The 1961–62 Northern Rugby Football League season was the 67th season of rugby league football.
Season summary Huddersfield won their seventh Championship when they beat Wakefield Trinity 14–5 in the play-off final.
The Challenge Cup winners were Wakefield Trinity, who beat Huddersfield 12–6 in the final.
At the end of this season the league was split into two divisions, the top 16 in the league formed Division 1 and the bottom 14 formed Division 2.
Wigan won the Lancashire League, and Wakefield Trinity won the Yorkshire League.
Championship TeamPldWDLPts1Wigan363213652Wakefield Trinity363213653Featherstone Rovers362817574Huddersfield362529525Workington Town3625011506Widnes3625011507Leeds3625011508Hull Kingston Rovers3624012489St. Helens36230134610Oldham36221134511Swinton36211144312Castleford36210154213Bramley36194134214Warrington36192154015Halifax36183153916Hull36181173717Leigh36170193418Barrow36141212919Keighley36132212820York36121232521Salford36121232522Whitehaven36112232423Blackpool Borough36111242324Rochdale Hornets3694232225Hunslet36101252126Batley3692252027Dewsbury3682261828Doncaster3681271729Liverpool City3660301230Bradford Northern36513011 Play-offs
Play-offs
Final
HuddersfieldNumberWakefield Trinity Teams Frank Dyson1Gerry RoundAiden Breen2Fred SmithHarry Deighton3Alan SkeneRay Haywood4Neil FoxMike Wicks5Kenneth HirstGwyn Davies6Harold PoyntonThomas Smales7Keith HollidayTed Slevin8Jack WilkinsonDon Close9Milan KosanovićKen Noble10Albert FirthAustin Kilroy11Brian BriggsKen Bowman12Don VinesPeter Ramsden13Derek Turner CoachKen Traill
Challenge Cup
Wakefield Trinity beat Huddersfield 12–6 in the Challenge Cup Final played at Wembley Stadium before a crowd of 81,263. This was Wakefield Trinity's third Challenge Cup Final win in four Final appearances. Neil Fox, their centre, was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy for his man-of-the-match performance. This has been the only time in a Rugby League Challenge Cup Final that a place kick has not been converted. Fox dropped three goals for Wakefield Trinity, then worth two points each.
County cups
St. Helens beat Swinton 25–9 to win the Lancashire County Cup, and Wakefield Trinity beat Leeds 19–9 to win the Yorkshire County Cup.
References
Sources
1961-62 Rugby Football League season at wigan.rlfans.com The Challenge Cup at The Rugby Football League website