The 1990–91 Yorkshire Cup was the eighty-third occasion on which the Yorkshire Cup competition had been held.
Castleford won the trophy by beating Wakefield Trinity by the score of 11–8
The match was played at Elland Road, Leeds, now in West Yorkshire. The attendance was 12,420 and receipts were £61,432
This was the seventh time in the incredible eleven-year period in which Castleford, previously only once winners in 1977, will make eight appearances in the Yorkshire Cup final, winning on four and ending as runner-up on four occasions. It was also the first of what would be two victories for Castleford in two successive finals. within that eleven-year period.
Background 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 eighteen.
This in turn resulted in the necessity to continue with a preliminary round to reduce the number of clubs entering the first round to sixteen.
Competition and results
Preliminary round Involved 2 matches and 4 clubs Game NoFixture DateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueAttRecNotesRefP1Sun 19 Aug 1990Bradford Northern20–12Sheffield EaglesOdsal3477P2Sun 19 Aug 1990Nottingham City6–100Hull Kingston RoversBentley Road Stadium/Tattersfield1010
Round 1 Involved 8 matches (with no byes) and 16 clubs Game NoFixture DateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueAttRecNotesRef1Sun 26 Aug 1990Batley17–10HuddersfieldMount Pleasant17342Sun 26 Aug 1990Dewsbury26–14KeighleyCrown Flatt10563Sun 26 Aug 1990Doncaster4–40HalifaxBentley Road Stadium/Tattersfield29894Sun 26 Aug 1990Featherstone Rovers36–4BramleyPost Office Road24455Sun 26 Aug 1990Hull F.C.6–10CastlefordBoulevard65916Sun 26 Aug 1990Leeds16–24Bradford NorthernHeadingley139687Sun 26 Aug 1990Ryedale-York0–10Hull Kingston RoversRyedale Stadium22648Sun 26 Aug 1990Wakefield Trinity28–18HunsletBelle Vue3150
Round 2 - Quarter-finals Involved 4 matches and 8 clubs
Game NoFixture DateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueAttRecNotesRef1Sun 2 Sep 1990Bradford Northern12–42CastlefordValley Parade79742Sun 2 Sep 1990Dewsbury18–8BatleyCrown Flatt29243Sun 2 Sep 1990Featherstone Rovers22–31Hull Kingston RoversPost Office Road43574Sun 2 Sep 1990Wakefield Trinity26–17HalifaxBelle Vue6492
Round 3 – Semi-finals Involved 2 matches and 4 clubs Game NoFixture DateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueAttRecNotesRef1Wed 12 Sep 1990Castleford29–6Hull Kingston RoversWheldon Road 79402Wed 12 Sep 1990Wakefield Trinity25–2DewsburyBelle Vue5640
Final Game NoFixture DateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueAttRecNotesRefSunday 23 September 1990Castleford11–8Wakefield TrinityElland Road12,420£61,432
Teams and scorers
Castleford№Wakefield Trinity Teams Steve Larder1Kevin HarcombeSt. John Ellis2David JonesShaun Irwin3Andy MasonGrant Anderson4Phil EdenDavid Plange5Andy WilsonGraham Steadman6Tracy LazenbyGary Atkins7Mark ConwayLee Crooks (c)8Adrian ShelfordRoy Southernwood9Billy ConwayDean Sampson10John ThompsonNeil Battye11Andy Kelly (c)Jeff Hardy12Gary PriceNeil Roebuck13Nigel BellSubsKeith England (for Atkins 49 m)14Chris Perry (for Kelly 55 m)Martin Ketteridge (for Battye 77 m)15Richard Slater (for B. Conway 38 m)Darryl Van de VeldeCoachDavid Topliss 11score84HT8 Scorers Tries Gary Atkins (1)TAndy Mason (1)David Plange (1)T Goals Lee Crooks (1)GKevin Harcombe (2) Drop Goals Neil Roebuck (1)DGRefereeJames "Jim" Smith (Halifax)White Rose Trophy for Man of the matchTracy Lazenby - Wakefield Trinity - sponsored byCompetition Sponsor John Smith's Brewery Tadcaster Scoring - Try = four points - Goal = two points - Drop goal = one point
The road to success The following chart excludes any preliminary round fixtures/results
Brief report on the final According to the League Express match reporter Mike Beevers (abridged as follows) :-
In front of almost 12,500 fans paying over £60,000, Castleford finally got rid of their Elland Road bogey, having lost all three previous Yorkshire Cup finals played at this ground, by beating local rivals Wakefield Trinity 11-8 in this year's Yorkshire Cup final.
Wakefield stand-off Tracey Lazenby made the break that produced the first try of the match for Andy Mason, which Kevin Harcombe converted from touch.
Castleford hit back through Gary Atkins, but Lee Crooks failed to convert.
Before half time Wakefield went further ahead through a penalty from Kevin Harcombe.
Lee Crooks cut the deficit with a penalty of his own on 49 minutes.
The introduction of international prop Keith ‘Beefy’ England changed the game and, shortly afterwards, winger David Plange, playing his first game of the season, followed up a great trysaving tackle on Andy Mason by scoring the game’s crucial try, which came from a long ball from hooker Graham Southernwood. Skipper Lee Crooks converted to pick up his fifth winners’ medal in the competition, after having won three times with Hull and once with Leeds.
Wakefield stand-off Tracey Lazenby won the White Rose Trophy as man of the match
See also 1990–91 Rugby Football League 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