Challenge Cup

For other competitions featuring a Challenge Cup, see Challenge Cup (disambiguation).

Challenge Cup
Current season or competition: 2011 Challenge Cup
Sport	Rugby league football
Instituted	1896
Number of teams	94
Countries	United Kingdom (RFL)  France  Russia
Holders	Wigan Warriors (2011)
Website	thechallengecup.com
Broadcast partner	BBC Sport

The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League.^[1] Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part.

It has been held annually since 1896, with the exception of the duration of World War I and the 1939-1940 season, and involves amateur, semi-professional and professional clubs. For the 2007 competition ninety-four teams entered the tournament.

In previous years the competition has been known as the "State Express" Challenge Cup,Silk Cut Challenge Cup, Kellogg's Nutrigrain Challenge Cup and the Powergen Challenge Cup, but for the beginning of 2007 the cup was named after the competition's primary partner Leeds Metropolitan University's Carnegie Faculty of Sport and Education.

The final of the Challenge Cup is one of the most prestigious matches in world rugby league, and is traditionally held at Wembley Stadium, London.^[2] Despite London not being an area traditionally associated with rugby league, the final receives a lot of mainstream media coverage and is broadcast to many different countries around the world. Traditionally, Abide With Me is sung before the game, and has become something of a rugby league anthem.

The current holders of the Challenge Cup are Wigan Warriors who defeated Leeds Rhinos 28-18 on 27 August 2011 at Wembley Stadium.

History

The clubs that formed the Northern Union had long been playing in local knock-out cup competitions under the auspices of the Rugby Football Union. However, the rugby union authorities refused to sanction a nationwide tournament, fearing that this would inevitably lead to professionalism. After the schism of 1895, the northern clubs were free to go-ahead, and they instigated the Northern Rugby Football Union Challenge Cup. In 1896 Fattorini's of Bradford were commissioned to manufacture the Challenge Cup at a cost of just £60. Fattorini's also supplied three-guineas winners' medals then valued at thirty shillings.

The first competition was held during the 1896-97 season (the second season of the new game), and 56 clubs entered to compete for the trophy. The first final was held at Headingley in Leeds, on 24 April 1897. Batley defeated St Helens 10-3^[3] in front of a crowd of 13,492 (see picture). It is interesting to note that the St Helens side did not play in a standardised team jersey.

The competition was later interrupted by World War one, though it was held in 1915, when the season that had begun before the war was completed. It was then suspended until the end of hostilities. Initially, the final tie was held at one of the larger club grounds in the north, however, noting the excitement in Huddersfield that the town’s soccer team were playing at Wembley in the FA Cup Final and the increasing difficulty for any of the rugby league grounds to satisfy spectator demand to see the final tie, the rugby league authorities voted 13-10 to relocate to the recently built Wembley Stadium in London, aiming to emulate the FA Cup's success and to put the game on the national stage.^[4]

The first final held at Wembley was in 1929 when Wigan beat Dewsbury 13-2 in front of a crowd of 41,500. At the start of World War two, rugby league suspended its season immediately, but the Challenge Cup took a single year’s break before restarting, on a limited basis and with the support of the authorities, as part of keeping up morale. The Challenge Cup finals, which took place in the game’s Northern heartland, got big crowds as the game raised money for Prisoners of War and for Lord Beaverbrook’s armaments programme.

The first ever Challenge Cup Final, 1897: Batley(l) vs St Helens(r)

In 1946, the Lance Todd Trophy was introduced and awarded to the man of the match. In itself, it is a prestigious trophy presented only at the Challenge Cup Final. The winner is selected by the members of the Rugby League Writers' Association present at the game and the trophy is presented at a celebratory dinner at The Willows, home of the Salford City Reds.

1954 saw the Challenge Cup final drawn and the replay set the record for a rugby league match attendance. The match was on May 5 and 102,569 was the official attendance at Odsal Stadium, although it's believed that up to 120,000 spectators were present to see Warrington defeat Halifax 8 - 4.

