# 1988–89 John Player Special Trophy

The 1988–89 John Player Special Trophy was the eighteenth season for the competition (named as such due to sponsorship from John Player & Sons).
Wigan won the final, beating Widnes by the score of 12-6. The match was played at Burnden Park, Bolton, Greater Manchester. The attendance was 20,709 and receipts were £94874.

## Background

This season saw no changes in the entrants, no new members and no withdrawals, the number remaining at thirty-six Huddersfield dropped the "Barracuda" suffix and the ground reverted to the traditional Fartown name, much to the relief of most of the fans - and - Springfield Borough moved to Chorley after only one season and re-branded themselves Chorley Borough, playing at Victory Park, the home of Chorley FC

## Competition and results
### Preliminary round

Involved 4 matches and 8 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Notes |
| 1 | Sun 30 Oct 1988 | Featherstone Rovers | 46-2 | Hunslet | Post Office Road | 1972 | |
| 2 | Sun 30 Oct 1988 | Wigan St Patricks | 36-2 | Elland (Halifax) | Central Park | 2510 | 1, 2 |
| 3 | Sun 30 Oct 1988 | Workington Town | 2-28 | Castleford | Derwent Park | 1502 | |
| 4 | Sun 6 Nov 1988 | Bramley | 56-10 | Fulham | McLaren Field | 850 | |

### Round 1 - First Round

Involved 16 matches and 32 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Notes |
| 1 | Sat 12 Nov 1988 | Leeds | 12-21 | Castleford | Headingley | 10006 | |
| 2 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Bradford Northern | 34-18 | Dewsbury | Odsal | 2555 | |
| 3 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Bramley | 32-6 | Mansfield Marksman | McLaren Field | 1151 | |
| 4 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Halifax | 22-4 | Salford | Thrum Hall | 6661 | |
| 5 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Huddersfield | 4-22 | Chorley Borough | Fartown | 1120 | |
| 6 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Hull F.C. | 26-10 | Batley | Boulevard | 4054 | |
| 7 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 40-0 | Keighley | Craven Park (1) | 3319 | |
| 8 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Leigh | 42-14 | Barrow | Hilton Park | 3256 | |
| 9 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Rochdale Hornets | 26-20 | Whitehaven | Athletic Grounds | 888 | |
| 10 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Runcorn Highfield | 2-92 | Wigan | Central Park | 7233 | 3, 4, 5 |
| 11 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Sheffield Eagles | 80-8 | Wigan St Patricks | Owlerton Stadium | 621 | |
| 12 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Swinton | 13-16 | Doncaster | Station Road | 2182 | |
| 13 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Wakefield Trinity | 34-14 | Carlisle | Belle Vue | 2513 | |
| 14 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Warrington | 21-14 | Oldham | Wilderspool | 5528 | |
| 15 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | Widnes | 37-12 | Featherstone Rovers | Naughton Park | 5299 | 6 |
| 16 | Sun 13 Nov 1988 | York | 6-14 | St. Helens | Clarence Street | 3082 | |

### Round 2 - Second Round

Involved 8 matches and 16 Clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att |
| 1 | Sat 26 Nov 1988 | Wigan | 20-16 | Halifax | Central Park | 10826 |
| 2 | Sun 27 Nov 1988 | Castleford | 18-19 | Bradford Northern | Wheldon Road | 7688 |
| 3 | Sun 27 Nov 1988 | Chorley Borough | 22-36 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Victory Park | 983 |
| 4 | Sun 27 Nov 1988 | Leigh | 40-8 | Doncaster | Hilton Park | 4321 |
| 5 | Sun 27 Nov 1988 | St. Helens | 16-13 | Hull F.C. | Knowsley Road | 7485 |
| 6 | Sun 27 Nov 1988 | Sheffield Eagles | 9-32 | Widnes | Owlerton Stadium | 2716 |
| 7 | Sun 27 Nov 1988 | Wakefield Trinity | 38-12 | Rochdale Hornets | Belle Vue | 2486 |
| 8 | Sun 27 Nov 1988 | Warrington | 42-10 | Bramley | Wilderspool | 3274 |

