Draft:1980 Challenge Cup final
Rugby league match in England
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The 1980 Challenge Cup Final was the 79th final of the Rugby Football League's Challenge Cup knock-out competition. The match was contested by Hull F.C. and Hull Kingston Rovers on 3 May 1980 at Wembley Stadium in London, and was the first ever Hull derby cup final, contended between the two cross-city rival rugby league clubs of Kingston upon Hull.
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| 1980 Challenge Cup Final | |||||||||||||
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.jpg) The final took place at Wembley Stadium | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 3 May 1980 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | Wembley Stadium | ||||||||||||
| Location | London, United Kingdom | ||||||||||||
| Lance Todd Trophy winner | Brian Lockwood | ||||||||||||
| Abide with Me and God Save The Queen | Windsor Davies Melvyn Hayes Band of the Welsh Guards | ||||||||||||
| Referee | Fred Lindop | ||||||||||||
| Attendance | 95,000 | ||||||||||||
| Broadcast partners | |||||||||||||
| Broadcasters | |||||||||||||
| Commentators | |||||||||||||
Background
Hull F.C. and Hull Kingston Rovers (originally Kingston Amateurs) were founded as rugby union clubs in 1865 and 1882 respectively on the west and east sides of Kingston upon Hull. Hull F.C. were founding members of the Northern Rugby Football Union and the breakaway code of rugby league in 1895, with Rovers joining two years later in 1897 after controversy over alleged professionalism (which was banned in rugby union) in their Yorkshire Cup win in 1897.[1] The first meeting of both teams was at Rovers' Craven Street Football Ground on 16 September 1899, which ended in a 8–2 victory to Rovers.[2][3][4]
Hull F.C. had won their first Challenge Cup at Thrum Hall in Halifax in 1914, appearing as runners-up in 1908, 1909, 1910 (which necessitated a replay), 1922, 1923,[5] 1959 and 1960, the latter two being their first Wembley appearances.[6][7] Hull Kingston Rovers, meanwhile, had previously been runners-up in Challenge Cup Finals in 1905 and 1925 at Headingley[8] and in 1964 at Wembley.[9]
There had been nine Hull derby Challenge Cup ties ahead of the 1979–80 Challenge Cup, with fixtures played in 1902, 1922, 1939, 1959, 1961, 1972, 1974, 1977 and 1978.[10] The two clubs had also met in the finals of the Yorkshire Cup (1920 and 1967)[11][12] and the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy (1979).[13]
Route to the final
Hull F.C.
Having been promoted from the Second Division a year prior, after a first half in which Cumbrian amateur side Millom opened a shock early 5–0 lead at The Boulevard, Hull F.C. won their home first round fixture 33–10 with a hat-trick of tries from Ron Wileman as well as tries from Graham Evans and Clive Pickerill and five goals from Sammy Lloyd,[14] and were drawn into the second round at home against York. York also initially led Hull F.C. to a shock lead in the first half, however F.C. overcame the York defence and won 18–8 through attacking play by captain Steve Norton and six goals, three of them penalties, by Sammy Lloyd.[15]
Entering the quarter-finals of the competition, Hull F.C. travelled away to Odsal Stadium to play Bradford Northern, a team they had not won against for the past four years. A highly defensive match saw only a penalty scored by Sammy Lloyd 12 minutes into the first half after an illegal tackle on Ron Wileman, followed by a decisive drop goal in the 75th minute by Clive Pickerill, allowing F.C. to win 3–0 and qualify them for the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup for the first time since 1961.[16]
Travelling to the neutral venue of Station Road in Pendlebury, a week after Rovers' qualification for the final, F.C. faced 'cup kings' and defending 1979 winners Widnes. Following another defensive game in which F.C. were behind the favourites 0–5 at half-time, an early second-half try by Graham Bray, two penalty kicks by Sammy Lloyd and a match-winning try by Ron Wileman in the last ten minutes saw Hull F.C. overturn the deficit and win 10–5, setting up the first Hull derby Challenge Cup final and returning F.C. to Wembley for the first time since 1960.[17]
| Round | Opposition | Venue | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 |  Millom |
The Boulevard | 33–10[14] |
| Round 2 |  York |
The Boulevard | 18–8[15] |
| Quarter-final |  Bradford Northern |
Odsal Stadium | 3–0[16] |
| Semi-final |  Widnes |
Station Road | 10–5[17] |
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers opened their Challenge Cup campaign with a dominant 18–13 victory over Wigan away at Central Park, featuring tries by Steve Hartley, Clive Sullivan and Phil Lowe as well as goals kicked by Steve Hubbard,[18] followed by a 28–3 thrashing of Castleford in Round 2 at home at Craven Park.[19] Rovers played at home again for the quarter-final against Warrington, in which following an evenly-matched first half, Rovers won the match 23–11 with the contributions of man of the match Steve Hubbard, scoring two tries and kicking five goals, qualifying Rovers for their second Challenge Cup semi-final in three years.[20]
Rovers travelled to the neutral venue of Headingley Rugby Stadium to face Halifax in the first semi-final of the Challenge Cup. A dominant display by Rovers over Halifax saw the match virtually won by half-time, with tries by Clive Sullivan, Mike Smith and Steve Hartley, two goals by Steve Hubbard and a drop-goal by player-coach and captain Roger Millward ending the match at 20–7 and sending Rovers to Wembley for their first Challenge Cup final since 1964.[21]