Wigan are well known for their successes in the Challenge Cup competition, having won more Challenge Cups than any other club with seventeen Challenge Cup final wins.

Until the 1993-94 season there were very few amateur clubs included in the cup, typically two. For part of the 1980s and the 1992-93 season the cup was solely for professional clubs. The competition was then opened up to large numbers of amateur clubs as part of a deal between the Rugby Football League and British Amateur Rugby League Association over bridging the gap between the professional and amateur leagues.

The move to a summer season for rugby league in 1996 did not see the Challenge Cup moved, and it became instead essentially a pre-season tournament, with the first Summer Cup Final held earlier in the season, on Saturday 27 August at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.

In 1997, a Challenge Cup Plate took place for teams knocked out in the early rounds of the competition. The final took place at Wembley and was won by Hull Kingston Rovers who beat Hunslet Hawks 60-14.

The last cup final before Wembley's redevelopment saw the first appearance of a team from south of the Watford Gap, when the London Broncos were beaten by a record margin, 52-16 by the Leeds Rhinos.^[5]

The redevelopment of Wembley Stadium led to the Cup Final utilising a variety of venues. The final is one of the biggest rugby league events of the year in Britain, along with the Super League Grand Final. The Challenge Cup final traditionally formed the end to the season, being played in late April or early May.

There was a belief that the Challenge Cup final taking place early in the season had led to a decline in the prestige of the cup,^[6] so the timing of the competition was altered in 2005

On Saturday 26 August 2006 St Helens scrum-half Sean Long became the first player in the history of the Challenge Cup to collect a third Lance Todd trophy following his man-of-the-match performance in the final against Huddersfield Giants. His other Lance Todd trophy wins came in the 2001 and 2004 Challenge Cup Finals.

From 2009, the television rights to the Challenge Cup were sold to Australia's leading rugby league broadcaster, Channel Nine, as part of a new 3 year contract.

Current structure

The modern Challenge Cup has 7 rounds prior to the final. Teams are seeded, entering at different stages. The precise format has altered slightly from year to year, however the basic format is as follows:

• Preliminary Round: Amateur teams from around the United Kingdom will be split into two pools.

• First round: Amateur teams from around the United Kingdom. Most of the teams are English and affiliated to BARLA. In 2008 the 54 teams entering at this stage are as follows:
  • all 38 teams from the National Conference League
  • the winners of the five major regional BARLA leagues
  • the British Army
  • the Royal Navy
  • the Royal Air Force
  • the university champions - Leeds Metropolitan University
  • the Student Rugby League champions
  • six representatives of the Rugby League Conference (including one each from Scotland and Wales)

• Second round: The twenty seven first round winners are joined by a Russian team.

• Third round: A further three French sides, and the twenty one semi-professional British clubs from the Rugby League National Leagues enter the draw with the fourteen winners from the second round.

• Fourth round: The fourteen Super League teams join the competition with the eighteen third round winners.

• Fifth round: Last 16

• Quarter Finals: Last eight

• Semi Finals: (played at neutral venues)

• Final

List of finals

In the seasons during the Second World War the final was played over two legs, with the aggregate score being used.

