The 1914–15 Yorkshire Cup was the tenth occasion on which the Yorkshire Cup competition, a Rugby league competition, was held.
This year's competition was again the turn of the previous cup holder, Huddersfield, winning the trophy by beating Hull F.C. by the score of 31–0
The match was played at Headingley, Leeds, now in West Yorkshire. The attendance was 12,000 and receipts were £422
This was Huddersfield's fifth appearance of what would be seven appearances in eight consecutive finals between 1909 and 1919 (which included four successive victories and six in total.) It was also the second of the four consecutive wins.
Background Britain had declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914 after they had attacked Luxemburg, Belgium and France. A month later the season proper started against this backdrop. The Yorkshire Cup competition started in October and it was to be the last until the end of the war. Tensions had been building across Britain and the rest of Europe for some time, but, despite this, the 1914–1915 season was played to its conclusion, albeit in some cases a little half-heartedly as evidenced in the lower attendances at matches and with several teams absent and many players already enlisted in the Armed Forces. In the middle of 1915 competitive sporting competition was finally suspended. This season there were no junior/amateur clubs taking part, no new entrants and no "leavers" and so the total of entries remained the same at thirteen. This in turn resulted in three byes in the first round.
Competition and results
Round 1 Involved 5 matches (with three byes) and 13 clubs Game NoFixture dateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueRef1Sat 17 Oct 1914Batley5–0DewsburyMount Pleasant2Sat 17 Oct 1914Bramley0–25HalifaxBarley Mow3Sat 17 Oct 1914Hull Kingston Rovers10–5Wakefield TrinityCraven Street (off Holderness Road)4Sat 17 Oct 1914Leeds11–13HunsletHeadingley5Sat 17 Oct 1914York13–24HuddersfieldClarence Street6Bradford Northernbye7Hullbye8Keighleybye
Round 2 – quarterfinals Involved 4 matches and 8 clubs
Game NoFixture dateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueRef1Sat 31 Oct 1914Batley2–0Bradford NorthernMount Pleasant2Sat 31 Oct 1914Halifax8A8HuddersfieldThrum Hall3Sat 31 Oct 1914Hull11–5Hull Kingston RoversBoulevard4Sat 31 Oct 1914Hunslet12–7KeighleyParkside
Round 2 – Replays Involved 1 match and 2 clubs Game NoFixture dateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueRefRThu 05 Nov 1914Halifax2–10HuddersfieldThrum Hall
Round 3 – semifinals Involved 2 matches and 4 clubs Game NoFixture dateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueRef1Sat 14 Nov 1914Huddersfield64–3HunsletFartown2Sat 14 Nov 1914Hull7–0BatleyBoulevard
Final Game NoFixture dateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueAttRecRefSaturday 28 November 1914Huddersfield31–0HullHeadingley12000422
Teams and scorers Irvin Saxton (publish date tbc) "History of Rugby League – № 20 – 1914–15". Rugby Leaguer ISBN n/a Huddersfield№Hull teams Major Holland1Ned RogersGeorge Todd2 Alfred FrancisAlbert "Rozzi" Rosenfeld3 Billy BattenHarold Wagstaff (c)4 Jack Harrison (VC)Stan Moorhouse5 Jim DevereuxJohnny Rogers6 Sid DeaneRobert Habron7 Tom MilnerJohn Higson8 Tom HerridgeDouglas Clark9 William HolderBen Gronow10 Joe HammillFred Longstaff11 Steve DarmodyArthur Swinden12 Percy OldhamH. Banks13 Dick TaylorArthur Bennett (trainer)CoachSid Melville (trainer)31score015HT0 Scorers Tries Harold Wagstaff (2)TStan Moorhouse (1)TBilly Banks (1)TGeorge Todd (1)TAlbert "Rozzi" Rosenfeld (1)TJohnny Rogers (1)TT Goals Major Holland (5)GRefereeJimmy May (St. Helens) Scoring – Try = three (3) points – Goal = two (2) points – Drop goal = two (2) points
The road to success
See also 1914–15 Northern Rugby Football Union season Rugby league county cups
Notes
References
External links Saints Heritage Society 1896–97 Northern Rugby Football Union season at wigan.rlfans.com Hull&Proud Fixtures & Results 1896/1897 Widnes Vikings – One team, one passion Season In Review – 1896–97 The Northern Union at warringtonwolves.org