### Round 3 -Quarter Finals

Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att |
| 1 | Sat 3 Dec 1988 | Widnes | 16-7 | Warrington | Naughton Park | 6449 |
| 2 | Sun 4 Dec 1988 | Bradford Northern | 6-0 | Leigh | Odsal | 3975 |
| 3 | Sun 4 Dec 1988 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 16-16 | Wigan | Craven Park (1) | 7142 |
| 4 | Sun 4 Dec 1988 | St. Helens | 34-18 | Wakefield Trinity | Knowsley Road | 7602 |

### Round 3 -Quarter Finals - Replays

Involved 1 match with 2 clubs
| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| 1 | Wed 7 Dec 1988 | Wigan | 30-0 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Central Park | 13278 | | | |

### 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 1988 | Widnes | 20-18 | St. Helens | Wigan ?? | 6755 | | | |
| 2 | Sat 17 Dec 1988 | Wigan | 16-5 | Bradford Northern | Leeds ?? | 6809 | | | |

### Final

| Game No | Fixture Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Att | Rec | Notes | Ref |
| | Saturday 7 January 1989 | Wigan | 12-6 | Widnes | Burnden Park | 20709 | 94874 | 7 | |

#### Teams and scorers

| Wigan | № | Widnes |
| | teams | |
| Steve Hampson | 1 | Alan Tait |
| Dean Bell | 2 | Rick Thackray |
| Kevin Iro | 3 | Andy Currier |
| Joe Lydon | 4 | Darren Wright |
| Tony Iro | 5 | Martin "Chariots" Offiah |
| Ged Byrne | 6 | Tony Myler |
| Shaun Edwards | 7 | David Hulme |
| Adrian Shelford | 8 | Kurt Sorensen |
| Martin Dermott | 9 | Phil McKenzie |
| Shaun Wane | 10 | Joe Grima |
| Denis Betts | 11 | Mike O'Neill |
| Ian Potter | 12 | Emosi Koloto |
| Ellery Hanley | 13 | "Richie" Eyres |
| Andy Gregory (for Joe Lydon 51 min) | 14 | ?? Not used |
| Andy Goodway (for Adrian Shelford 20 min) | 15 | Paul Hulme (for Emosi Koloto 44 min) |
| Graham Lowe | Coach | Doug Laughton |
| 12 | score | 6 |
| 6 | HT | 6 |
| | Scorers | |
| | Tries | |
| Kevin Iro (1) | T | Darren Wright (1) |
| Ellery Hanley (1) | T | |
| | Goals | |
| Joe Lydon (2) | G | Andy Currier (1) |
| Referee | | John Holdsworth (Kippax) |
| Man of the match | | Ellery Hanley - Wigan - loose forward |
| Competition Sponsor | | John Player Special |
Scoring - Try = four points - Goal = two points - Drop goal = one point

#### Timeline in the final

| Time | Incident | Score |
| incidents | incidents | score |
| 6th Minute | Try: Kevin Iro | 4-0 |
| 13th Minute | Try: Darren Wright | 4-4 |
| | Conversion: Andy Currier | 4-6 |
| 21st Minute | Penalty Goal: Joe Lydon | 6-6 |
| Half Time | | 6-6 |
| 42nd Minute | Penalty Goal: Joe Lydon | 8-6 |
| 69th Minute | Try: Ellery Hanley | 12-6 |
| Full Time | | 12-6 |