Year	Winners	Score	Runner–up	Venue	Attendance
1896–97	Batley	10–3	St Helens	Headingley, Leeds	13,492
1897–98	Batley	7–0	Bradford FC	Headingley, Leeds	27,941
1898–99	Oldham	19–9	Hunslet	Fallowfield, Manchester	15,763
1899–00	Swinton	16–8	Salford	Fallowfield, Manchester	17,864
1900–01	Batley	6–0	Warrington	Headingley, Leeds	29,563
1901–02	Broughton Rangers	25–0	Salford	Athletic Grounds, Rochdale	15,006
1902–03	Halifax	7–0	Salford	Headingley, Leeds	32,507
1903–04	Halifax	8–3	Warrington	The Willows, Salford	17,041
1904–05	Warrington	6–0	Hull Kingston Rovers	Headingley, Leeds	19,638
1905–06	Bradford FC	5–0	Salford	Headingley, Leeds	15,834
1906–07	Warrington	17–3	Oldham	Wheater’s Field, Broughton, Salford	18,500
1907–08	Hunslet	14–0	Hull	Fartown, Huddersfield	18,000
1908–09	Wakefield Trinity	17–0	Hull	Headingley, Leeds	23,587
1909–10	Leeds	7–7	Hull	Fartown, Huddersfield	11,608
Replay	Leeds	26–12	Hull	Fartown, Huddersfield	19,413
1910–11	Broughton Rangers	4–0	Wigan	The Willows, Salford	8,000
1911–12	Dewsbury	8–5	Oldham	Headingley, Leeds	15,271
1912–13	Huddersfield	9–5	Warrington	Headingley, Leeds	22,754
1913–14	Hull	6–0	Wakefield Trinity	Thrum Hall, Halifax	19,000
1914–15	Huddersfield	37–3	St Helens	Watersheddings, Oldham	8,000
1919–20	Huddersfield	21–10	Wigan	Headingley, Leeds	14,000
1920–21	Leigh	13–0	Halifax	Wheater’s Field, Broughton, Salford	25,000
1921–22	Rochdale Hornets	10–9	Hull	Headingley, Leeds	32,596
1922–23	Leeds	28–3	Hull	Belle Vue, Wakefield	29,335
1923–24	Wigan	21–4	Oldham	Athletic Grounds, Rochdale	41,831
1924–25	Oldham	16–3	Hull Kingston Rovers	Headingley, Leeds	28,335
1925–26	Swinton	9–3	Oldham	Athletic Grounds, Rochdale	27,000
1926–27	Oldham	26–7	Swinton	Central Park, Wigan	33,448
1927–28	Swinton	5–3	Warrington	Central Park, Wigan	33,909
1928–29	Wigan	13–2	Dewsbury	Wembley Stadium, London	41,500
1929–30	Widnes	10–3	St Helens	Wembley Stadium, London	36,544
1930–31	Halifax	22–8	York	Wembley Stadium, London	40,368
1931–32	Leeds	11–8	Swinton	Central Park, Wigan	29,000
1932–33	Huddersfield	21–17	Warrington	Wembley Stadium, London	41,874
1933–34	Hunslet	11–5	Widnes	Wembley Stadium, London	41,280
1934–35	Castleford	11–8	Huddersfield	Wembley Stadium, London	39,000
1935–36	Leeds	18–2	Warrington	Wembley Stadium, London	51,250
1936–37	Widnes	18–5	Keighley	Wembley Stadium, London	47,699
1937–38	Salford	7–4	Barrow	Wembley Stadium, London	51,243
1938–39	Halifax	20–3	Salford	Wembley Stadium, London	55,453
1940–41	Leeds	19–2	Halifax	Odsal Stadium, Bradford	28,500
1941–42	Leeds	15–10	Halifax	Odsal Stadium, Bradford	15,250
1942–43	Dewsbury	16–9	Leeds	Crown Flatt, Dewsbury	10,470
1942–43	Leeds	6–0	Dewsbury	Headingley, Leeds	16,000
1942–43	Dewsbury	16–15	Leeds	(aggregate score)	n/a
1943–44	Wigan	3–0	Bradford Northern	Central Park, Wigan	22,000
1943–44	Bradford Northern	8–0	Wigan	Odsal Stadium, Bradford	30,000
1943–44	Bradford Northern	8–3	Wigan	(aggregate score)	n/a
1944–45	Huddersfield	7–4	Bradford Northern	Fartown, Huddersfield	9,041
1944–45	Huddersfield	6–5	Bradford Northern	Odsal Stadium, Bradford	17,500
1944–45	Huddersfield	13–9	Bradford Northern	(aggregate score)	n/a
1945–46	Wakefield Trinity	13–12	Wigan	Wembley Stadium, London	54,730
1946–47	Bradford Northern	8–4	Leeds	Wembley Stadium, London	77,605
1947–48	Wigan	8–3	Bradford Northern	Wembley Stadium, London	71,465
1948–49	Bradford Northern	12–0	Halifax	Wembley Stadium, London	95,050
1949–50	Warrington	19–0	Widnes	Wembley Stadium, London	94,249
1950–51	Wigan	10–0	Barrow	Wembley Stadium, London	94,262
1951–52	Workington Town	18–10	Featherstone Rovers	Wembley Stadium, London	72,093
1952–53	Huddersfield	15–10	St Helens	Wembley Stadium, London	89,588
1953–54	Warrington	4–4	Halifax	Wembley Stadium, London	81,841
Replay	Warrington	18–4	Halifax	Odsal Stadium, Bradford	102,569
