# 1975–76 Player's No.6 Trophy

This was the fifth season for the League Cup, known as the Players No.6 Trophy for sponsorship reasons.
Widnes won the trophy by beating Hull F.C. by the score of 19–13 in the final played at Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire. The attendance was 9,035 and receipts were £6275.

## Background

This season saw no changes in the entrants, no new members and no withdrawals, the number remaining at eighteen.

## Competition and results
### Round 1 - First round

Involved 16 matches and 32 clubs
| Game No | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Att | Notes |
| 1 | Fri 26 Sep 1975 | Castleford | 26-15 | York | Wheldon Road | | |
| 2 | Fri 26 Sep 1975 | Mayfield | 3-53 | Salford | The Willows | 3449 | 1, 2, 3 |
| 3 | Sat 27 Sep 1975 | Barrow | 16-9 | Pilkington Recs | Craven Park | 612 | 4 |
| 4 | Sat 27 Sep 1975 | Wigan | 30-7 | Keighley | Central Park | | |
| 5 | Sat 27 Sep 1975 | Workington Town | 16-9 | Bramley | Derwent Park | | |
| 6 | Sun 28 Sep 1975 | Batley | 18-9 | Whitehaven | Mount Pleasant | | |
| 7 | Sun 28 Sep 1975 | Blackpool Borough | 11-36 | St. Helens | Borough Park | | |
| 8 | Sun 28 Sep 1975 | Bradford Northern | 12-32 | Wakefield Trinity | Odsal | | |
| 9 | Sun 28 Sep 1975 | Doncaster | 12-23 | Hull F.C. | Bentley Road Stadium/Tattersfield | | |
| 10 | Sun 28 Sep 1975 | Huddersfield | 20-12 | Warrington | Fartown | | |
| 11 | Sun 28 Sep 1975 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 33-10 | Rochdale Hornets | Craven Park (1) | | |
| 12 | Sun 28 Sep 1975 | Huyton | 14-20 | Oldham | Alt Park, Huyton | | |
| 13 | Sun 28 Sep 1975 | Leigh | 12-5 | Featherstone Rovers | Hilton Park | | |
| 14 | Sun 28 Sep 1975 | New Hunslet | 28-8 | Halifax | Elland Road Greyhound Stadium | | 5 |
| 15 | Sun 28 Sep 1975 | Swinton | 7-23 | Leeds | Station Road | | |
| 16 | Sun 28 Sep 1975 | Widnes | 27-12 | Dewsbury | Naughton Park | | |

### Round 2 - Second round

Involved 8 matches and 16 clubs
| Game No | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Notes |
| 1 | Fri 7 Nov 1975 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 23-8 | Leigh | Craven Park (1) | 6 |
| 2 | Sat 8 Nov 1975 | Wigan | 5-18 | Widnes | Central Park | |
| 3 | Sun 9 Nov 1975 | Huddersfield | 14-5 | Barrow | Fartown | |
| 4 | Sun 9 Nov 1975 | Hull F.C. | 9-9 | Leeds | Boulevard | |
| 5 | Sun 9 Nov 1975 | St. Helens | 47-9 | Batley | Knowsley Road | |
| 6 | Sun 9 Nov 1975 | Salford | 46-3 | Oldham | The Willows | |
| 7 | Sun 9 Nov 1975 | Wakefield Trinity | 14-24 | Castleford | Belle Vue | |
| 8 | Sun 9 Nov 1975 | Workington Town | 23-6 | New Hunslet | Derwent Park | |

### Round 2 - Second round replays

Involved 1 match and 2 clubs
| Game No | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| 1 | Thu 13 Nov 1975 | Leeds | 11-23 | Hull F.C. | Headingley | | | | |

### Round 3 - quarterfinals

Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs
| Game No | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue |
| 1 | Sat 22 Nov 1975 | Hull F.C. | 9-8 | St. Helens | Boulevard |
| 2 | Sun 23 Nov 1975 | Huddersfield | 10-19 | Castleford | Fartown |
| 3 | Sun 23 Nov 1975 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 14-18 | Widnes | Craven Park (1) |
| 4 | Sun 23 Nov 1975 | Salford | 16-8 | Workington Town | The Willows |

### Round 4 – semifinals

Involved 2 matches and 4 clubs
| Game No | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| 1 | Sat 29 Nov 1975 | Castleford | 9-17 | Widnes | Wheldon Road | | | | |
| 2 | Sat 13 Dec 1975 | Salford | 14-22 | Hull F.C. | The Willows | | | | |

### Final

| Game No | Fixture date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| | Saturday 24 January 1976 | Widnes | 19-13 | Hull F.C. | Headingley | 9035 | 6275 | 7 | |

