1984–85 John Player Special Trophy

1984–85 John Player Special Trophy
1984–85 John Player Special Trophy
Structure	National knockout championship
Teams	38
Winners	Hull Kingston Rovers
Runners-up	Hull F.C.
	← 1983–84 1985–86 →

This was the fourteenth season for the League Cup, which was again known as the John Player Special Trophy for sponsorship purposes.

Hull Kingston Rovers claimed the trophy by beating their local rivals Hull F.C. by the score of 12–0 in the final. The match was played at Boothferry Park, Kingston upon Hull on 26 January 1985 and the attendance was 25,326. Gate receipts were £69,355 (equivalent to £215,000 in 2025).^[1]

Background

This season saw several changes in the entrants:

Cardiff City Blue Dragons were renamed Bridgend Blue Dragons and Kent Invicta were renamed Southend Invicta
Mansfield Marksman and Sheffield Eagles joined the league and also the competition
Huyton changed their name to Runcorn Highfield and moved from Alt Park, Huyton to Canal Street, Runcorn
and the re-introduction of the invitation to two junior clubs.

This involved an increase in entrants to thirty-eight, in turn resulting in a six-match, 12-club preliminary round to reduce the number of clubs taking part in the first round proper to thirty-two.

Competition and results

^[2]^[3]

Preliminary round

Involved six matches and 12 clubs

Game No.	Fixture date	Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Attend	Notes	Ref

1	Fri 2 Nov 1984	Myson (Hull)	2-8	Dewsbury	Boulevard		^[a]
2	Sun 4 Nov 1984	Bramley	20-6	Southend Invicta	McLaren Field	572
3	Sun 4 Nov 1984	Keighley	24-10	Bradford Dudley Hill	Lawkholme Lane	1570	^[b], ^[c]
4	Sun 4 Nov 1984	Sheffield Eagles	17-6	Wakefield Trinity	Owlerton Stadium	1279	^[d]	^[6]
5	Wed 7 Nov 1984	Carlisle	8-26	Bradford Northern	Brunton Park	1215	^[e]
6	Wed 7 Nov 1984	Hunslet	2-6	Workington Town	Elland Road	719	^[e]

^[7]

Round 1 – First round

^[7] Involved 16 matches and 32 clubs

Game No	Fixture date	Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Att	Notes	Ref

1	Sat 17 Nov 1984	Hull Kingston Rovers	32-5	Leigh	Craven Park (1)	4541	^[f]
2	Sun 18 Nov 1984	Bradford Northern	22-1	Swinton	Odsal	3712
3	Sun 18 Nov 1984	Bramley	12-10	Blackpool Borough	McLaren Field	653
4	Sun 18 Nov 1984	Bridgend Blue Dragons	4-42	Castleford	Coychurch Road, Bridgend	1803	^[g]
5	Sun 18 Nov 1984	Dewsbury	14-8	Salford	Crown Flatt	1176
6	Sun 18 Nov 1984	Featherstone Rovers	17-12	Barrow	Post Office Road	1651
7	Sun 18 Nov 1984	Fulham	14-36	Hull F.C.	Polytechnic of Central London	2324	^[h]	^[8]
8	Sun 18 Nov 1984	Leeds	50-2	Sheffield Eagles	Headingley	4881
9	Sun 18 Nov 1984	Rochdale Hornets	10-8	Mansfield Marksman	Athletic Grounds	620
10	Sun 18 Nov 1984	Runcorn Highfield	18-5	Batley	Alt Park, Huyton	760
11	Sun 18 Nov 1984	St. Helens	60-8	Keighley	Knowsley Road	5145		^[9]
12	Sun 18 Nov 1984	Warrington	5-17	Halifax	Wilderspool	4171		^[10]
13	Sun 18 Nov 1984	Whitehaven	64-0	Doncaster	Recreation Ground	1717	^[i]
14	Sun 18 Nov 1984	Wigan	50-6	Huddersfield Barracudas	Central Park	7375		^[3]^[11]
15	Sun 18 Nov 1984	Workington Town	12-22	Widnes	Derwent Park	1010		^[12]
16	Sun 18 Nov 1984	York	6-22	Oldham	Clarence Street	2504