1954–55	Barrow	21–12	Workington Town	Wembley Stadium, London	66,513
1955–56	St Helens	13–2	Halifax	Wembley Stadium, London	79,341
1956–57	Leeds	9–7	Barrow	Wembley Stadium, London	76,318
1957–58	Wigan	13–9	Workington Town	Wembley Stadium, London	66,109
1958–59	Wigan	30–13	Hull	Wembley Stadium, London	79,811
1959–60	Wakefield Trinity	38–5	Hull	Wembley Stadium, London	79,773
1960–61	St Helens	12–6	Wigan	Wembley Stadium, London	94,672
1961–62	Wakefield Trinity	12–6	Huddersfield	Wembley Stadium, London	81,263
1962–63	Wakefield Trinity	25–10	Wigan	Wembley Stadium, London	84,492
1963–64	Widnes	13–5	Hull Kingston Rovers	Wembley Stadium, London	84,488
1964–65	Wigan	20–16	Hunslet	Wembley Stadium, London	89,016
1965–66	St Helens	21–2	Wigan	Wembley Stadium, London	98,536
1966–67	Featherstone Rovers	17–12	Barrow	Wembley Stadium, London	76,290
1967–68	Leeds	11–10	Wakefield Trinity	Wembley Stadium, London	87,100
1968–69	Castleford	11–6	Salford	Wembley Stadium, London	97,939
1969–70	Castleford	7–2	Wigan	Wembley Stadium, London	95,255
1970–71	Leigh	24–7	Leeds	Wembley Stadium, London	85,514
1971–72	St Helens	16–13	Leeds	Wembley Stadium, London	89,495
1972–73	Featherstone Rovers	33–14	Bradford Northern	Wembley Stadium, London	72,395
1973–74	Warrington	24 –9	Featherstone Rovers	Wembley Stadium, London	77,400
1974–75	Widnes	14–7	Warrington	Wembley Stadium, London	85,098
1975–76	St Helens	20–5	Widnes	Wembley Stadium, London	89,982
1976–77	Leeds	16–7	Widnes	Wembley Stadium, London	80,871
1977–78	Leeds	14–12	St Helens	Wembley Stadium, London	96,000
1978–79	Widnes	12–3	Wakefield Trinity	Wembley Stadium, London	94,218
1979–80	Hull Kingston Rovers	10–5	Hull	Wembley Stadium, London	95,000
1980–81	Widnes	18–9	Hull Kingston Rovers	Wembley Stadium, London	92,496
1981–82	Hull	14–14	Widnes	Wembley Stadium, London	92,147
Replay	Hull	18–9	Widnes	Elland Road, Leeds	41,171
1982–83	Featherstone Rovers	14–12	Hull	Wembley Stadium, London	84,969
1983–84	Widnes	19–6	Wigan	Wembley Stadium, London	80,116
1984–85	Wigan	28–24	Hull	Wembley Stadium, London	99,801
1985–86	Castleford	15–14	Hull Kingston Rovers	Wembley Stadium, London	82,134
1986–87	Halifax	19–18	St Helens	Wembley Stadium, London	91,267
1987–88	Wigan	32–12	Halifax	Wembley Stadium, London	94,273
1988–89	Wigan	27–0	St Helens	Wembley Stadium, London	78,000
1989–90	Wigan	36–14	Warrington	Wembley Stadium, London	77,729
1990–91	Wigan	13–8	St Helens	Wembley Stadium, London	75,532
1991–92	Wigan	28–12	Castleford	Wembley Stadium, London	77,286
1992–93	Wigan	20–14	Widnes	Wembley Stadium, London	77,684
1993–94	Wigan	26–16	Leeds	Wembley Stadium, London	78,348
1994–95	Wigan	30–10	Leeds	Wembley Stadium, London	78,550
1996	St Helens	40–32	Bradford Bulls	Wembley Stadium, London	75,994
1997	St Helens	32–22	Bradford Bulls	Wembley Stadium, London	78,022
1998	Sheffield Eagles	17–8	Wigan Warriors	Wembley Stadium, London	60,669
1999	Leeds Rhinos	52– 16	London Broncos	Wembley Stadium, London	73,242
2000	Bradford Bulls	24–18	Leeds Rhinos	Murrayfield, Edinburgh	67,247
2001	St Helens	13–6	Bradford Bulls	Twickenham, London	68,250
2002	Wigan Warriors	21–12	St Helens	Murrayfield, Edinburgh	62,140
2003	Bradford Bulls	22–20	Leeds Rhinos	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	71,212
2004	St Helens	32–16	Wigan Warriors	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	73,734
2005	Hull	25–24	Leeds Rhinos	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	74,213
2006	St Helens	42–12	Huddersfield Giants	Twickenham, London	65,187
2007	St Helens	30–8	Catalans Dragons	Wembley Stadium, London	84,241
2008	St Helens	28–16	Hull	Wembley Stadium, London	82,821
2009	Warrington Wolves	25–16	Huddersfield Giants	Wembley Stadium, London	76,560
2010	Warrington Wolves	30–6	Leeds Rhinos	Wembley Stadium, London	85,217
2011	Wigan Warriors	28–18	Leeds Rhinos	Wembley Stadium, London	78,482

