduction of the invitation to two junior clubs.
This involved an increase in entrants to thirty-eight, in turn resulting in a six-match, 12-club preliminary round to reduce the number of clubs taking part in the first round proper to thirty-two.

## Competition and results
### Preliminary round

Involved six matches and 12 clubs
| Game No. | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Attend | Notes |
| 1 | Fri 2 Nov 1984 | Myson (Hull) | 2-8 | Dewsbury | Boulevard | | |
| 2 | Sun 4 Nov 1984 | Bramley | 20-6 | Southend Invicta | McLaren Field | 572 | |
| 3 | Sun 4 Nov 1984 | Keighley | 24-10 | Bradford Dudley Hill | Lawkholme Lane | 1570 | , |
| 4 | Sun 4 Nov 1984 | Sheffield Eagles | 17-6 | Wakefield Trinity | Owlerton Stadium | 1279 | |
| 5 | Wed 7 Nov 1984 | Carlisle | 8-26 | Bradford Northern | Brunton Park | 1215 | |
| 6 | Wed 7 Nov 1984 | Hunslet | 2-6 | Workington Town | Elland Road | 719 | |

### Round 1 – First round

Involved 16 matches and 32 clubs
| Game No | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Att |
| 1 | Sat 17 Nov 1984 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 32-5 | Leigh | Craven Park (1) | 4541 |
| 2 | Sun 18 Nov 1984 | Bradford Northern | 22-1 | Swinton | Odsal | 3712 |
| 3 | Sun 18 Nov 1984 | Bramley | 12-10 | Blackpool Borough | McLaren Field | 653 |
| 4 | Sun 18 Nov 1984 | Bridgend Blue Dragons | 4-42 | Castleford | Coychurch Road, Bridgend | 1803 |
| 5 | Sun 18 Nov 1984 | Dewsbury | 14-8 | Salford | Crown Flatt | 1176 |
| 6 | Sun 18 Nov 1984 | Featherstone Rovers | 17-12 | Barrow | Post Office Road | 1651 |
| 7 | Sun 18 Nov 1984 | Fulham | 14-36 | Hull F.C. | Polytechnic of Central London | 2324 |
| 8 | Sun 18 Nov 1984 | Leeds | 50-2 | Sheffield Eagles | Headingley | 4881 |
| 9 | Sun 18 Nov 1984 | Rochdale Hornets | 10-8 | Mansfield Marksman | Athletic Grounds | 620 |
| 10 | Sun 18 Nov 1984 | Runcorn Highfield | 18-5 | Batley | Alt Park, Huyton | 760 |
| 11 | Sun 18 Nov 1984 | St. Helens | 60-8 | Keighley | Knowsley Road | 5145 |
| 12 | Sun 18 Nov 1984 | Warrington | 5-17 | Halifax | Wilderspool | 4171 |
| 13 | Sun 18 Nov 1984 | Whitehaven | 64-0 | Doncaster | Recreation Ground | 1717 |
| 14 | Sun 18 Nov 1984 | Wigan | 50-6 | Huddersfield Barracudas | Central Park | 7375 |
| 15 | Sun 18 Nov 1984 | Workington Town | 12-22 | Widnes | Derwent Park | 1010 |
| 16 | Sun 18 Nov 1984 | York | 6-22 | Oldham | Clarence Street | 2504 |

### Round 2 – Second round

Involved 8 matches and 16 clubs
| Game No | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Att |
| 1 | Sat 1 Dec 1984 | Leeds | 10-4 | Wigan | Headingley | 9261 |
| 2 | Sun 2 Dec 1984 | Bradford Northern | 12-12 | St. Helens | Odsal | 9419 |
| 3 | Sun 2 Dec 1984 | Bramley | 33-5 | Whitehaven | McLaren Field | 1358 |
| 4 | Sun 2 Dec 1984 | Dewsbury | 31-16 | Runcorn Highfield | Crown Flatt | 1242 |
| 5 | Sun 2 Dec 1984 | Halifax | 20-18 | Castleford | Thrum Hall | 4784 |
| 6 | Sun 2 Dec 1984 | Hull F.C. | 26-14 | Oldham | Boulevard | 11500 |
| 7 | Sun 2 Dec 1984 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 34-12 | Rochdale Hornets | Craven Park (1) | 4835 |
| 8 | Sun 2 Dec 1984 | Widnes | 28-10 | Featherstone Rovers | Naughton Park | 3850 |

### Round 2 – Second round replays

Involved one match and two clubs
| Game No | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Attend | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| 1 | Wed 5 Dec 1984 | St. Helens | 24–10 | Bradford Northern | Knowsley Road | 10156 | | | |

### Round 3 – Quarter-finals

Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs:
| Game No | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Att |
| 1 | Sat 22 Dec 1984 | St. Helens | 8–14 | Halifax | Knowsley Road | 5,768 |
| 2 | Sun 23 Dec 1984 | Dewsbury | 8–22 | Hull F.C. | Crown Flatt | 7,197 |
| 3 | Sun 23 Dec 1984 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 14–6 | Widnes | Craven Park | 7,710 |
| 4 | Sun 23 Dec 1984 | Leeds | 28–14 | Bramley | Headingley | 6,404 |

### Round 4 – Semi-finals

Involved two matches and four clubs:
| Game No | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Attend | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| 1 | Sat 29 Dec 1984 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 14–8 | Halifax | Headingley | 6,390 | | | |
| 2 | Sat 5 Jan 1985 | Hull F.C. | 18–6 | Leeds | Boothferry Park | 13,214 | | | |