Round 2 – Second round

^[13] Involved 8 matches and 16 clubs

Game No	Fixture date	Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Att	Notes	Ref

1	Sat 1 Dec 1984	Leeds	10-4	Wigan	Headingley	9261		^[3]
2	Sun 2 Dec 1984	Bradford Northern	12-12	St. Helens	Odsal	9419		^[9]
3	Sun 2 Dec 1984	Bramley	33-5	Whitehaven	McLaren Field	1358
4	Sun 2 Dec 1984	Dewsbury	31-16	Runcorn Highfield	Crown Flatt	1242
5	Sun 2 Dec 1984	Halifax	20-18	Castleford	Thrum Hall	4784
6	Sun 2 Dec 1984	Hull F.C.	26-14	Oldham	Boulevard	11500	^[j]	^[8]
7	Sun 2 Dec 1984	Hull Kingston Rovers	34-12	Rochdale Hornets	Craven Park (1)	4835
8	Sun 2 Dec 1984	Widnes	28-10	Featherstone Rovers	Naughton Park	3850		^[12]

Round 2 – Second round replays

Involved one match and two clubs

Game No	Fixture date	Home team		Score		Away team	Venue	Attend	Rec	Notes	Ref

1	Wed 5 Dec 1984	St. Helens		24–10		Bradford Northern	Knowsley Road	10156			^[9]

Round 3 – Quarter-finals

Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs:^[13]

Game No	Fixture date	Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Att	Ref
1	Sat 22 Dec 1984	St. Helens	8–14	Halifax	Knowsley Road	5,768	^[9]
2	Sun 23 Dec 1984	Dewsbury	8–22	Hull F.C.	Crown Flatt	7,197	^[14]
3	Sun 23 Dec 1984	Hull Kingston Rovers	14–6	Widnes	Craven Park	7,710	^[15]
4	Sun 23 Dec 1984	Leeds	28–14	Bramley	Headingley	6,404

Round 4 – Semi-finals

Involved two matches and four clubs:^[13]

Game No	Fixture date	Home team		Score		Away team	Venue	Attend	Rec	Notes	Ref
1	Sat 29 Dec 1984	Hull Kingston Rovers		14–8		Halifax	Headingley	6,390			^[16]
2	Sat 5 Jan 1985	Hull F.C.		18–6		Leeds	Boothferry Park	13,214			^[17]

Final

1985 John Player Special Trophy Final

26 January 1985
12:00 GMT (UTC+0)

Hull F.C.	0 – 12	Hull Kingston Rovers
Tries: 0	1st: 0 – 8 2nd: 0 – 4 Report	Tries: 3 Hogan 18' Prohm 23' Clark 72' Goals: 0 Fairbairn (0/3)

Boothferry Park, Kingston upon Hull
Attendance: 25,326^[k]
Referee: Stanley Wall
Man of the Match: Paul Harkin (Hull Kingston Rovers)

Hull F.C.		Position	Hull Kingston Rovers
1	Gary Kemble 21'	Fullback	1	George Fairbairn
2	Steve Evans	Wing	2	Garry Clark 72'
3	Fred Ah Kuoi	Centre	3	Ian Robinson
4	James Leuluai	Centre	4	Gary Prohm 23'
5	Dane O'Hara	Wing	5	David Laws
6	David Topliss (c)	Stand-off	6	Mike Smith
7	Peter Sterling	Scrum-half	7	Paul Harkin
8	Phil Edmonds 64'	Prop	8	Mark Broadhurst
9	Shaun Patrick	Hooker	9	David Watkinson (c)
10	Paul Rose	Prop	10	Asuquo Ema
11	Lee Crooks	Second-row	11	Chris Burton
12	Wayne Proctor	Second-row	12	Phil Hogan 18'
13	Gary Divorty	Loose forward	13	Gavin Miller
14	Garry Schofield 21'	Interchange	14	John Lydiat
15	Andy Dannatt 64'	Interchange	15	Len Casey
	Arthur Bunting	Head coach		Roger Millward