Challenge Cup winners and finalists

Clubs by number of wins (and when they last won and lost a final). Only the aggregate winner/loser for the years during the Second World War has been counted.

	Club	Wins	Last win	Runners-up	Last final lost
1	Wigan Warriors §	18	2011	11	2004
2	St Helens	12	2008	9	2002
3	Leeds Rhinos	11	1999	11	2011
4	Warrington Wolves	7	2010	8	1990
5	Widnes Vikings	7	1984	6	1993
6	Huddersfield Giants	6	1953	4	2009
7	Halifax	5	1987	7	1988
8	Bradford Bulls	5	2003	6	2001
9	Wakefield Trinity Wildcats	5	1963	3	1979
10	Castleford Tigers	4	1986	1	1992
11	Hull	3	2005	11	2008
12	Oldham Roughyeds	3	1927	4	1926
13	Featherstone Rovers	3	1983	2	1974
14	Swinton Lions	3	1928	2	1931
15	Batley Bulldogs	3	1901	0	-
16	Dewsbury Rams	2	1943	1	1929
17	Hunslet Hawks	2	1934	2	1965
18	Broughton Rangers §§	2	1911	0	-
19	Leigh Centurions	2	1971	0	-
20	Salford City Reds	1	1938	6	1969
21	Hull Kingston Rovers	1	1980	5	1986
22	Barrow Raiders	1	1955	4	1967
23	Workington Town	1	1952	2	1958
24	Bradford FC §§	1	1905	1	1898
25	Rochdale Hornets	1	1922	0	-
26	Sheffield Eagles	1	1998	0	-
27	Catalans Dragons	0	-	1	2007
28	Harlequins RL	0	-	1	1999
29	Keighley Cougars	0	-	1	1937
30	York City Knights	0	-	1	1931

