The 1949–50 Rugby Football League season was the 55th season of rugby league football. First placed Wigan successfully defended a challenge from second placed Huddersfield in the play-off final to claim the Rugby Football League Championship. The Challenge Cup winners were Warrington who beat Widnes 19-0 in the final. Wigan won the Lancashire League, and Huddersfield won the Yorkshire League. Wigan beat Leigh 20–7 to win the Lancashire Cup, and Bradford beat Huddersfield 11–4 to win the Yorkshire Cup. Crowds peaked in 1949-50 with a record 69.8 million paying to watch rugby league matches.
Championship This season the Rugby Football League Championship was determined by a final. TeamPldWDLPts1Wigan363114632Huddersfield362817573Swinton362547544Halifax3625011505Salford3624210506Leigh3624111497St. Helens3623211488Leeds3624012489Dewsbury36230134610Workington Town36221134511Warrington36220144412Castleford36200164013Keighley36200164014Wakefield Trinity36190173815Hunslet36181173716Widnes36164163617Belle Vue Rangers36162183418Oldham36154173419Hull36153183320Barrow36141212921Bradford36141212922Hull Kingston Rovers36141212923Whitehaven36114212624Batley36100262025Featherstone Rovers3692252026Bramley3661291327Rochdale Hornets3652291228York3660301229Liverpool Stanley3640328
Play-offs The top four finishing teams entered a play-off series which culminated in a final between Wigan and Huddersfield, but not before Wigan had to re-play and defeat Halifax, with whom they drew in their first play-off match.
Wigan were without eight of their regular starters for the final, as the players had been selected for the 1950 Great Britain Lions tour, and had already departed for Australia. Despite a weakened team, Wigan were able to win, claiming their seventh Rugby Football League Championship.
WiganNumberHuddersfield Teams Ted Ward1Johnny HunterNat Silcock Jr.2Dick CracknellJack Broome3Jeff BawdenGeorge Roughley4Pat DeveryBrian Nordgren5Lionel CooperCecil Mountford6Russ PepperellJohnny Alty7Billy BanksTed Slevin8John DalyHarold McIntyre9James MundyFrank Barton10Arthur WilmotBill Hudson11Ken MorrisonJack Large12Bob NicholsonBilly Blan13Ike OwensJim SullivanCoachAlex Fiddes
Challenge Cup
Warrington beat Widnes 19-0 in the final played at Wembley in front of a crowd of 94,249. This was Warrington’s third Cup final win in nine Final appearances. In the match Albert Naughton, at centre for Warrington opposed his older brother Johnny, who was in the Widnes second row. This was the second successive Final that the losing side had failed to score. The Warrington Gerry Helme won the Lance Todd Trophy for man-of-the-match.
County cups
References
External links 1949-50 Rugby Football League season at wigan.rlfans.com The Challenge Cup at The Rugby Football League website