The 1958–59 Northern Rugby Football League season was the 64th season of rugby league football. Thirty clubs from across Northern England competed for the Championship, culminating in a final between St. Helens and Hunslet.
Season summary St. Helens won their third Championship when they beat Hunslet 44–22 in the Championship Final. They had also finished the regular season as the league leaders.
The Challenge Cup winners were Wigan who beat Hull F.C. 30–13 in the final.
Wigan won the Lancashire League, and Wakefield Trinity won the Yorkshire League.
This season, St. Helens winger Tom van Vollenhoven set a new record for most tries in a season, with 62.
Championship
TeamPldWDLPts1St. Helens383116632Wigan382909583Hunslet382738574Oldham382819575Wakefield Trinity3827110556Swinton3827110557Hull3825112518Widnes3823015469Warrington38220164410Bradford Northern38202164211York38201174112Halifax38192174013Featherstone Rovers38183173914Leeds38190193815Keighley38181193716Leigh38180203617Barrow38180203618Hull Kingston Rovers38180203619Huddersfield38180203620Workington Town38163193521Whitehaven38170213422Salford38161213323Bramley38151223124Blackpool Borough38150233025Castleford38130252626Rochdale Hornets38111262327Batley38101272128Liverpool City3880301629Dewsbury3870311430Doncaster38503310 Play-offs
Play-offs
Final
FB 1 Austin RhodesRW 2 Tom Van VollenhovenRC 3 Duggie GreenallLC 4 Brian McGinnLW 5 Jan PrinslooSO 6 Wilf Smith SH 7 Alex Murphy PR 8 Abe TerryHK 9 Tom McKinneyPR 10 Alan PrescottSR 11 Brian BriggsSR 12 Dick HuddartLF 13 Vince KaraliusCoach: Jim Sullivan FB 1 Billy LangtonRW 2 Ron ColinRC 3 Jim StockdillLC 4 Alan PreeceLW 5 Billy WalkerSO 6 Brian GabbitasSH 7 Kevin DoylePR 8 Don HatfieldHK 9 Sam SmithPR 10 Ken EyreSR 11 Harry PooleSR 12 Geoff GunneyLF 13 Brian ShawCoach: Jack Walkington
Challenge Cup
Wigan reached the final by beating Leeds 12–5 at home on 21 Feb in Round 1; Hunslet 22–4 at home on 7 Mar in Round 2; Halifax 26–0 away on 21 Mar in the quarter-finals and Swinton 5–0 on 11 Apr in the semi-final played at Leigh. Captained by Eric Ashton, they then beat Hull 30–13 in the Challenge Cup Final played at Wembley Stadium before a crowd of 79,811 with tries from Boston (2), Bolton, Holden, McTigue and Sullivan and six goals from Griffiths.
This was Wigan's sixth Challenge Cup Final win in ten Final appearances and their second in successive years. Brian McTigue, their second-row forward, was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy for his man-of-the-match performance.
County cups
Oldham beat St. Helens 12–2 to win the Lancashire Cup, and Leeds beat Wakefield Trinity 24–20 to win the Yorkshire Cup.
References
Sources
1958-59 Rugby Football League season at Wigan.rlfans.com The Challenge Cup at The Rugby Football League website