### Final

* 26 January 1985 12:00 GMT (UTC+0)
| Hull F.C. | 0 – 12 | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| Tries: 0 | 1st: 0 – 8 2nd: 0 – 4 Report | Tries: 3 Hogan 18' Prohm 23' Clark 72' Goals: 0 Fairbairn (0/3) |
* Boothferry Park, Kingston upon Hull Attendance: 25,326 Referee: Stanley Wall Man of the Match: Paul Harkin (Hull Kingston Rovers)
| Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | Position | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| 1 | Gary Kemble 21' | Fullback | 1 | George Fairbairn |
| 2 | Steve Evans | Wing | 2 | Garry Clark 72' |
| 3 | Fred Ah Kuoi | Centre | 3 | Ian Robinson |
| 4 | James Leuluai | Centre | 4 | Gary Prohm 23' |
| 5 | Dane O'Hara | Wing | 5 | David Laws |
| 6 | David Topliss (c) | Stand-off | 6 | Mike Smith |
| 7 | Peter Sterling | Scrum-half | 7 | Paul Harkin |
| 8 | Phil Edmonds 64' | Prop | 8 | Mark Broadhurst |
| 9 | Shaun Patrick | Hooker | 9 | David Watkinson (c) |
| 10 | Paul Rose | Prop | 10 | Asuquo Ema |
| 11 | Chris Burton | Second-row | 11 | Lee Crooks |
| 12 | Wayne Proctor | Second-row | 12 | Phil Hogan 18' |
| 13 | Gavin Miller | Loose forward | 13 | Gary Divorty |
| 14 | Garry Schofield 21' | Interchange | 14 | John Lydiat |
| 15 | Andy Dannatt 64' | Interchange | 15 | Len Casey |
| | Arthur Bunting | Head coach | | Roger Millward |

### Prize money

As part of the sponsorship deal and funds, the prize money awarded to the competing teams for this season is as follows :-
| Finish position | Cash prize | No. receiving prize | Total cash |
| Winner | ? | 1 | ? |
| Runner-up | ? | 1 | ? |
| semi-finalist | ? | 2 | ? |
| loser in Rd 3 | ? | 4 | ? |
| loser in Rd 2 | ? | 8 | ? |
| Loser in Rd 1 | ? | 16 | ? |
| Loser in prelim round | ? | ? | ? |
| Grand total | | | |

### The road to success

This tree excludes any preliminary round fixtures
| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final | Final |
| Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 32 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leigh | Leigh | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leigh | Leigh | 5 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 35 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 10 | Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mansfield Marksman | Mansfield Marksman | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mansfield Marksman | Mansfield Marksman | 8 | | | | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 14 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| Workington Town | Workington Town | 12 | | | | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| Widnes | Widnes | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Widnes | Widnes | 22 | Widnes | Widnes | 28 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 17 | Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Barrow | Barrow | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Barrow | Barrow | 12 | | | | | | | | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 14 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Halifax | Halifax | 8 | | | | |
| Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | Halifax | Halifax | 8 | | | | |
| Swinton | Swinton | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Swinton | Swinton | 1 | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 12 (10) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 12 (24) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| St. Helens | St. Helens | 60 | St. Helens | St. Helens | 12 (24) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 8 | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 8 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Halifax | Halifax | 14 | | | | | | | | |
| Warrington | Warrington | 5 | | | | | | | Halifax | Halifax | 14 | | | | | | | | |
| Halifax | Halifax | 17 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Halifax | Halifax | 17 | Halifax | Halifax | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Castleford | Castleford | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bridgend Blue Dragons | Bridgend Blue Dragons | 4 | Castleford | Castleford | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Castleford | Castleford | 42 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Castleford | Castleford | 42 | | | | | | | | | | | | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 12 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Hull | Hull | 0 |
| Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Hull | Hull | 0 |
| Salford | Salford | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Salford | Salford | 8 | Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 31 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Runcorn Highfield | Runcorn Highfield | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Runcorn Highfield | Runcorn Highfield | 18 | Runcorn Highfield | Runcorn Highfield | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Batley | Batley | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Batley | Batley | 5 | | | | Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 8 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Hull | Hull | 22 | | | | | | | | |
| Fulham | Fulham | 14 | | | | | | | Hull | Hull | 22 | | | | | | | | |
| Hull | Hull | 36 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hull | Hull | 36 | Hull | Hull | 26 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Oldham | Oldham | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| York | York | 6 | Oldham | Oldham | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 22 | | | | | | | | Hull | Hull | 18 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 6 | | | | |
| Leeds | Leeds | 50 | | | | | | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 6 | | | | |
| Sheffield Eagles | Sheffield Eagles | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Sheffield Eagles | Sheffield Eagles | 2 | Leeds | Leeds | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Wigan | Wigan | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wigan | Wigan | 50 | Wigan | Wigan | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Huddersfield Barracudas | Huddersfield Barracudas | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Huddersfield Barracudas | Huddersfield Barracudas | 6 | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 28 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Bramley | Bramley | 14 | | | | | | | | |
| Bramley | Bramley | 12 | | | | | | | Bramley | Bramley | 14 | | | | | | | | |
| Blackpool Borough | Blackpool Borough | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Blackpool Borough | Blackpool Borough | 10 | Bramley | Bramley | 33 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Whitehaven | Whitehaven | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Whitehaven | Whitehaven | 64 | Whitehaven | Whitehaven | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Doncaster | Doncaster | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |