# 1983–84 John Player Special Trophy

This was the thirteenth season of the rugby league League Cup, which was this season known as the John Player Special Trophy for sponsorship reasons.
Leeds won the trophy, beating Widnes by the score of 18-10 in the final. The match was played at Central Park, Wigan and the attendance was 9,510. The gate receipts were £19824.

## Background

This season saw one change in the entrants, Kent Invicta joined the league and also the competition, the number of entrants now rising to thirty-four The preliminary round now increased to two matches and involved four clubs, to reduce the numbers of entrants to the first round proper to thirty-two Unfortunately, early in the season Bramley went into administration, and although they survived, during this period of administration they withdrew from this competition, leaving Hull Kingston Rovers with a bye in the first round.

## Competition and results
### Preliminary round

Involved 2 matches and 4 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| 1 | Sun 23 Oct 1983 | Batley | 11-12 | Doncaster | Mount Pleasant | 782 | | | |
| 2 | Sun 23 Oct 1983 | Whitehaven | 0-36 | Widnes | Recreation Ground | 1655 | | | |

### Round 1 - First Round

Involved 15 matches with one bye and 31 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Notes |
| 1 | Sat 5 11 1983 | Castleford | P | Hull F.C. | | | 1 |
| 2 | Sun 6 Nov 1983 | Blackpool Borough | 9-12 | Leeds | Borough Park | 1351 | |
| 3 | Sun 6 Nov 1983 | Cardiff City | 41-6 | Rochdale Hornets | Ninian Park | 645 | |
| 4 | Sun 6 Nov 1983 | Carlisle | 10-5 | Workington Town | Brunton Park | 1297 | |
| 5 | Sun 6 Nov 1983 | Dewsbury | 14-17 | Keighley | Crown Flatt | 814 | |
| 6 | Sun 6 Nov 1983 | Featherstone Rovers | 12-10 | Fulham | Post Office Road | 2011 | |
| 7 | Sun 6 Nov 1983 | Halifax | 12-29 | Barrow | Thrum Hall | 2699 | |
| 8 | Sun 6 Nov 1983 | Kent Invicta | 7-40 | St. Helens | Athletic Ground, Maidstone | 2107 | 2 |
| 9 | Sun 6 Nov 1983 | Oldham | 12-20 | Leigh | Watersheddings | 6264 | |
| 10 | Sun 6 Nov 1983 | Swinton | 17-16 | Hunslet | Station Road | 1243 | |
| 11 | Sun 6 Nov 1983 | Wakefield Trinity | 18-32 | Warrington | Belle Vue | 2935 | |
| 12 | Sun 6 Nov 1983 | Widnes | 2-1 | Bradford Northern | Naughton Park | 5640 | 3 |
| 13 | Sun 6 Nov 1983 | Wigan | 30-13 | York | Central Park | 6388 | |
| 14 | Sun 6 Nov 1983 | Doncaster | 11-22 | Salford | Bentley Road Stadium/Tattersfield | 458 | |
| 15 | Sun 6 Nov 1983 | Huddersfield | 8-21 | Huyton | Fartown | 582 | |
| 16 | | Hull Kingston Rovers | | bye | | | 4 |

### 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 | Sun 6 Nov 1983 | Castleford | 4-8 | Hull F.C. | Wheldon Road | 7979 | | | |

### Round 2 - Second Round

Involved 8 matches and 16 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Notes |
| 1 | Sat 19 Nov 1983 | Warrington | 10-18 | St. Helens | Wilderspool | 4171 | |
| 2 | Sun 20 Nov 1983 | Cardiff City | 38-12 | Huyton | Ninian Park | 1085 | |
| 3 | Sun 20 Nov 1983 | Carlisle | 17-68 | Leigh | Brunton Park | 2152 | 5 |
| 4 | Sun 20 Nov 1983 | Featherstone Rovers | 20-14 | Hull F.C. | Post Office Road | 7833 | |
| 5 | Sun 20 Nov 1983 | Keighley | 8-23 | Swinton | Lawkholme Lane | 1577 | |
| 6 | Sun 20 Nov 1983 | Leeds | 12-6 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Headingley | 8623 | 6 |
| 7 | Sun 20 Nov 1983 | Widnes | 18-6 | Barrow | Naughton Park | 7030 | |
| 8 | Sun 20 Nov 1983 | Wigan | 24-15 | Salford | Central Park | 7290 | |

### Round 3 -Quarter Finals

Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att |
| 1 | Sat 26 Nov 1983 | Widnes | 20-15 | Wigan | Naughton Park | 6492 |
| 2 | Sun 27 Nov 1983 | Leigh | 12-8 | Cardiff City | Hilton Park | 4134 |
| 3 | Sun 27 Nov 1983 | St. Helens | 16-12 | Featherstone Rovers | Knowsley Road | 5196 |
| 4 | Sun 27 Nov 1983 | Swinton | 12-16 | Leeds | Station Road | 3438 |

### 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 10 Dec 1983 | Leigh | 11-18 | Leeds | Fartown | 5740 | | | |
| 2 | Sat 17 Dec 1983 | Widnes | 18-4 | St. Helens | Wilderspool | 5729 | | | |

### Final

| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| | Saturday 14 January 1984 | Leeds | 18-10 | Widnes | Central Park | 9510 | 19824 | 7 | |

#### Teams and scorers

| Leeds | № | Widnes |
| | teams | |
| Ian Wilkinson | 1 | Mick Burke |
| Paul Prendiville | 2 | Stuart Wright |
| David Creasser | 3 | Keiron O'Loughlin |
| Dean Bell | 4 | Joe Lydon |
| Andy Smith | 5 | Ralph Linton |
| John Holmes | 6 | Eric Hughes |
| Kevin Dick | 7 | Andy Gregory |
| Keith Rayne | 8 | Mike O'Neill |
| David Ward | 9 | Keith Elwell |
| Kevin Rayne | 10 | Kevin Tamati |
| Gary Moorby | 11 | Les Gorley |
| Mark Laurie | 12 | Fred Whitfield |
| Terry Webb | 13 | Mick Adams |
| ? Not used | 14 | ? Not used |
| Kevin Squire (for David Ward) | 15 | ? Not used |
| Maurice Bamford | Coach | Vince Karalius & Harry Dawson |
| 18 | score | 10 |
| 14 | HT | 10 |
| | Scorers | |
| | Tries | |
| John Holmes (1) | T | Joe Lydon (1) |
| Kevin Dick (1) | T | Ralph Linton (1) |
| | Goals | |
| David Creasser (5) | G | Mick Burke (1) |
| Referee | | William "Billy" H. Thompson (Huddersfield) |
| Man of the match | | Mark Laurie - Leeds - Second-row |
| 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 |
| Carlisle | Carlisle | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Workington Town | Workington Town | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Workington Town | Workington Town | 5 | Carlisle | Carlisle | 17 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Leigh | Leigh | 68 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 12 | Leigh | Leigh | 68 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leigh | Leigh | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leigh | Leigh | 20 | | | | Leigh | Leigh | 12 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Cardiff City | Cardiff City | 8 | | | | | | | | |
| Cardiff City | Cardiff City | 41 | | | | | | | Cardiff City | Cardiff City | 8 | | | | | | | | |
| Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 6 | Cardiff City | Cardiff City | 38 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Huyton | Huyton | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 8 | Huyton | Huyton | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Huyton | Huyton | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Huyton | Huyton | 21 | | | | | | | | Leigh | Leigh | 11 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 18 | | | | |
| Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 18 | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 17 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 17 | Keighley | Keighley | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Swinton | Swinton | 23 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Swinton | Swinton | 17 | Swinton | Swinton | 23 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hunslet | Hunslet | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hunslet | Hunslet | 16 | | | | Swinton | Swinton | 12 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| Blackpool Borough | Blackpool Borough | 9 | | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| Leeds | Leeds | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leeds | Leeds | 12 | Leeds | Leeds | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | | | | | | | | | | | | Leeds | Leeds | 18 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 10 |
| Widnes | Widnes | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 10 |
| Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 1 | Widnes | Widnes | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Barrow | Barrow | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Halifax | Halifax | 12 | Barrow | Barrow | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Barrow | Barrow | 29 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Barrow | Barrow | 29 | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 20 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 15 | | | | | | | | |
| Wigan | Wigan | 30 | | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 15 | | | | | | | | |
| York | York | 13 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| York | York | 13 | Wigan | Wigan | 24 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Salford | Salford | 15 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Doncaster | Doncaster | 11 | Salford | Salford | 15 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Salford | Salford | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Salford | Salford | 22 | | | | | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 18 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 4 | | | | |
| Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 4 | | | | |
| Warrington | Warrington | 32 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Warrington | Warrington | 32 | Warrington | Warrington | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Kent Invicta | Kent Invicta | 7 | St. Helens | St. Helens | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| St. Helens | St. Helens | 40 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| St. Helens | St. Helens | 40 | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 12 | | | | | | | | |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 12 | | | | | | | Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 12 | | | | | | | | |
| Fulham | Fulham | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Fulham | Fulham | 10 | Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Castleford | Castleford | 4 | Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Notes and comments

1 * This match had been chosen for Saturday BBC coverage but was cancelled and moved to Sunday at two days notice due to Industrial Action at the BBC 2 * Kent Invicta's record crowd 3 * 3 dropped goals 4 * Bramley withdrew from this competition while in liquidation 5 * highest score (and highest away score) o date between two professional clubs 6 * Wigan official archives state the home team are Leigh, an obvious printing error as earlier in the same fixture list Leigh are away at CarlisleCarlisle 7 * 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