Independent Television Floodlit Trophy

The Independent Television Floodlit Trophy or the Independent Television Floodlit Competition was a rugby league competition initiated and sponsored by ITV.

1955–56 Independent Television Floodlit Trophy
StructureFloodlit knockout championship
Teams8
WinnersWarrington
Runners-upLeigh

The competition was on a knock-out basis, between eight clubs, matches being played under floodlights on various London football grounds, and the second half of each game being shown live in the London Area only on Associated-Rediffusion's "Cavalcade of Sport" programme, which was aired between 8:30 and 9:30 PM.

The idea of playing sport under floodlights was still something of a novelty for most sports, and rugby league was no exception.

The second half of the matches were shown live in the London Area only and no one in the heartlands could watch. That competition only ran for this one season.

The tournament was won by Warrington, who defeated Leigh 43–18 at Loftus Road with Harry Bath, the second row forward, being the hero scoring 22 points from 2 tries and 8 goals. Each of the participating clubs received a payment of £400.

Background

ITV was launched on 24 September 1955 and the new channel, wanting to make their mark from the start, were quick to add sport to the programmes.

At this time there were no ITV broadcasts to the North of England; the Winter Hill transmitter (between Chorley and Bolton) did not become operational until 3 May 1956 when Granada TV started broadcasting.

The competition appeared to have been a little rushed as, although the Rugby League Council had been approached and negotiations had been proceeding, an agreement to run a competition was only finalised on 29 August.

The tournament

The tournament officially took place in October and November 1955, (the first match actually took place Wednesday 28 September) and the literature stated that the contestants comprised "the top four sides from each county", based on the previous seasons league positions. However, these rankings do not conform to the finishing positions in either the Championship or the county leagues from the 1954–55 season.

The first match to be played in Round 1 was between Wigan and Huddersfield,[1] with Wigan suffering a defeat by 33–11.

Competition and results[2]

Round 1 – first round

Involved 4 matches and 8 clubs

Game No Date Home Team Score Away Team Venue Diff Att Rec Notes Ref
1Wed 28 Sep 1955Huddersfield33-11WiganWoolwich Stadium225001[3]
2Wed 19 Oct 1955Hunslet20-46LeighLoftus Road262
3Wed 2 Nov 1955Oldham8-7Featherstone RoversLoftus Road12
4Wed 9 Nov 1955Wakefield Trinity9-33WarringtonLoftus Road242 3[4][5]

Qualifying league table
Pos Club P W D L PF PA Pts PD Notes Ref
1Leigh114620226
2Warrington11339224
3Huddersfield1103311222
4Oldham1108721
5Featherstone Rovers101780-1
6Wigan10111330-22
7Wakefield Trinity1019330-24
8Hunslet10120460-26

Pos = Finishing position P = Games played W = Wins D = Draw L = Lose
PF = Points scored PA = Points against Pts = League points PD = Points scored difference

To progress to the final

The rules stated that the two clubs with the greatest winning margins were to qualify, and proceed, to the final.
The two clubs in this case were Leigh and Warrington

Final
Game No Date Home Team Score Away Team Venue Att Rec Notes Ref
FWed 16 Nov 1955Warrington43-18LeighLoftus Road2[4]

The road to success
First Round progress Final
         
1 Huddersfield 33
2 Wigan 11
Huddersfield +22
Warrington +24
3 Wakefield Trinity 9
4 Warrington 33
Warrington 43
Leigh 18
5 Hunslet 20
6 Leigh 46
Leigh +26
Oldham +1
7 Oldham 8
8 Featherstone Rovers 7

Notes and comments

1 * Woolwich Stadium was constructed on Stadium Road on Woolwich Common to the south of Woolwich town centre, in the 1920s. The capacity was 45,000 and was mainly used for military tattoos, rugby Union, Athletics and Equestrian events (and by Charlton Athletic reserves in the 1950s). It was demolished (it is believed) in the 1990s. It was formerly the Garrison Athletic Ground and belonged to Woolwich Royal Artillery[6]
2 * Loftus Road is the home ground of Queens Park Rangers Football Club
3 * Jackie Edwards, the Warrington stand-off, made his debut in the win over Wakefield Trinity

See also

References
  1. HC&AC Committee (1956). Fartown Rugby League Year Book 1956. HC&AC Supporters' Club.
  2. "Rugby League Project".
  3. "Fartown Rugby League Yearbook 1956" (PDF).
  4. "Warrington Wolves - Results Archive - 1955".
  5. "I'm Wakefield 'til I die..."
  6. "Old London Venues".
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