1976 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy


1976 was the twelfth occasion on which the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy competition had been held.
Castleford won the trophy by beating Leigh by the score of 12-4

The match was played at Hilton Park, Leigh, now in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan,. The attendance was 5,402, and the receipts were £2.793

Castleford had won the first three BBC2 Floodlit Trophy finals, this brought the wins up to four

Background

This season saw no changes in the entrants, no new members and no withdrawals, the number remaining at twenty-two.

The format remained as used in last season's tournament, i.e. as a knock-out competition from the preliminary round through to the final.

The preliminary round involved twelve clubs, to reduce the numbers taking part in the competition proper to just sixteen.

Competition and Results

Preliminary Round

Involved 6 matches and 12 Clubs
Game NoFixture DateHome TeamScoreAway TeamVenueAttRecNotesRef
PSun 29 Aug 1976Rochdale Hornets2-5WidnesAthletic Grounds
PWed 8 Sep 1976Halifax19-25Hull F.C.Thrum Hall
PTue 14 Sep 1976Hull Kingston Rovers19-12DewsburyCraven Park
PTue 14 Sep 1976Leigh11-10WarringtonHilton Park
PTue 14 Sep 1976Wakefield Trinity20-5BramleyBelle Vue
PTue 14 Sep 1976Whitehaven25-11BarrowRecreation Ground1

Round 1 - First Round

Involved 8 matches and 16 Clubs
Game NoFixture DateHome TeamScoreAway TeamVenueAttRecNotesRef
1Tue 28 Sep 1976Huddersfield5-2Wakefield TrinityFartown
2Tue 28 Sep 1976Leigh22-18SalfordHilton Park
3Tue 5 Oct 1976Castleford16-8Hull Kingston RoversWheldon Road
4Tue 5 Oct 1976Keighley2-16Hull F.C.Lawkholme Lane
5Tue 5 Oct 1976Whitehaven3-21OldhamRecreation Ground
6Tue 12 Oct 1976Widnes13-14WiganNaughton Park2
7Tue 19 Oct 1976Leeds22-10New HunsletHeadingley
8Tue 26 Oct 1976Swinton15-22St. HelensStation Road1,265

Round 2 -Quarter Finals

Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs
Game NoFixture DateHome TeamScoreAway TeamVenueAttRecNotesRef
1Tue 2 Nov 1976Hull F.C.6-0OldhamBoulevard
2Tue 9 Nov 1976Leeds2-17CastlefordHeadingley
3Tue 16 Nov 1976Huddersfield9-7St. HelensFartown1,787
4Tue 23 Nov 1976Leigh12-5WiganHilton Park2

Round 3 – Semi-Finals

Involved 2 matches and 4 Clubs
Game NoFixture DateHome TeamScoreAway TeamVenueAttRecNotesRef
1Tue 30 Nov 1976Leigh19-10HuddersfieldHilton Park
2Tue 7 Dec 1976Hull F.C.8-15CastlefordBoulevard

Final

Teams and Scorers

Castleford№Leigh
teams
Geoff Wraith1Mick Hogan
Steve Fenton2Alan Prescott
John Joyner3Mick Stacey
Philip Johnson4John Woods
Jamie Walsh5Joe Walsh
Bruce Burton6John Taylor
Gary Stephens7Cliff Sayer
Paul Kahn8Dave Chisnall
Robert Spurr9Kevin Ashcroft
Alan Dickinson10Geoff Fletcher
Malcolm "Mal" Reilly11Dave Macko
Geoffrey "Sammy" Lloyd12Paul Grimes
Steve 'Knocker' Norton13Dennis Boyd
Malcolm "Mal" ReillyCoachKevin Ashcroft
-
12score4
0HT1
Scorers
Tries
Jamie Walsh TJoe Walsh
Bruce Burton T
Goals
Geoffrey "Sammy" Lloyd G
Drop Goals
DGKevin Ashcroft -
RefereeJ E Jackson

Scoring - Try = three points - Goal = two points - Drop goal = one point

The road to success

This tree excludes any preliminary round fixtures

General information for those unfamiliar

The Rugby League BBC2 Floodlit Trophy was a knock-out competition sponsored by the BBC and between rugby league clubs, entrance to which was conditional upon the club having floodlights. Most matches were played on an evening, and those of which the second half was televised, were played on a Tuesday evening.

Despite the competition being named as 'Floodlit', many matches took place during the afternoons and not under floodlights, and several of the entrants, including Barrow and Bramley did not have adequate lighting. And, when in 1973, due to the world oil crisis, the government restricted the use of floodlights in sport, all the matches, including the Trophy final, had to be played in the afternoon rather than at night.

The Rugby League season always ran from around August-time through to around May-time and this competition always took place early in the season, in the Autumn, with the final taking place in December