1972 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy


1972 was the eighth occasion on which the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy competition had been held.

This year was another new name on the trophy

Leigh won the trophy by beating Widnes by the score of 5-0

The match was played at Central Park, Wigan,. The attendance was 4,691 and receipts were £1,391

This was Leigh's first victory after being runner-up in two of the previous finals

Background

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

The format remained the same as the last season with the preliminary round played on a two-legged home and away basis and the rest of the tournament being played on a knock-out basis.

The preliminary round involved four clubs, to reduce the numbers to sixteen.

Competition and Results

Preliminary Round - First Leg

Involved 2 matches and 4 Clubs
Game NoFixture DateHome TeamScoreAway TeamVenueaggAttRecNotesRef
P1Tue 5 Sep 1972Wakefield Trinity7-7Hull F.C.Belle Vue
P1Tue 12 Sep 1972Hull Kingston Rovers15-6Rochdale HornetsCraven Park

Competition and Results

Preliminary Round - Second Leg

Involved 2 matches and the same 4 Clubs in reverse fixtures
Game NoFixture DateHome TeamScoreAway TeamVenueaggAttRecNotesRef
P2Tue 19 Sep 1972Hull F.C.3-11Wakefield TrinityBoulevard10-181
P2Tue 26 Sep 1972Rochdale Hornets9-23Hull Kingston RoversAthletic Grounds15-38

Round 1 - First Round

Involved 8 matches and 16 Clubs
Game NoFixture DateHome TeamScoreAway TeamVenueAttRecNotesRef
1Tue 3 Oct 1972Barrow9-12KeighleyCraven Park2
2Tue 3 Oct 1972Oldham12-8SalfordWatersheddings
3Wed 4 Oct 1972Hull Kingston Rovers10-12LeighCraven Park
4Tue 10 Oct 1972St. Helens6-14LeedsKnowsley Road
5Tue 17 Oct 1972Huddersfield9-15CastlefordFartown
6Tue 24 Oct 1972Wigan26-6HalifaxCentral Park3
7Wed 25 Oct 1972Swinton6-18Wakefield TrinityStation Road
8Tue 31 Oct 1972Warrington18-18WidnesWilderspool

Round 1 - First Round - Replays

Involved 1 match and 2 Clubs
Game NoFixture DateHome TeamScoreAway TeamVenueAttRecNotesRef
RTue 14 Nov 1972Widnes14-11WarringtonNaughton Park

Round 2 -Quarter Finals

Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs
Game NoFixture DateHome TeamScoreAway TeamVenueAttRecNotesRef
1Tue 7 Nov 1972Oldham9-7CastlefordWatersheddings
2Tue 14 Nov 1972Wakefield Trinity19-2KeighleyBelle Vue
3Tue 21 Nov 1972Widnes9-4LeedsNaughton Park
4Tue 28 Nov 1972Wigan14-16LeighCentral Park3

Round 3 – Semi-Finals

Involved 2 matches and 4 Clubs
Game NoFixture DateHome TeamScoreAway TeamVenueAttRecNotesRef
1Tue 5 Dec 1972Leigh10-8OldhamHilton Park
2Tue 12 Dec 1972Widnes16-9Wakefield TrinityNaughton Park

Final

Teams and Scorers

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

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