1903-04 Northern Rugby Football Union season
Encyclopedia
The 1903–04 Northern Rugby Football Union
season was the ninth season of rugby league football
.
.
Keighley and Huddersfield were demoted from the top division and replaced by Wakefield Trinity
(Champions) and St. Helens.
As the top two teams had finished level on points and Points Difference had not been introduced as a tie breaker yet, despite having a worse points difference, Bradford contested a play-off with Salford
, that Bradford won 5-0.
In the Second Division, Manningham and Stockport were replaced by Pontefract, reducing the competition to 17 teams. Birkenhead Wanderers dropped the Wanderers from their name.
The second promotion place had to be decided by a play-off as Points Difference had not yet been introduced as a tie breaker. St. Helens beat Holbeck 7-0.
There was no county league competition this season.
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
season was the ninth season of rugby league football
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
.
Season summary
The League Champions were Bradford and the Challenge Cup Winners were HalifaxHalifax RLFC
Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
.
Keighley and Huddersfield were demoted from the top division and replaced by Wakefield Trinity
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
(Champions) and St. Helens.
As the top two teams had finished level on points and Points Difference had not been introduced as a tie breaker yet, despite having a worse points difference, Bradford contested a play-off with Salford
Salford City Reds
Salford City Reds are an English rugby league club based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1873, they currently play in the Super League. They have won six Rugby Football League Championships and one Challenge Cup...
, that Bradford won 5-0.
In the Second Division, Manningham and Stockport were replaced by Pontefract, reducing the competition to 17 teams. Birkenhead Wanderers dropped the Wanderers from their name.
The second promotion place had to be decided by a play-off as Points Difference had not yet been introduced as a tie breaker. St. Helens beat Holbeck 7-0.
There was no county league competition this season.
Internationals
On 5 April 1904, the first ever International Rugby League match took place between England and Other Nationalities. It was played at Central Park, Wigan, having originally been scheduled for New Years' Day in Oldham. England lost 3-9 in a twelve sided match, with the opposition made up of ten Welshmen and two Scots. The crowd numbered just 6,000.Teams
| England | Other Nationalities |
|---|---|
| Full Back | Full Back |
| W.B. Little (Halifax) | D. Smith (Salford) |
| Three Quarters | Three Quarters |
| F. Spottiswoode (Oldham) | D. Thomas (Salford) |
| G. Dickenson (Warrington) | T.D. Llewellyn (Leeds) |
| J. Lomas (Salford) | D. Harris (Wigan) |
| J. Fish (Warrington) | D.J. Lewis (Oldham) |
| Half Backs | Half Backs |
| J. Baxter (Rochdale Hornets) | E. Davies (Wigan) |
| J. Morely (Halifax) | P.J. Brady (Huddersfield) |
| Forwards | Forwards |
| A. Starks [c] (Hull K.R.) | J. Rhapps (Salford) |
| P. Tunney (Salford) | J.G. Moffatt (Leeds) |
| J. Riley (Halifax) | G. Frater [c] (Oldham) |
| J.W. Bulmer (Halifax) | D. Thomas (Oldham) |
| J. Ferguson (Oldham) | H. Buckler (Salford) |
Division One
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bradford | 34 | 25 | 2 | 7 | 303 | 96 | 52 |
| 2 | Salford Salford City Reds Salford City Reds are an English rugby league club based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1873, they currently play in the Super League. They have won six Rugby Football League Championships and one Challenge Cup... |
34 | 25 | 2 | 7 | 366 | 108 | 52 |
| 3 | Broughton Rangers Broughton Rangers Broughton Rangers was a British rugby football, and subsequently a rugby league club. It was based in Broughton, Salford.-History:Broughton Rangers was founded in 1877 as Broughton and added Rangers for its second season... |
34 | 21 | 4 | 9 | 306 | 142 | 46 |
| 4 | Hunslet Hunslet Hawks Hunslet Hawks is a professional rugby league club based in Hunslet, West Yorkshire, England. The club, sometimes known as 'the Parksiders' after their former stadium, are currently champions of Championship One.-History:-Early years:... |
34 | 22 | 1 | 11 | 250 | 157 | 45 |
| 5 | Oldham Oldham Roughyeds Oldham Roughyeds is an English professional rugby league club based in Oldham, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the Championship One. Oldham is one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895.... |
34 | 20 | 3 | 11 | 215 | 110 | 43 |
| 6 | Leeds Leeds Rhinos Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League... |
34 | 19 | 5 | 10 | 211 | 145 | 43 |
| 7 | Warrington Warrington Wolves Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003.... |
34 | 17 | 3 | 14 | 214 | 153 | 37 |
| 8 | Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006... |
34 | 17 | 2 | 15 | 191 | 167 | 36 |
| 9 | Halifax Halifax RLFC Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town... |
34 | 14 | 3 | 17 | 125 | 148 | 31 |
| 10 | Wigan Wigan Warriors Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011.... |
