This was the fifth season for the League Cup, known as the Players No.6 Trophy for sponsorship reasons.
Widnes won the trophy by beating Hull F.C. by the score of 19–13 in the final played at Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire. The attendance was 9,035 and receipts were £6275.
Background This season saw no changes in the entrants, no new members and no withdrawals, the number remaining at eighteen.
Competition and results
Round 1 - First round
Involved 16 matches and 32 clubs Game NoFixture dateHome team Score Away teamVenueAttRecNotesRef 1Fri 26 Sep 1975Castleford26-15YorkWheldon Road 2Fri 26 Sep 1975Mayfield3-53SalfordThe Willows34491, 2, 33Sat 27 Sep 1975Barrow16-9Pilkington RecsCraven Park61244Sat 27 Sep 1975Wigan30-7KeighleyCentral Park5Sat 27 Sep 1975Workington Town16-9BramleyDerwent Park6Sun 28 Sep 1975Batley18-9WhitehavenMount Pleasant7Sun 28 Sep 1975Blackpool Borough11-36St. HelensBorough Park8Sun 28 Sep 1975Bradford Northern12-32Wakefield TrinityOdsal9Sun 28 Sep 1975Doncaster12-23Hull F.C.Bentley Road Stadium/Tattersfield10Sun 28 Sep 1975Huddersfield20-12WarringtonFartown11Sun 28 Sep 1975Hull Kingston Rovers33-10Rochdale HornetsCraven Park (1)12Sun 28 Sep 1975Huyton14-20OldhamAlt Park, Huyton13Sun 28 Sep 1975Leigh12-5Featherstone RoversHilton Park14Sun 28 Sep 1975New Hunslet28-8HalifaxElland Road Greyhound Stadium515Sun 28 Sep 1975Swinton7-23LeedsStation Road16Sun 28 Sep 1975Widnes27-12DewsburyNaughton Park
Round 2 - Second round
Involved 8 matches and 16 clubs Game NoFixture dateHome team Score Away teamVenueAttRecNotesRef 1Fri 7 Nov 1975Hull Kingston Rovers23-8LeighCraven Park (1)62Sat 8 Nov 1975Wigan5-18WidnesCentral Park3Sun 9 Nov 1975Huddersfield14-5BarrowFartown4Sun 9 Nov 1975Hull F.C.9-9LeedsBoulevard5Sun 9 Nov 1975St. Helens47-9BatleyKnowsley Road6Sun 9 Nov 1975Salford46-3OldhamThe Willows7Sun 9 Nov 1975Wakefield Trinity14-24CastlefordBelle Vue8Sun 9 Nov 1975Workington Town23-6New HunsletDerwent Park
Round 2 - Second round replays Involved 1 match and 2 clubs Game NoFixture dateHome team Score Away teamVenueAttRecNotesRef 1Thu 13 Nov 1975Leeds11-23Hull F.C.Headingley
Round 3 - quarterfinals Involved 4 matches with 8 clubs
Game NoFixture dateHome team Score Away teamVenueAttRecNotesRef 1Sat 22 Nov 1975Hull F.C.9-8St. HelensBoulevard2Sun 23 Nov 1975Huddersfield10-19CastlefordFartown3Sun 23 Nov 1975Hull Kingston Rovers14-18WidnesCraven Park (1)4Sun 23 Nov 1975Salford16-8Workington TownThe Willows
Round 4 – semifinals Involved 2 matches and 4 clubs Game NoFixture dateHome team Score Away teamVenueAttRecNotesRef 1Sat 29 Nov 1975Castleford9-17WidnesWheldon Road 2Sat 13 Dec 1975Salford14-22Hull F.C.The Willows
Final Game NoFixture dateHome team Score Away teamVenueAttRecNotesRef Saturday 24 January 1976Widnes19-13Hull F.C.Headingley903562757
Teams and scorers
WidnesNo.Hull teams Ray Dutton1Mike StephensonAlan Prescott2Alf MacklinMick George3George ClarkMal Aspey4Steve PortzDavid Jenkins5Paul HunterEric Hughes6Brian HancockReg Bowden7Ken FoulkesJim Mills8Bill RamseyKeith Elwell9Peter FlanaganJohn Wood10Alan WardellJohn Foran11Keith BoxallBarry Sheridan12Malcolm WalkerMick Adams13Mick Crane? Not used14? Not used? Not used15Chris Davidson (for Ken Foulkes)Coach 19score138HT8 Scorers Tries David Jenkins (2)TPaul Hunter (1)Reg Bowden (1)TMick Crane (2)Mick Adams (1)T Goals Ray Dutton (3)GKeith Boxhall (2) Drop Goals Reg Bowden (1)DG RefereeJ. V. Moss (Manchester)Man of the matchReg Bowden - Widnes - Competition SponsorPlayer's No.6
Scoring - Try = three 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 was as follows: Finish PositionCash prizeNo. receiving prizeTotal cashWinner£6,0001£6,000Runner-up£3,0001£3,000Semi-finalist£1,5002£3,000Loser in Rd 3£6004£2,400Loser in Rd 2£4508£3,600Loser in Rd 1£30016£4,800Grand Total£22,800
The road to success This tree excludes any preliminary round fixtures
Notes and comments 1 * Mayfield are a Junior (amateur) club from Rochdale 2 * Although Mayfield were drawn at home, the match was moved to Salford 3 * Rothmans Rugby League Yearbooks 1990-1991 and 1991-92 and Wigan official archives give the score as 3-57, but RUGBYLEAGUEprojects and The News of the World/Empire News annual 1976–77 give it as 3-53 4 * Pilkington Recs are a Junior (amateur) club from St Helens, home ground was City Road until they moved to Ruskin Drive from 2011 to 2012 5 * Wigan official archives gives the score as 25-8 but RUGBYLEAGUEprojects gives it as 28-8 6 * Wigan official archives gives the score as 23-3 but RUGBYLEAGUEprojects and The News of the World/Empire News annual 1976–77 give it as 23-8 7 * Headingley, Leeds, is the home ground of Leeds RLFC with a capacity of 21,000. The record attendance was 40,175 for a league match between Leeds and Bradford Northern on 21 May 1947.
See also 1975–76 Northern Rugby Football League season 1975 Lancashire Cup 1975 Yorkshire Cup Player's No.6 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