Prize money

As part of the sponsorship deal and funds, the prize money awarded to the competing teams for this season is as follows :-

Finish position	Cash prize	No. receiving prize	Total cash

Winner	?	1	?
Runner-up	?	1	?
semi-finalist	?	2	?
loser in Rd 3	?	4	?
loser in Rd 2	?	8	?
Loser in Rd 1	?	16	?
Loser in prelim round	?	?	?

Grand total

The road to success

This tree excludes any preliminary round fixtures

First round		Second round		Third round		Semi-finals		Final

Hull Kingston Rovers	32

Leigh	5
		Hull Kingston Rovers	35

		Rochdale Hornets	12
Rochdale Hornets	10

Mansfield Marksman	8
				Hull Kingston Rovers	14

				Widnes	6
Workington Town	12

Widnes	22
		Widnes	28

		Featherstone Rovers	10
Featherstone Rovers	17

Barrow	12
						Hull Kingston Rovers	14

						Halifax	8
Bradford Northern	22

Swinton	1
		Bradford Northern	12 (10)

		St. Helens	12 (24)
St. Helens	60

Keighley	8
				St. Helens	8

				Halifax	14
Warrington	5

Halifax	17
		Halifax	20

		Castleford	18
Bridgend Blue Dragons	4

Castleford	42
								Hull Kingston Rovers	12

								Hull	0
Dewsbury	14

Salford	8
		Dewsbury	31

		Runcorn Highfield	16
Runcorn Highfield	18

Batley	5
				Dewsbury	8

				Hull	22
Fulham	14

Hull	36
		Hull	26

		Oldham	14
York	6

Oldham	22
						Hull	18

						Leeds	6
Leeds	50

Sheffield Eagles	2
		Leeds	10

		Wigan	4
Wigan	50

Huddersfield Barracudas	6
				Leeds	28

				Bramley	14
Bramley	12

Blackpool Borough	10
		Bramley	33

		Whitehaven	5
Whitehaven	64

Doncaster	0

Notes

↑ Myson are a Junior (amateur) club from Hull.
↑ Bradford Dudley Hill are a Junior (amateur) club from Bradford.
↑ Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1990-1991^[4] and 1991-92,^[5] and the Rugby League Project^[2] gives score as 24-10, but Wigan official archives^[3] gives it as 24-8
↑ Rugby League Project^[2] and Wakefield Till I Die^[6] give the score as 17-6 but Wigan official archives^[3] gives it as 17-8
1 2 This fixture not shown on Wigan official archives^[7]
↑ Rugby League Project^[2] give score as 32-5 but Wigan official archives^[3] gives it as 32-6
↑ Rugby League Project^[2] give score as 4-42 but Wigan official archives ^[3] gives it as 4-34
↑ Venue possibly Crystal Palace NSC or Chiswick Poly Sports Ground.
↑ The highest winning margin to date between professional clubs.
↑ Rugby League Project^[2] and Hull official archives^[8] give score as 26-14 but Wigan official archives^[3] gives it as 23-14
↑ The attendance at this final was a new record, which would never be beaten in the competition.