34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 177 | 174 | 28 |
| 11 | Swinton Swinton Lions Swinton Lions is an English professional rugby league club from Swinton, Greater Manchester. The club has won the Championship six times and three Challenge Cups. They currently play in the Championship.-Early years:... |
34 | 12 | 4 | 18 | 139 | 215 | 28 |
| 12 | Batley Batley Bulldogs Batley Bulldogs are an English professional rugby league club from Batley, West Yorkshire. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Batley is one of the original twenty-two rugby football clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895... |
34 | 12 | 3 | 19 | 139 | 241 | 27 |
| 13 | Hull | 34 | 12 | 3 | 19 | 148 | 258 | 27 |
| 14 | Widnes Widnes Vikings Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward... |
34 | 11 | 5 | 18 | 126 | 243 | 27 |
| 15 | Leigh Leigh Centurions Leigh Centurions is an English professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester who play in the Co-operative Championship.The club was founded in 1878 as Leigh Rugby Football Club and is one of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in... |
34 | 10 | 5 | 19 | 174 | 250 | 25 |
| 16 | Runcorn | 34 | 11 | 2 | 21 | 151 | 245 | 24 |
| 17 | Keighley Keighley Cougars Keighley Cougars are a professional rugby league club from Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. As of 2012 they will play in Co-operative Championship having won the Co-operative Championship 1 play off final 32-12 against Workington... |
34 | 8 | 5 | 21 | 129 | 319 | 21 |
| 18 | Huddersfield Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C.... |
34 | 10 | 0 | 24 | 160 | 353 | 20 |
Division two
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts... |
32 | 27 | 1 | 4 | 389 | 57 | 55 |
| 2 | St. Helens | 32 | 23 | 3 | 6 | 328 | 105 | 49 |
| 3 | Holbeck | 32 | 24 | 1 | 7 | 256 | 120 | 49 |
| 4 | Rochdale Hornets Rochdale Hornets Rochdale Hornets RLFC is an English professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. They currently play in Championship One... |
32 | 22 | 2 | 8 | 319 | 104 | 46 |
| 5 | York York City Knights York City Knights Rugby League Club is a British professional rugby league club hailing from York. They play at the Huntington Stadium, situated to the north of York city centre... |
32 | 20 | 1 | 11 | 244 | 97 | 41 |
| 6 | Brighouse Rovers | 32 | 19 | 3 | 10 | 192 | 136 | 41 |
| 7 | Castleford | 32 | 18 | 3 | 11 | 185 | 194 | 39 |
| 8 | Bramley Bramley Buffaloes Bramley Buffaloes is a rugby league club from the Bramley area of West Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. Previously known simply as Bramley RLFC, the club is a famous name in rugby league, having existed prior to the formation of the Northern Union in 1895... |
32 | 16 | 4 | 12 | 181 | 180 | 36 |
| 9 | Barrow Barrow Raiders Barrow Raiders are an English professional rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, who are coached by Dave Clark. Formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club, the club is the oldest of the current professional sports teams in Cumbria.... |
32 | 16 | 3 | 13 | 219 | 162 | 35 |
| 10 | Pontefract Pontefract (Rugby League) Pontefract was a professional rugby league club.The club was based in Pontefract, a market town within the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England.... |
32 | 14 | 6 | 12 | 174 | 150 | 34 |
| 11 | Dewsbury Dewsbury Rams Dewsbury Rams RLFC is a professional rugby league club based in the West Yorkshire town of Dewsbury. They are arguably most famous for becoming Champions in 1972-73 after finishing the regular season in 8th place. In the playoffs they beat Featherstone away, Warrington away, and then Leeds in the... |
32 | 12 | 3 | 17 | 185 | 205 | 27 |
| 12 | Millom Millom RLFC Millom RLFC is an amateur rugby league club based in the town of Millom in Cumbria. It is one of the oldest amateur rugby league club in the world, having been founded in 1873.... |
32 | 12 | 2 | 18 | 185 | 209 | 26 |
| 13 | Lancaster | 32 | 8 | 2 | 22 | 129 | 291 | 18 |
| 14 | Birkenhead Birkenhead Wanderers FC (Rugby League) Birkenhead Wanderers was a professional rugby league club. The club was based in Birkenhead, a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool... |
32 | 7 | 0 | 25 | 75 | 334 | 14 |
| 15 | South Shields South Shields (Rugby League) South Shields was a professional rugby league club.The club was based in South Shields South Shields was a (semi) professional rugby league club.The club was based in South Shields South Shields was a (semi) professional rugby league club.The club was based in South Shields (known locally as just... |
32 | 6 | 1 | 25 | 140 | 336 | 13 |
| 16 | Morecambe Morecambe (Rugby League) Morecambe was a professional rugby league club.The club was based in Morecambe , a resort town within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. Together with adjoining small port of Heysham the population is approx. 51,000.... |
32 | 5 | 3 | 24 | 72 | 287 | 13 |
| 17 | Normanton Normanton (Rugby League) Normanton was a professional rugby league club.The club was based in Normanton, a small town within the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England.... |
32 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 105 | 411 | 8 |