### 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 |
| Huddersfield | Huddersfield | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Chorley Borough | Chorley Borough | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Chorley Borough | Chorley Borough | 22 | Chorley Borough | Chorley Borough | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 36 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 40 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 36 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Keighley | Keighley | 0 | | | | Hull Kingston Rovers | Hull Kingston Rovers | 16(0) | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 16 (30) | | | | | | | | |
| Runcorn Highfield | Runcorn Highfield | 2 | | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 16 (30) | | | | | | | | |
| Wigan | Wigan | 92 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wigan | Wigan | 92 | Wigan | Wigan | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Halifax | Halifax | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Halifax | Halifax | 22 | Halifax | Halifax | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Salford | Salford | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Salford | Salford | 4 | | | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 16 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 5 | | | | |
| Leeds | Leeds | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 5 | | | | |
| Castleford | Castleford | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Castleford | Castleford | 21 | Castleford | Castleford | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 19 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 34 | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 19 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Dewsbury | Dewsbury | 18 | | | | Bradford Northern | Bradford Northern | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Leigh | Leigh | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| Leigh | Leigh | 42 | | | | | | | Leigh | Leigh | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| Barrow | Barrow | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Barrow | Barrow | 14 | Leigh | Leigh | 40 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Doncaster | Doncaster | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Swinton | Swinton | 13 | Doncaster | Doncaster | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Doncaster | Doncaster | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Doncaster | Doncaster | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | | Wigan | Wigan | 12 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 6 |
| Sheffield Eagles | Sheffield Eagles | 80 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 6 |
| Wigan St Patricks | Wigan St Patricks | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wigan St Patricks | Wigan St Patricks | 8 | Sheffield Eagles | Sheffield Eagles | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Widnes | Widnes | 34 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Widnes | Widnes | 37 | Widnes | Widnes | 34 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone Rovers | 12 | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Warrington | Warrington | 7 | | | | | | | | |
| Warrington | Warrington | 21 | | | | | | | Warrington | Warrington | 7 | | | | | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Oldham | Oldham | 14 | Warrington | Warrington | 42 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Bramley | Bramley | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bramley | Bramley | 32 | Bramley | Bramley | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mansfield Marksman | Mansfield Marksman | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mansfield Marksman | Mansfield Marksman | 6 | | | | | | | | Widnes | Widnes | 20 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 15 | | | | |
| York | York | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 15 | | | | |
| St. Helens | St. Helens | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| St. Helens | St. Helens | 14 | St. Helens | St. Helens | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 13 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 26 | Hull F.C. | Hull F.C. | 13 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Batley | Batley | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Batley | Batley | 10 | | | | St. Helens | St. Helens | 34 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 18 | | | | | | | | |
| Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 34 | | | | | | | Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 18 | | | | | | | | |
| Carlisle | Carlisle | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Carlisle | Carlisle | 14 | Wakefield Trinity | Wakefield Trinity | 38 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 26 | Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale Hornets | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Whitehaven | Whitehaven | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Notes and comments

1 * Wigan St Patricks are a Junior (amateur) club from Wigan 2 * Elland are a Junior (amateur) club from the Halifax area of Yorkshire 3 * Runcorn Highfield forfeited home advantage for a larger gate. Runcorn Players were also in dispute and the club fielded a very reduced strength team comprised a number of trialists and reserves (and coach Bill Ashurst, (an ex Wigan player) who came out of retirement especially to play, and was disappointedly sent off 12 minutes after coming off the subs bench) 4 * A Wigan record victory in this tournament 5 * The highest score, highest score by home team and highest winning margin in the competition, between all clubs to date 6 * RUGBYLEAGUEproject and Widnes official archives give the score as 37-12 but Wigan official archives gives it as 37-2
7 * Burnden Park was the home of English football club Bolton Wanderers from 1895 to 1997. It hosted the 1900-01 FA Cup Final replay in which Tottenham Hotspur beat Sheffield United 3.1. The record attendance was for a 6th round F A Cup match with Stoke City (Stanley Matthews played for Stoke at the time) at which, although the ground capacity was set at 70,000, an estimated 85,000 fans crowded in, and when two crush barriers broke, the result was 33 fans killed and another 400 injured. The capacity at closure was a mere 25,000