• § Denotes current holders
• §§ Denotes club now defunct

Records

Final records

Team

• Most wins: 18 by Wigan
• Most finals: 29 by Wigan
• Highest winning score: Leeds Rhinos 52 v London Broncos 16 in 1999
• Lowest winning score: Broughton Rangers 4 v Wigan 0 in 1911
• Widest margin: Leeds Rhinos 52 v London Broncos 16 in 1999
• Most points aggregate: 72 by St. Helens 40 v Bradford Bulls 32 in 1996
• Least points aggregate: 4 by Broughton Rangers 4 v Wigan 0 in 1911
• Most tries by one team: 9, by Huddersfield v St. Helens in 1915, and Leeds Rhinos v London Broncos in 1999
• Consecutive wins and finals: 8 by Wigan from 1988 to 1995
• Most tries aggregate: 13 by St. Helens (8) v Bradford Bulls (5) in 1996
• Biggest attendance: 102,569 Warrington v. Halifax (replay) at Odsal Stadium, Bradford in 1954

Individual

• Most appearances: 11 by Shaun Edwards (Wigan - 1984, 85, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95; London Broncos - 1999)
• Most wins: 9 by Shaun Edwards – (Wigan - 1985, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95)
• Most goals: 8, by Cyril Kellett (Featherstone Rovers v Bradford Northern in 1973), and Iestyn Harris (Leeds Rhinos v London Broncos in 1999)
• Most tries: 4 by Leroy Rivett (Leeds Rhinos v London Broncos in 1999)
• Most points: 20, (2 tries, 7 goals) by Neil Fox (Wakefield Trinity v Hull in 1960), and (1 try, 8 goals) by Iestyn Harris (Leeds Rhinos v London Broncos in 1999)
• Most goals in all finals: 21 by Frano Botica (Wigan, 1991 – 2, 1992 – 5, 1993 – 4, 1994 – 5, 1995 - 5)
• Most tries in all finals: 6 by Kevin Iro (Wigan, 1988 – 2, 1989 – 2, 1990 – 2)
• Most points in all finals: 46 by Frano Botica (Wigan, 1991 - 8pts, 1992 - 10pts, 1993 – 8pts, 1994 – 10pts, 1995 – 10 pts)

Round records

Team

• Highest score: York City Knights 132 v Northumbria University 0 2011
• Longest unbeaten run: 43 by Wigan (42 victories and 1 draw)

Individual

• Most goals in a match: 22 by Jim Sullivan (Wigan v. Flimby and Fothergill) in 1925
• Most tries in a match: 11 by George West (Hull Kingston Rovers v. Brookland Rovers in 1905)
• Most points in a match: 56 (4 tries, 20 goals) by Chris Thorman (York City Knights v. Northumbria University in 2011)

Trophy

The Challenge Cup trophy was designed by silversmiths Fattorini & Sons of Bradford in 1897.^[4] The trophy stood 36 inches high manufactured of solid silver and stood on a black ebony base approximately 8 inches deep.

Tony Collins, the Rugby Football League's archivist, stated in 2007 that, "Fattorini's weren't given any particular commission, just told to come up with something prestigious".^[4] The trophy cost £60.^[4] The average wage in 1897 was around £2 per week which suggests an equivalent 2007 price of £16,000, although Collins says, "if you wanted something made of silver and with that level of craftsmanship these days, it would be far more expensive. In terms of its subsequent value, the RFL got a bargain."^[4]

The trophy currently presented to the winners after the final is not the original which had to be withdrawn due to its delicate condition.^[4] As well as the silver wearing thin, it had lost its fluted top and the players on each of the handles had been damaged.^[4] The original Fattorini trophy was last presented at the 2001 Challenge Cup Final to St Helens captain Chris Joynt after his team had beaten Bradford Bulls.^[7] The original trophy is now stored at the RFL's headquarters at Red Hall and only used for promotional appearances.^[4]

