# 1987–88 John Player Special Trophy

This was the seventeenth season for the League Cup, known as the John Player Special Trophy for sponsorship purposes.
St. Helens won the final, beating Leeds by the score of 15-14. The match was played at Central Park, Wigan. The attendance was 16,669 and receipts were £62232.

## Background

This season saw no changes in the entrants, no new members and no withdrawals, the number remaining at thirty-six Blackpool Borough moved to Springfield Park in Wigan and renamed as Springfield Borough

## Competition and results
### Preliminary round

Involved 4 matches and 8 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Notes |
| 1 | Sat 31 Oct 1987 | Heworth | 5-32 | Swinton | Clarence Street | 1063 | 1 |
| 2 | Sun 1 Nov 1987 | Featherstone Rovers | 34-16 | Thatto Heath | Post Office Road | 1045 | 2 |
| 3 | Sun 1 Nov 1987 | York | 38-2 | Bramley | Clarence Street | 1174 | 3 |
| 4 | Sun 8 Nov 1987 | Oldham | 36-8 | Fulham | Watersheddings | 3197 | |

### Round 1 - First Round

Involved 16 matches and 32 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Notes |
| 1 | Fri 13 Nov 1987 | Springfield Borough | 14-2 | Barrow | Springfield Park | 629 | |
| 2 | Sat 14 Nov 1987 | Oldham | 22-6 | Bradford Northern | Watersheddings | 4858 | |
| 3 | Sat 14 Nov 1987 | St. Helens | 12-10 | Widnes | Knowsley Road | 7322 | |
| 4 | Sun 15 Nov 1987 | Batley | 18-16 | Hunslet | Mount Pleasant | 1117 | |
| 5 | Sun 15 Nov 1987 | Carlisle | 16-22 | Warrington | Brunton Park | 1055 | |
| 6 | Sun 15 Nov 1987 | Dewsbury | 14-12 | Doncaster | Crown Flatt | 1081 | |
| 7 | Sun 15 Nov 1987 | Featherstone Rovers | 12-34 | Castleford | Post Office Road | 3376 | |
| 8 | Sun 15 Nov 1987 | Keighley | 6-32 | Halifax | Thrum Hall | 5236 | 4 |
| 9 | Sun 15 Nov 1987 | Hull F.C. | 42-6 | Workington Town | Boulevard | 2447 | |
| 10 | Sun 15 Nov 1987 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 30-12 | Rochdale Hornets | Craven Park (1) | 2308 | |
| 11 | Sun 15 Nov 1987 | Leigh | 28-12 | Huddersfield Barracudas | Hilton Park | 2082 | |
| 12 | Sun 15 Nov 1987 | Runcorn Highfield | 4-6 | Mansfield Marksman | Canal Street | 514 | |
| 13 | Sun 15 Nov 1987 | Swinton | 12-18 | Salford | Station Road | 3459 | |
| 14 | Sun 15 Nov 1987 | Wakefield Trinity | 22-22 | York | Belle Vue | 1864 | |
| 15 | Sun 15 Nov 1987 | Whitehaven | 14-18 | Leeds | Recreation Ground | 3663 | |
| 16 | Sun 15 Nov 1987 | Wigan | 34-8 | Sheffield Eagles | Central Park | 7484 | |

### Round 1 - First Round Replays

Involved 1 match and 2 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| 1 | Wed 18 Nov 1987 | York | 6-30 | Wakefield Trinity | Clarence Street | 1467 | | | |

### Round 2 - Second Round

Involved 8 matches and 16 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att |
| 1 | Sat 21 Nov 1987 | Wigan | 26-16 | Castleford | Central Park | 9613 |
| 2 | Sun 22 Nov 1987 | Batley | 0-44 | Oldham | Mount Pleasant | 2808 |
| 3 | Sun 22 Nov 1987 | Hull F.C. | 19-7 | Leigh | Boulevard | 3982 |
| 4 | Sun 22 Nov 1987 | Leeds | 20-10 | Halifax | Headingley | 13498 |
| 5 | Sun 22 Nov 1987 | St. Helens | 40-0 | Mansfield Marksman | Knowsley Road | 4966 |
| 6 | Sun 22 Nov 1987 | Salford | 14-5 | Dewsbury | The Willows | 2129 |
| 7 | Sun 22 Nov 1987 | Springfield Borough | 14-8 | Wakefield Trinity | Springfield Park | 1265 |
| 8 | Sun 22 Nov 1987 | Warrington | 12-8 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Wilderspool | 4550 |

### Round 3 -Quarter Finals

Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att |
| 1 | Sat 28 Nov 1987 | Warrington | 10-14 | Oldham | Wilderspool | 5152 |
| 2 | Sun 29 Nov 1987 | St. Helens | 20-16 | Hull F.C. | Knowsley Road | 7400 |
| 3 | Sun 29 Nov 1987 | Salford | 12-16 | Wigan | The Willows | 7986 |
| 4 | Sun 29 Nov 1987 | Springfield Borough | 12-22 | Leeds | Springfield Park | 3894 |

### Round 4 – Semi-Finals

Involved 2 matches and 4 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| 1 | Sat 12 Dec 1987 | Leeds | 19-6 | Wigan | Burnden Park | 13538 | | | |
| 2 | Sat 19 Dec 1987 | St. Helens | 18-8 | Oldham | Knowsley Road | 8136 | | | |

### Final

| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| | Saturday 9 January 1988 | St. Helens | 15-14 | Leeds | Central Park | 16669 | 62232 | 5 | |

#### Teams and scorers

| St. Helens | № | Leeds |
| | teams | |
| Phil Veivers | 1 | Marty Gurr |
| Dave Tanner | 2 | Steve Morris |
| Paul Loughlin | 3 | Garry Schofield |
| Mark Elia | 4 | Peter Jackson |
| Les Quirk | 5 | John Basnett |
| Shane Cooper | 6 | David Creasser |
| Neil Holding | 7 | Ray Ashton |
| Tony Burke | 8 | Peter Tunks |
| Paul Groves | 9 | Colin Maskill |
| Peter Souto | 10 | Kevin Rayne |
| Paul Forber | 11 | Roy Powell |
| Roy Haggerty | 12 | Paul Medley |
| Andy Platt | 13 | David Heron |
| David Large (for ?) | 14 | Carl Gibson (for John Basnett) |
| Stuart Evans (for Peter Souto) | 15 | xJohn Fairbank (for Kevin Rayne) |
| Alex Murphy | Coach | Maurice Bamford |
| 15 | score | 14 |
| 9 | HT | 14 |
| | Scorers | |
| | Tries | |
| Paul Loughlin (2) | T | Peter Jackson (1) |
| | T | David Creasser (1) |
| | Goals | |
| Paul Loughlin (3) | G | David Creasser (3) |
| | Drop Goals | |
| Neil Holding (1) | DG | |
| Referee | | G. Frederick "Fred" Lindop (Wakefield) |
| Man of the match | | Paul Loughlin - St Helens - Centre |
| Competition Sponsor | | John Player Special |
Scoring - Try = four 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 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 | | | |
Note - the author is unable to trace the award amounts for this season. Can anyone help ?

### 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 | | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Final | Final | Final |
| St. Helens | St. Helens | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Widnes | Widnes | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Widnes | Widnes | 10 | St. Helens | St. Helens | 40 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Mansfield Marksman | Mansfield Marksman | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Runcorn Highfield | Runcorn Highfield | 4 | Mansfield Marksman | Mansfield Marksman | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mansfield Marksman | Mansfield Marksman | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mansfield Marksman | Mansfield Marksman | 6 | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 20 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 42 | | | | | | | Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| Workington Town | Workington Town | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Workington Town | Workington Town | 6 | Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 19 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Leigh | Leigh | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leigh | Leigh | 28 | Leigh | Leigh | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Huddersfield Barracudas | Huddersfield Barracudas | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Huddersfield Barracudas | Huddersfield Barracudas | 12 | | | | | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 18 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Oldham | Oldham | 8 | | | | |
| Carlisle | Carlisle | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | Oldham | Oldham | 8 | | | | |
| Warrington | Warrington | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Warrington | Warrington | 22 | Warrington | Warrington | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 30 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 12 | | | | Warrington | Warrington | 10 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Oldham | Oldham | 14 | | | | | | | | |
| Batley | Batley | 18 | | | | | | | Oldham | Oldham | 14 | | | | | | | | |
| Hunslet | Hunslet | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hunslet | Hunslet | 16 | Batley | Batley | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Oldham | Oldham | 44 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 22 | Oldham | Oldham | 44 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 15 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 14 |
| Springfield Borough | Springfield Borough | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 14 |
| Barrow | Barrow | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Barrow | Barrow | 2 | Springfield Borough | Springfield Borough | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 22 (30) | Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| York | York | 22 (6) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| York | York | 22 (6) | | | | Springfield Borough | Springfield Borough | 12 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 22 | | | | | | | | |
| Whitehaven | Whitehaven | 14 | | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 22 | | | | | | | | |
| Leeds | Leeds | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leeds | Leeds | 18 | Leeds | Leeds | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Halifax | Halifax | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 6 | Halifax | Halifax | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Halifax | Halifax | 32 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Halifax | Halifax | 32 | | | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 19 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 6 | | | | |
| Swinton | Swinton | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 6 | | | | |
| Salford | Salford | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Salford | Salford | 18 | Salford | Salford | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 14 | Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Doncaster | Doncaster | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Doncaster | Doncaster | 12 | | | | Salford | Salford | 12 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| Wigan | Wigan | 34 | | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| Sheffield Eagles | Sheffield Eagles | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Sheffield Eagles | Sheffield Eagles | 8 | Wigan | Wigan | 26 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Castleford | Castleford | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 12 | Castleford | Castleford | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Castleford | Castleford | 34 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Notes and comments

1 * Heworth are a Junior (amateur) club from York 2 * Thatto Heath are a Junior (amateur) club from St Helens 3 * RUGBYLEAGUEproject give score as 38-2 but Wigan official archives gives it as 37-2
4 * RUGBYLEAGUEproject give Halifax at home but Wigan official archives gives Keighley at home but with a reference that the game was played at Thrum Hall, the home of Halifax 5 * Central Park was the home ground of Wigan with a final capacity of 18,000, although the record attendance was 47,747 for Wigan v St Helens 27 March 1959