1947–48 Northern Rugby Football League season

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1947–48 Rugby Football League season
LeagueNorthern Rugby Football League
Champions
Warrington
League Leaders Wigan
Top point-scorer(s) Jeff Bawden 243
Top try-scorer(s) Brian Bevan 57

The 1947–48 Rugby Football League season was the 53rd season of rugby league football.

Season summary

Warrington won their first Championship when they beat Bradford Northern 15–5 in the play-off final. Wigan had ended the regular season as the league leaders.

The Challenge Cup Winners were Wigan who beat Bradford Northern 8–3 in the final.

Wigan's 1948 Challenge Cup Final victory over Bradford Northern was the first ever televised Rugby League match and Cup Final – although it was shown in the Midlands only.[1]

Warrington won the Lancashire League, and Bradford Northern won the Yorkshire League. Wigan beat Belle Vue Rangers 10–7 to win the Lancashire County Cup, and Wakefield Trinity beat Leeds 7–7 (replay 8–7) to win the Yorkshire County Cup.

Championship

Team Pld W D L Pts
1 Wigan 36 31 1 4 63
2 Warrington 36 30 1 5 61
3 Huddersfield 36 26 2 8 54
4 Bradford Northern 36 26 2 10 52
5 Workington Town 36 22 4 10 48
6 Hunslet 36 21 4 11 46
7 Widnes 36 21 1 14 43
8 St. Helens 36 20 2 14 42
9 Leeds 36 20 2 14 42
10 Wakefield Trinity 36 20 2 14 42
11 Salford 36 20 1 15 41
12 Hull 36 19 1 16 39
13 Castleford 36 19 1 16 39
14
Leigh
36 18 1 17 37
15 Dewsbury 36 17 2 17 36
16 Oldham 36 17 1 18 35
17 Belle Vue Rangers 36 17 0 19 34
18
Halifax
36 16 0 20 32
19 Swinton 36 15 1 20 31
20 Keighley 36 15 1 20 31
21 Barrow 36 14 2 20 30
22 Rochdale Hornets 36 11 2 23 24
23
Bramley
36 12 0 24 24
24 Batley 36 11 1 24 23
25 Hull Kingston Rovers 36 10 1 25 21
26 Liverpool Stanley 36 8 1 27 17
27 Featherstone Rovers 36 6 0 30 12
28 York 36 4 1 31 9

Play-offs

Semi-finals Championship final
      
1 Wigan 3
4 Bradford Northern 15
Warrington 15
Bradford Northern 5
2 Warrington 17
3 Huddersfield 5

Challenge Cup

Wigan beat Bradford 8–3 in the final played at Wembley in front of a crowd of 91,465. This was the first Rugby League match ever attended by the reigning monarch, HM King George VI, who presented the trophy.[2] This was also the first televised rugby league match.[3]

This was Wigan's third Cup Final win in seven Final appearances including one loss during World War II.[4] Frank Whitcombe, Bradford Northern's prop forward was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy for man-of-the-match.

References

  1. ^ "1947-48 Season summary". Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  2. ^ John Hesman – NAK Corporate World. "Royal approval". Archived from the original on 22 April 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
  3. ^ "The History of Rugby League". Rugby League Information. napit.co.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  4. ^ "RFL All Time Records". Archived from the original on 3 April 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2009.

Sources