Start date 1959 | League Leaders St Helens | |
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The 1959–60 Rugby Football League season was the 65th season of rugby league football played in England. The championship, which involved thirty teams, started in August 1959 and culminated in a finals play-off series in May 1960 which resulted in a championship final between Wigan and Wakefield Trinity.
Contents
Season summary
A number of clubs complained to the Rugby Football League over BBC televising rugby league matches live on TV, stating that it was affecting attendances.
St.Helens won the Lancashire League, and Wakefield Trinity won the Yorkshire League. Warrington beat St.Helens 5–4 to win the Lancashire Cup, and Featherstone Rovers beat Hull 15–14 to win the Yorkshire Cup.
Championship
Final Standings
Final
The Championship Final was played between Joe Egan' Wigan outfit against Wakefield Trinity at 3 o'clock on a warm afternoon on Saturday, 21 May 1960 at Odsal Stadium, Bradford. A crowd of 83,190 turned out for the game which was refereed by Eric Clay (Leeds).
Tries (5): Billy Boston (2), Eric Ashton (2), Bill Sayer
Goals: Fred Griffiths (6)
Try: Fred Smith
Challenge Cup
The 1959–60 Challenge Cup tournament ended in a final between Wakefield Trinity and Hull. The match was played at Wembley Stadium before a crowd of 79,773, with Wakefield Trinity winning 38 – 5. Despite being on the losing team, Hull's hooker, Tommy Harris was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy for his man-of-the-match performance.
Neil Fox of Wakefield Trinity scored a Cup Final record 20 points (two tries and seven goals) in the final for Wakefield, a feat that would not be repeated for another 39 years 1999.
Wakefield Trinity 38
Wakefield Trinity Tries: Fred Smith, Alan Skene 2, Neil Fox 2, Kenneth Rollin, Keith Holliday 2
Wakefield Trinity Goals: Neil Fox 7
Hull FC 5
Hull FC Tries: Stan Cowan
Hull FC Goals: Sam Evans
Half-time 7–5
Attendance: 79,773
Wakefield Trinity: Gerry Round, Fred Smith, Alan Skene, Neil Fox, John Etty, Kenneth Rollin, Keith Holliday, Jack Wilkinson, Geoffrey Oakes, Don Vines, Leslie Chamberlain, Albert Firth, Derek Turner
Hull FC: Jack Kershaw, Gordon Harrison, Stan Cowan, Nan Halafihi, Dave Johnson, Frank Broadhurst, Tommy Finn, Michael Scott, Tommy Harris, Sam Evans, Tom Sutton, Mike Smith, Johnny Whiteley