References

↑ Sexton, John (28 January 1985). "Sweet revenge: Rovers power to Trophy triumph". Hull Daily Mail. p. 13. Retrieved 22 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
1 2 3 4 5 6 "Rugby League Project".
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Wigan "Cherry and White" archived results".
↑ Raymond Fletcher and David Howes (1990). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1990-91. Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0 35617851 X.
↑ Raymond Fletcher and David Howes (1991). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1991-92. Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0 35617852 8.
1 2 "Wakefield until I die".
1 2 3 "Wigan "Cherry and White" J Player Rd 1 archived results".
1 2 3 "HULL&PROUD - Stats - Fixtures & Results".
1 2 3 4 "Saints Heritage Society - History - Season 1896-97".
↑ "Warrington Wolves - Results Archive - 1897". Archived from the original on 2014-02-02.
↑ "Huddersfield Rugby League Heritage" (PDF).
1 2 "Widnes Vikings - History - Season In Review - 1896-97".
1 2 3 "Wigan "Cherry and White" J Player Rd 2 onwards archived results".
↑ Tingle, Richard (24 December 1984). "Hull had too much guile". Hull Daily Mail. p. 12. Retrieved 22 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ Sexton, John (24 December 1984). "Second-half revival sees KR through". Hull Daily Mail. p. 12. Retrieved 22 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ Sexton, John (29 December 1984). "Rovers recover to reach final". Hull Daily Mail. p. 13. Retrieved 22 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ Tingle, Richard (7 January 1985). "Emphatic victory answers critics". Hull Daily Mail. p. 14. Retrieved 22 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] Myson are a Junior (amateur) club from Hull.

[5] Bradford Dudley Hill are a Junior (amateur) club from Bradford.

[8] Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1990-1991^[4] and 1991-92,^[5] and the Rugby League Project^[2] gives score as 24-10, but Wigan official archives^[3] gives it as 24-8

[10] Rugby League Project^[2] and Wakefield Till I Die^[6] give the score as 17-6 but Wigan official archives^[3] gives it as 17-8

[NoArchive-12] 1 2 This fixture not shown on Wigan official archives^[7]

[13] Rugby League Project^[2] give score as 32-5 but Wigan official archives^[3] gives it as 32-6

[14] Rugby League Project^[2] give score as 4-42 but Wigan official archives ^[3] gives it as 4-34

[15] Venue possibly Crystal Palace NSC or Chiswick Poly Sports Ground.

[19] The highest winning margin to date between professional clubs.

[23] Rugby League Project^[2] and Hull official archives^[8] give score as 26-14 but Wigan official archives^[3] gives it as 23-14

[28] The attendance at this final was a new record, which would never be beaten in the competition.

[FinalHDM-1] Sexton, John (28 January 1985). "Sweet revenge: Rovers power to Trophy triumph". Hull Daily Mail. p. 13. Retrieved 22 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[RLP.orgMisc-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Rugby League Project".

[CherryMisc-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Wigan "Cherry and White" archived results".

[Roth1990-91Misc-6] Raymond Fletcher and David Howes (1990). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1990-91. Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0 35617851 X.

[Roth1991-92Misc-7] Raymond Fletcher and David Howes (1991). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1991-92. Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0 35617852 8.

[WakefieldTIDMisc-9] 1 2 "Wakefield until I die".

[CherryJP1Misc-11] 1 2 3 "Wigan "Cherry and White" J Player Rd 1 archived results".

[HullMisc-16] 1 2 3 "HULL&PROUD - Stats - Fixtures & Results".

[SaintsMisc-17] 1 2 3 4 "Saints Heritage Society - History - Season 1896-97".

[WiresMisc-18] "Warrington Wolves - Results Archive - 1897". Archived from the original on 2014-02-02.

[HuddHeritageMisc-20] "Huddersfield Rugby League Heritage" (PDF).

[ChemicsMisc-21] 1 2 "Widnes Vikings - History - Season In Review - 1896-97".

[CherryJP2Misc-22] 1 2 3 "Wigan "Cherry and White" J Player Rd 2 onwards archived results".

[24] Tingle, Richard (24 December 1984). "Hull had too much guile". Hull Daily Mail. p. 12. Retrieved 22 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[25] Sexton, John (24 December 1984). "Second-half revival sees KR through". Hull Daily Mail. p. 12. Retrieved 22 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[26] Sexton, John (29 December 1984). "Rovers recover to reach final". Hull Daily Mail. p. 13. Retrieved 22 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[27] Tingle, Richard (7 January 1985). "Emphatic victory answers critics". Hull Daily Mail. p. 14. Retrieved 22 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

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