The trophy used today was created by John Spencer Goldsmiths of Sheffield in 800 man-hours and is an almost exact replica of the Fattorini piece.^[4][7] One improvement made with the new version is that the small shields displaying each winning team and captain are now the same size, whereas they had been getting smaller as space ran out on the original.^[4] The new trophy's neck has been strengthened.^[7] The second trophy was first presented to Wigan, winners of the 2002 Challenge Cup Final.^[7]

The winners of the Cup in looking after the trophy must "follow a certain code of practice," says Collins.^[4] When not in a secure cabinet, the trophy must always be in the presence of someone.^[4] When the trophy is taken out overnight, somebody must sleep in the same room and if taken in a car there must be two people in attendance.^[4] Collins reveals that, "When it went down to France for some Catalans publicity photos, it even had its own seat on the plane."^[4]

Lance Todd Trophy

Main article: Lance Todd Trophy

The Lance Todd Trophy, named in memory of Lance Todd, is awarded to the man-of-the-match in the Challenge Cup Final.^[8] The winner is decided each year by those members of the Rugby League Writers' Association present at the match.^[8]

The Trophy was first presented in 1946 to William "Billy" Stott of Wakefield Trinity.^[8][9]

Rugby League 'Double'

In Rugby League, the term 'the Double' is referring to the achievement of a club that wins the Championship and Challenge Cup in the same season. To date, this has been achieved by nine different clubs.

	Club	Wins	Winning Years
1	Wigan	6	1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1993/94, 1994/95
2	St Helens	3	1965/66, 1996, 2006
3	Huddersfield	2	1912/13, 1914/15
4	Broughton Rangers	1	1901/02
5	Halifax	1	1902/03
6	Hunslet	1	1907/08
7	Swinton	1	1927/28
8	Warrington	1	1953/54
9	Bradford	1	2003

Note. In the event of a tie, the team that won x amount of 'Doubles' first is given preference.

References

1. ^ RFL. "About the Competition". Rugby Football League. http://www.therfl.co.uk/challengecup/page.php?areaid=169. Retrieved 2009-05-08. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ Demsteader, Christine (2000-10-01). "Rugby League's home from home". BBC Sport (UK: BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/in_depth/2000/wembley/944481.stm. Retrieved 2009-12-04. 
3. ^ Baker, Andrew (20 August 1995). "100 years of rugby league: From the great divide to the Super era". Independent, The (independent.co.uk). http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/100-years-of-rugby-league-from-the-great-divide-to-the-super-era-1597130.html. Retrieved 25 September 2009. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n} Julian Shea (2007-08-22). "Rugby league's precious metal". BBC. Archived from the original on 2010-08-16. http://www.webcitation.org/5s2c6geEZ. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 
5. ^ Demsteader, Christine (2000-10-01). "Rugby League's home from home". BBC Sport (UK: BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/in_depth/2000/wembley/944481.stm. Retrieved 2009-12-04. 
6. ^ Kelner, Simon (1997-05-04). "Saints go shining through the hype". The Independent (UK: independent.co.uk). http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby-league-saints-go-shining-through-the-hype-1259756.html. Retrieved 2009-12-05. 
7. ^ ^{a b c d} BBC (2004-02-27). "Profile: Challenge Cup Trophy". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 2010-08-16. http://www.webcitation.org/5s2caDhyS. Retrieved 2010-08-16. 
8. ^ ^{a b c} RFL. "Lance Todd Trophy". Rugby Football League. http://www.therfl.co.uk/challengecup/page.php?areaid=59. Retrieved 2009-05-08. ^{[dead link]}
9. ^ BBC Sport (2008-08-26). "Lance Todd Trophy winners". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/6954237.stm. Retrieved 2009-05-08. 

External links

• The Challenge Cup at therfl.co.uk
• Scores from Sky Sports
• My Yorkshire - player Ken Dean talks about the record breaking 1954 final replay
• The Challenge Cup at 188-rugby-league.co.uk