# 1985–86 John Player Cup

The 1985–86 John Player Special Cup was the 15th edition of England's premier rugby union club competition at the time. Bath won the competition for the third consecutive year defeating Wasps in the final. The event was sponsored by John Player cigarettes and the final was held at Twickenham Stadium.

## Draw and results
### First round

| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Morley | Wakefield | 19-27 |
| Tynedale | Lymm | 22-0 |
| Sheffield | Vale of Lune | 13-16 |
| Aspatria | Westoe | 19-24 |
| Nuneaton | Loughborough Students | 19-24 |
| Evesham | Bedford | 9-13 |
| Stourbridge | Broughton Park | 9-13 |
| Matlock | Barkers Batts | 13-11 |
| Old Mid-Whitgiftians | Southend | 4-12 |
| Saracens | North Walsham | 27-6 |
| Havant | Guildford & Godalming | 17-7 |
| Richmond | London Irish | 21-14 |
| Maidstone | Lewes | 6-21 |
| Cheshunt | Askeana | 23-23* |
| Bletchley | Maidenhead | 20-9 |
| Berry Hill | Bournemouth | 36-6 |
| Gloucester | Exeter | 87-3 |
| Old Redcliffians | Coney Hill | 6-17 |
| St Ives | Henley | 18-22 |
Cheshunt progress on more tries*

### Second round

| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Coney Hill | Saracens | |
| Bletchley | Havant | 6-9 |
| Richmond | Cheshunt | |
| Lewes | Gloucester | 10-24 |
| Southend | Henley | |
| Westoe | Vale of Lune | |
| Loughborough Students | Berry Hill | |
| Bedford | Broughton Park | 10-37 |
| Lichfield | Matlock | |
| Wakefield | Tynedale | |

### Third round

| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Richmond | Blackheath | |
| Broughton Park | Vale of Lune | 12-6 |
| Camborne | Havant | 15-4 |
| Coventry | Leicester | 14-21 |
| Gloucester | Bristol | 7-4 |
| Gosforth | Northampton | 6-6* |
| Harlequins | Headingley | 9-6 |
| Lichfield | West London Institute | 26-0 |
| London Scottish | Sale | 16-6 |
| London Welsh | Plymouth | 10-6 |
| Nottingham | Southend | 25-12 |
| Orrell | Bath | 16-16* |
| Rosslyn Park | Wakefield | 19-23 |
| Saracens | Waterloo | 11-8 |
| Wasps | Loughborough Colts | 23-3 |
| West Hartlepool | Moseley | 3-33 |
Northampton progress as away team*

### Fourth round

| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Blackheath | Wasps | 12-24 |
| Broughton Park | Leicester | 6-46 |
| London Welsh | Camborne | 12-9 |
| Wakefield | Nottingham | 7-26 |
| Saracens | Gloucester | 6-13 |
| Moseley | Bath | 4-22 |
| Northampton | London Scottish | 6-11 |
| Lichfield | Harlequins | 6-23 |

### Quarter-finals

| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Nottingham | Wasps | 13-13* |
| London Welsh | Bath | 10-18 |
| Harlequins | Leicester | 8-15 |
| London Scottish | Gloucester | 12-10 |
Wasps progress on more tries*

### Semi-finals

| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Wasps | London Scottish | 11-3 |
| Leicester | Bath | 6-10 |

### Final

* 26 April 1986
| Bath | 25–17 | Wasps |
| Try: Spurrell Simpson Hill Swift Con: Trick 3 Pen: Trick | | Try: Pellow Stringer Balcombe Con: Stringer Pen: Stringer |
* Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 24,500 Referee: Fred Howard (Liverpool)
| | 16 | Chris Martin |
| | 15 | David Trick |
| | 14 | John Palmer (c) |
| | 12 | Simon Halliday |
| | 11 | Tony Swift |
| | 10 | Stuart Barnes |
| | 9 | Richard Hill |
| | 8 | Paul Simpson |
| | 7 | Jon Hall |
| | 6 | Roger Spurrell |
| | 5 | Nigel Redman |
| | 4 | John Morrison |
| | 3 | Maurice 'Richard' Lee |
| | 2 | Graham Dawe |
| | 1 | Gareth Chilcott |
| Replacements: ||
| | 16 | Chris Stanley |
| | 17 | Phil Cue |
| | 18 | Barry Trevaskis |
| | 19 | Greg Bess |
| | 20 | Chris Lilley |
| | 21 | David Egerton |
| Coach: ||
| Jack Rowell ||
| | 15 | Nick Stringer |
| | 14 | Simon Smith |
| | 13 | Richard Cardus (c) |
| | 12 | Roger Pellow |
| | 11 | Mark Bailey |
| | 10 | Gareth Rees |
| | 9 | Steve Bates |
| | 8 | Mark Rose |
| | 7 | Mark Rigby |
| | 6 | David Pegler |
| | 5 | Mike Pinnegar |
| | 4 | John Bonner |
| | 3 | Jeff Probyn |
| | 2 | Alan Simmons |
| | 1 | Garry Holmes |
| Replacements: ||
| | 16 | Paul Minihan |
| | 17 | Kevin Titcombe |
| | 18 | Paul Balcombe for Bates |
| | 19 | Allan Isicheri |
| | 20 | Justin Samuel |
| | 21 | John Ellison |
| Coach: ||