#### Teams and scorers

| Widnes | No. | Hull |
| | teams | |
| Ray Dutton | 1 | Mike Stephenson |
| Alan Prescott | 2 | Alf Macklin |
| Mick George | 3 | George Clark |
| Mal Aspey | 4 | Steve Portz |
| David Jenkins | 5 | Paul Hunter |
| Eric Hughes | 6 | Brian Hancock |
| Reg Bowden | 7 | Ken Foulkes |
| Jim Mills | 8 | Bill Ramsey |
| Keith Elwell | 9 | Peter Flanagan |
| John Wood | 10 | Alan Wardell |
| John Foran | 11 | Keith Boxall |
| Barry Sheridan | 12 | Malcolm Walker |
| Mick Adams | 13 | Mick Crane |
| ? Not used | 14 | ? Not used |
| ? Not used | 15 | Chris Davidson (for Ken Foulkes) |
| | Coach | |
| 19 | score | 13 |
| 8 | HT | 8 |
| | Scorers | |
| | Tries | |
| David Jenkins (2) | T | Paul Hunter (1) |
| Reg Bowden (1) | T | Mick Crane (2) |
| Mick Adams (1) | T | |
| | Goals | |
| Ray Dutton (3) | G | Keith Boxhall (2) |
| | Drop Goals | |
| Reg Bowden (1) | DG | |
| Referee | | J. V. Moss (Manchester) |
| Man of the match | | Reg Bowden - Widnes - scrum-half |
| Competition Sponsor | | Player's No.6 |
Scoring - Try = three points - Goal = two points - Drop goal = one point

### Prize money

As part of the sponsorship deal and funds, the prize money awarded to the competing teams for this season was as follows:
| Finish Position | Cash Prize | No. receiving prize | Total Cash |
| Winner | £6,000 | 1 | £6,000 |
| Runner-up | £3,000 | 1 | £3,000 |
| Semi-finalist | £1,500 | 2 | £3,000 |
| Loser in Rd 3 | £600 | 4 | £2,400 |
| Loser in Rd 2 | £450 | 8 | £3,600 |
| Loser in Rd 1 | £300 | 16 | £4,800 |
| Grand Total | Grand Total | Grand Total | £22,800 |

### 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 |
| Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Warrington | Warrington | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Warrington | Warrington | 12 | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Barrow | Barrow | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Barrow | Barrow | 16 | Barrow | Barrow | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Pilkington Recs | Pilkington Recs | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Pilkington Recs | Pilkington Recs | 9 | | | | Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 10 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Castleford | Castleford | 19 | | | | | | | | |
| Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 12 | | | | | | | Castleford | Castleford | 19 | | | | | | | | |
| Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 32 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 32 | Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Castleford | Castleford | 24 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Castleford | Castleford | 26 | Castleford | Castleford | 24 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| York | York | 15 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| York | York | 15 | | | | | | | | Castleford | Castleford | 9 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 17 | | | | |
| Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 33 | | | | | | | | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 17 | | | | |
| Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 10 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 23 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Leigh | Leigh | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leigh | Leigh | 12 | Leigh | Leigh | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 5 | | | | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 14 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 18 | | | | | | | | |
| Wigan | Wigan | 30 | | | | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 18 | | | | | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 7 | Wigan | Wigan | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Widnes | Widnes | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Widnes | Widnes | 27 | Widnes | Widnes | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 19 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 13 |
| Mayfield | Mayfield | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 13 |
| Salford | Salford | 53 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Salford | Salford | 53 | Salford | Salford | 46 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Oldham | Oldham | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Huyton | Huyton | 14 | Oldham | Oldham | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 20 | | | | Salford | Salford | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Workington Town | Workington Town | 8 | | | | | | | | |
| Workington Town | Workington Town | 16 | | | | | | | Workington Town | Workington Town | 8 | | | | | | | | |
| Bramley | Bramley | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bramley | Bramley | 9 | Workington Town | Workington Town | 23 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | New Hunslet | New Hunslet | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| New Hunslet | New Hunslet | 28 | New Hunslet | New Hunslet | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Halifax | Halifax | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Halifax | Halifax | 8 | | | | | | | | Salford | Salford | 14 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 22 | | | | |
| Doncaster | Doncaster | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 22 | | | | |
| Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 23 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 23 | Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 9 (23) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Leeds | Leeds | 9 (11) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Swinton | Swinton | 7 | Leeds | Leeds | 9 (11) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leeds | Leeds | 23 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leeds | Leeds | 23 | | | | Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 9 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 8 | | | | | | | | |
| Blackpool Borough | Blackpool Borough | 11 | | | | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 8 | | | | | | | | |
| St. Helens | St. Helens | 36 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| St. Helens | St. Helens | 36 | St. Helens | St. Helens | 47 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Batley | Batley | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Batley | Batley | 18 | Batley | Batley | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Whitehaven | Whitehaven | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Notes and comments

1 * Mayfield are a Junior (amateur) club from Rochdale 2 * Although Mayfield were drawn at home, the match was moved to Salford 3 * Rothmans Rugby League Yearbooks 1990-1991 and 1991-92 and Wigan official archives give the score as 3-57, but RUGBYLEAGUEprojects and The News of the World/Empire News annual 1976–77 give it as 3-53 4 * Pilkington Recs are a Junior (amateur) club from St Helens, home ground was City Road until they moved to Ruskin Drive from 2011 to 2012 5 * Wigan official archives gives the score as 25-8 but RUGBYLEAGUEprojects gives it as 28-8 6 * Wigan official archives gives the score as 23-3 but RUGBYLEAGUEprojects and The News of the World/Empire News annual 1976–77 give it as 23-8 7 * Headingley, Leeds, is the home ground of Leeds RLFC with a capacity of 21,000. The record attendance was 40,175 for a league match between Leeds and Bradford Northern on 21 May 1947.