This was the sixteenth season of the rugby league League Cup, again known as the John Player Special Trophy for sponsorship purposes.
Wigan won the trophy, beating Warrington 18–4 in the final. The match was played at Burnden Park, Bolton, Greater Manchester. The attendance was 22,144 and receipts were £86041.
Background This season saw no changes in the entrants, no new members and no withdrawals, the number remaining at thirty-six.
There were no drawn matches in this seasons tournament
Competition and results
Preliminary round
Involved 4 matches and 8 clubs Game NoFixture DateHome team Score Away teamVenueAttRecNotesRef 1Wed 12 Nov 1986Halifax38-23YorkThrum Hall29622Sat 15 Nov 1986Millom4-18Wakefield TrinityCoronation Field, Millom200013Sun 16 Nov 1986Batley2-8Myson (Hull)Mount Pleasant68724Sun 16 Nov 1986Workington Town16-6Huddersfield BarracudasDerwent Park420
Round 1 - First Round
Involved 16 matches and 32 clubs Game NoFixture DateHome team Score Away teamVenueAttRecNotesRef 1Sat 29 Nov 1986Wigan32-10LeedsCentral Park91122Sun 30 Nov 1986Barrow36-10Runcorn HighfieldCraven Park177133Sun 30 Nov 1986Blackpool Borough42-12Mansfield MarksmanBorough Park3764Sun 30 Nov 1986Doncaster18-14Hull Kingston RoversBentley Road Stadium/Tattersfield30845Sun 30 Nov 1986Featherstone Rovers22-18Workington TownPost Office Road15216Sun 30 Nov 1986Fulham24-34CastlefordChiswick Poly Sports Grd 13747Sun 30 Nov 1986Halifax36-22Wakefield TrinityThrum Hall40768Sun 30 Nov 1986Leigh32-10Rochdale HornetsHilton Park27549Sun 30 Nov 1986Myson (Hull)11-18SwintonCraven Park (1)1648210Sun 30 Nov 1986Oldham12-22Bradford NorthernWatersheddings564211Sun 30 Nov 1986Salford12-27Hull F.C.The Willows210012Sun 30 Nov 1986Sheffield Eagles14-6BramleyOwlerton Stadium41513Sun 30 Nov 1986Warrington11-10HunsletWilderspool368014Sun 30 Nov 1986Whitehaven8-10St. HelensRecreation Ground367815Sun 30 Nov 1986Widnes82-0DewsburyNaughton Park2138416Thu 04 Dec 1986Carlisle8-2KeighleyPenrith FC300
Round 2 - Second Round
Involved 8 matches and 16 clubs Game NoFixture DateHome team Score Away teamVenueAttRecNotesRef 1Sat 6 Dec 1986Castleford22-26St. HelensWheldon Road 48082Sun 7 Dec 1986Blackpool Borough22-48Hull F.C.Borough Park372353Sun 7 Dec 1986Featherstone Rovers12-19Bradford NorthernPost Office Road39074Sun 7 Dec 1986Leigh26-14DoncasterHilton Park33635Sun 7 Dec 1986Sheffield Eagles8-14BarrowOwlerton Stadium51366Sun 7 Dec 1986Warrington44-10HalifaxWilderspool58047Sun 7 Dec 1986Wigan20-14SwintonCentral Park98748Mon 8 Dec 1986Widnes36-6CarlisleNaughton Park2016
Round 3 -Quarter-finals
Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs
Game NoFixture DateHome team Score Away teamVenueAttRecNotesRef 1Sat 13 Dec 1986Bradford Northern8-20Hull F.C.Odsal35452Sun 14 Dec 1986Barrow6-16WidnesCraven Park31993Sun 14 Dec 1986St. Helens20-22WarringtonKnowsley Road115714Sun 14 Dec 1986Wigan6-2LeighCentral Park11573
Round 4 – Semi-finals
Involved 2 matches and 4 clubs Game NoFixture DateHome team Score Away teamVenueAttRecNotesRef 1Sat 20 Dec 1986Wigan12-11Hull F.C.Headingley52452Sat 27 Dec 1986Warrington35-4WidnesCentral Park6409
Final Game NoFixture DateHome team Score Away teamVenueAttRecNotesRef Saturday 10 January 1987Wigan18-4WarringtonBurnden Park Bolton22144860417, 8
Teams and scorers
WiganNo.Warrington teams Steve Hampson1Brian JohnsonDavid Stephenson2Kevin MeadowsJoe Lydon3Paul CullenDean Bell4Joe RopatiHenderson Gill5Mark ForsterEllery Hanley6Ken KellyShaun Edwards7Steve PetersGraeme West8Les BoydMartin Dermott9Kevin TamatiBrian Case10Bob JacksonIan Roberts11Gary SandersonIan Potter12Mark RobertsAndy Goodway13Mike Gregory? Not used14Ronnie Duane (for Steve Peters 63-minutes)? Not used15Alan Rathbone (for Kevin Tamati half-time)Graham LoweCoachTony Barrow 18score44HT4 Scorers Tries Dean Bell (1)TMark Forster (1)Henderson Gill (2)TAndy Goodway (1)T Goals Henderson Gill (1)G RefereeJohn Holdsworth (Kippax)Man of the matchAndy Goodway - Wigan - Competition SponsorJohn Player Special Scoring - Try = four points - Goal = two points - Drop goal = one point
Prize money As part of the sponsorship deal and funds, the prize money awarded to the competing teams for this season is as follows :- Finish PositionCash prizeNo. receiving prizeTotal cash Winner?1?Runner-up?1?semi-finalist?2?loser in Rd 3?4?loser in Rd 2?8?Loser in Rd 1?16?Loser in Prelim Round???Grand Total Note - the author is unable to trace the award amounts for this season. Can anyone help ?
The road to success This tree excludes any preliminary round fixtures
Notes and comments 1 * Millom are a Junior (amateur) club from Cumbria, current home ground is the Coronation Field ground. 2 * Myson are a Junior (amateur) club from Hull 3 * RUGBYLEAGUEproject gives score as 36-10 but Wigan official archives gives it as 3-10 (which must be incorrect as Barrow progressed to Round 1) 4 * The highest score, highest score by home team, and highest winning margin between professional clubs, to date 5 * RUGBYLEAGUEproject and Wigan official archives gives the venue as Borough Park, the home of Blackpool Borough but Hull F.C. official archives give the venue as Boulevard, home of Hull F.C. 6 * RUGBYLEAGUEproject gives the score as 8-14 but Wigan official archives gives it as 6-14 7 * The Rugby League Authorities were very unhappy with the television coverage of this final offered by the BBC. The broadcaster missed the first six minutes of the second half televising a horse race from Ireland. They also ignored the trophy presentation entirely and disrupted the pre match entertainment to interview Great Britain coach Malcolm Reilly, yet didn't show that interview anyway! 8 * Burnden Park was the home of English football club Bolton Wanderers from 1895 to 1997. It hosted the 1900-01 FA Cup final replay in which Tottenham Hotspur beat Sheffield United 3.1. The record attendance was for a 6th round F A Cup match with Stoke City (Stanley Matthews played for Stoke at the time) at which, although the ground capacity was set at 70,000, an estimated 85,000 fans crowded in, and when two crush barriers broke, the result was 33 fans killed and another 400 injured. The capacity at closure was a mere 25,000
See also 1986–87 Rugby Football League season 1986 Lancashire Cup 1986 Yorkshire Cup John Player Special Trophy Rugby league county cups
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 Huddersfield R L Heritage Wakefield until I die