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The 1942–43 Northern Rugby Football Union season was the fourth season of the rugby league’s Wartime Emergency Leagues necessitated by the Second World War.
As in the previous (third) Wartime season, the clubs each played a different number of games and several clubs dropped out. In fact for this season only 14 of the original clubs remained (and still only Oldham, St Helens and Wigan from west of the Pennines).
The League remained as one single amalgamated Championship.
Contents
Season summary
The 1942–43 season began on Saturday 5 September 1942.
As last season, there are still only the three Lancashire clubs who have not had to close down and withdraw from the League, the Northern Rugby League continued with a single (now) 14 club single Competition. As the clubs are still playing different number of marches, the league positions and the title would be decided on a percentage basis...
At the completion of the regular season Wigan were on top of the league with 26 points from 16 games and a percentage success of 81.25% and Dewsbury were a close second (25 points from 16 games @ 78.13%).
Although Bradford Northern finished with most points (27 points from 19 games) their percentage success was only 71.05%, and consequently they finished third.
St Helens finished 14th out of the 14 clubs with only 2 wins from 15 and 4 points.
Dewsbury went on to defeat Halifax 33-16 on aggregate in the play-off final. and win the Championship (for the second consecutive season).
However the Championship was declared Null and Void as the winners Dewsbury fielded an ineligible player in the Championship Final.
The Wartime Emergency Leagues did not count as an official league championship.
In the Rugby league Challenge Cup Final, Dewsbury beat Leeds 16-15 on aggregate over two legs in front of an aggregate crowd of 26,470.
The Lancashire Cup, suspended for season 1940–41 remained so for the rest of the war and again Wigan competed in the Yorkshire Cup.
Dewsbury beat Huddersfield by 7-2 on aggregate before an aggregate crowd of 17,252 in the two low scoring legs of the Final of the Yorkshire County Cup,
Previous withdrawals
The following clubs had withdrawn from the League, before this 1942–43 seasons completion began :-
St Helens Recs – who folded before the war started
Barrow – withdrew after the end of the first (1939–40) season finished and did not rejoin until the 1943–44 season.
Hull Kingston Rovers – who withdrew after the end of the first (1939–40) season finished and did not rejoin until the 1945–46 season.
Rochdale Hornets – As Hull Kingston Rovers.
Widnes – As Hull Kingston Rovers.
Broughton Rangers – withdrew after the end of the second 1940–41 season finished and did not rejoin until the 1945–46 season.
Liverpool Stanley – As Broughton Rangers.
Salford – As Broughton Rangers. In November 1942, manager Lance Todd was killed in a car crash.
Swinton – As Broughton Rangers.
Warrington – As Broughton Rangers.
Leigh - During the Second World War, the club was forced to leave its ground as the adjacent cable factory extended onto the land. The townsfolk of Leigh, acting on chairman James Hilton's inspiration, cleared some fields on the edge of the town, and built a new stadium, including moving and rebuilding the old grandstand from the original ground. -
In 1941–42, Leigh quit the wartime Lancashire league and would not return to the league until 1946–47 when they played as a temporary measure at the Athletic Ground, Holden Road before moving to Kirkhall Lane (which was later officially renamed Hilton Park after James Hilton).
New withdrawals
Bramley – withdrew after the end of the third 1941–42 season finished and did not rejoin until the 1945–46 season.
Castleford – withdrew after the end of the third 1941–42 season finished and did not participate for two seasons, re-joining for the 1944–45 season.
Hunslet – withdrew after the end of the third 1941–42 season finished and did not participate for this season, re-joining for the next 1943–44 season.
Dewsbury had a relatively successful time during the war years. Managed by Eddie Waring, and with the side boosted by the inclusion of a number of big-name guest players, the club won the Wartime Emergency League in 1941–42 and again the following season 1942–43 (though that championship was declared null and void when it was discovered they had played an ineligible player). They were also runners-up in the Championship in 1943–44, Challenge Cup winners in 1943 and Yorkshire Cup final appearances in this season 1940–41 and winners in 1942–43.
Championship Play-Off
Championship Play-Off:
Qualifying Game:
Semifinals:
Final (two legs):
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup Competition had been suspended for season 1939–40, but after being re-introduced for the following season 1940–41 continued again this season.
Each round including the final was played in two legs on a home and away basis
Below are given some of the fixtures and results from this year’s Challenge Cup competition.
Barrow who had not entered the League programme, took part in this competition.
In the Final of the Rugby league Challenge Cup, Dewsbury beat Leeds 16-15 on aggregate over two legs in front of an aggregate crowd of 26,470.
Lancashire Cup
The Lancashire Cup, suspended for season 1940–41 remained so for the rest of the war and again Wigan competed in the Yorkshire Cup.
Yorkshire Cup
Below are given some of the fixtures and results from this year’s Yorkshire Cup competition.
In the Final of the Yorkshire County Cup, Dewsbury beat Huddersfield in two low scoring legs by 7-2 on aggregate before an aggregate crowd of 17,252.