page_title: 1897 Challenge Cup
section_title: Final
hierarchical_section_title: 1897 Challenge Cup / Final
caption_attribution_description: English: Rugby league teams, St Helens vs Batley in the first Challenge Cup Final.
context_page_description: The 1897 Challenge Cup was the inaugural staging of the Northern Rugby Football Union's Challenge Cup and involved 52 clubs from across England from the 1896-97 Northern Rugby Football Union season. The tournament was played over six rounds in March and April 1897, culminating in the final which was won by Batley.
context_section_description: The final took place on 24 April 1897 at Headingley, Leeds. The official attendance was 13,492, with gate receipts of £624.17s.7d.   Batley wore white shirts and black shorts and socks in place of their normal cerise and fawn colours.  St Helens wore blue and white hooped shirts, white shorts and black socks.
  St Helens won the toss and elected to have Batley kick off.  Despite playing into the wind in the first half, Batley took the lead after five minutes when stand-off Joe Oakland, kicked a drop goal to give Batley a 4–0 advantage.  Batley extended their lead to 7–0 when centre John Goodall scored the first try of the game.  These were the only scores of the first half.  Early in the second half St Helens scored a try when centre David Traynor took the ball on the halfway line and beat four Batley players before touching down.  The St Helens fightback did not last long as Batley flanker John T. 'Paudy' Munns scored Batley's second try to make the score 10–3 which remained the score at the final whistle.
  After the game the cup was presented by Mrs Louisa Waller, the wife of the president of the Northern Union, Henry Hirst Waller.  Mrs Waller presented the Batley players with commemorative gold medals and the St Helens players with silver medals.
caption: The teams and the Challenge Cup photographed before the kick-off: Batley Bulldogs vs. St Helens
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