| Round | Opposition | Venue | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 |  Wigan |
Central Park | 18–13[18] |
| Round 2 |  Castleford |
Craven Park | 28–3[19] |
| Quarter-final |  Warrington |
Craven Park | 23–11[20] |
| Semi-final |  Halifax |
Headingley Rugby Stadium | 20–7[21] |
Pre-match
Teams
Hull F.C. and Hull Kingston Rovers finished the regular season in mid-April placed 3rd and 7th respectively, qualifying them for the Premiership but narrowly avoiding a first round derby fixture, which neither team wanted to play, on points difference.[22] Both teams departed from their home stadiums on coaches for London on 30 April. Hull F.C. stayed at the Royal Chace Hotel in Enfield and trained at the Botany Bay Cricket Club, while Hull Kingston Rovers stayed at the Runneymede Hotel in Egham,[23] establishing a training base within sight of Windsor Castle at the home of rugby union club Windsor R.F.C.[24]
Both squads were largely unchanged from their last First Division fixtures. Hull Kingston Rovers second-row Phil Lowe suffered a dislocated arm from an off-the-ball tackle in a First Division fixture against St Helens two weeks before the final, but was eventually ruled fit to play 48 hours before the final.[25][26] Hull F.C. centre Gareth Evans, however, tore a muscle in training and was ruled out of F.C.'s squad.[27]
Both teams were cleared to wear their traditional home kits for the final, with Hull F.C. playing in jerseys with irregular black and white hoops and white shorts and Hull Kingston Rovers playing in white jerseys with a broad red band; F.C.'s previous Challenge Cup final losses in 1959 and 1960 had seen them wear white jerseys with a black 'V' and hoops with black shorts, while Rovers made their 1964 Wembley appearance in all-red shirts.[28]
Transport
By 1980, the city of Kingston upon Hull had a population of 327,000,[29] and it was estimated that up to a quarter of the city's population travelled to Wembley. Both teams had ticket allocations of 22,000 each, however, club retailers soon found themselves out of their depth as demand outstripped supply, with fans queuing for general admittance tickets overnight at both The Boulevard and Craven Park. Within two weeks, both allocations were mostly sold out,[30][31] and a fortnight before the final, the RFL announced that all 95,000 tickets had sold out in record time, only the fourth Challenge Cup final to do so.[32]
British Rail organised twelve special trains that departed in fifteen-minute intervals on the morning of 3 May from Hull Paragon railway station to various London stations, operating alongside the eight regular trains chartered for a Challenge Cup final day. Three also departed Hull Paragon on the Friday night before, with further departures occuring on Thursday. Tickets were worth £12, colour-coded to segregate rival fans, and no refreshments, transfers or open returns were offered.[33][34] As the first trains arrived on Thursday to take supporters to Wembley, Hull Paragon railway station was described as being "like a refugee clearing centre", with fans travelling in mixed groups of families and friends despite British Rail's attempts at segregation.[35][36] Ten car transporters were also brought to Hull to deliver hire cars for those who wanted to drive to Wembley.[33]
On the night before the final, supporters[of what?] Fred Lewis, Dean Lewis and Charlie Grantham placed an improvised cardboard sign reading 'Last one out turn the lights off' against a lamppost on Boothferry Road near the under-construction Humber Bridge.[37][36][38]
Guests and entertainment
Dignitaries and guests in attendance included Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who greeted both teams on the pitch before kick-off and later presented the Challenge Cup trophy to the winning Hull Kingston Rovers player-coach, Roger Millward.[39] Among other attendees included members of the Labour-run Kingston upon Hull City Council - sitting council leader Pat Doyle, former leader Leo Schultz, councillor Louis Pearlman and town clerk Basil Wood - and politicians and celebrities from across the North of England and beyond, including Dave Allen, Bernie Clifton, Brian Glover, Richard Harris, Emlyn Hughes, Bernard Manning, Bill Maynard, Cliff Morgan, Peter O'Toole, Michael Parkinson, Alan Plater, Jean Rook, Jimmy Saville, Cyril Smith, Ed Stewart, Bill Tidy, Colin Welland and Kenneth Wolstenholme, some of whom had attended previous finals.[40]
Pre-match entertainment at Wembley was provided by actors from the BBC 1 sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum Windsor Davies and Melvyn Hayes,[41] who also sang the traditional Challenge Cup anthem Abide With Me with the backing of the Band of the Welsh Guards. The Queen Mother's appearance at the final meant that the national anthem, God Save the Queen, was sang immediately on her entry with the instrumentation of the Band of the Welsh Guards, as opposed to after both teams were greeted on the pitch.[42]
Match
Summary
Details
Wembley, London Attendance: 95,000 Referee: Fred Lindop (Wakefield)[43] Player of the Match: Brian Lockwood |
| Hull F.C. | Position | Hull Kingston Rovers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Number | Number | Name | |
| Paul Woods | 1 | 1 | David Hall | |
| Graham Bray | 2 | 2 | Steve Hubbard  79' | |
| Graham Walters | 3 | 3 | Mike Smith | |
| Tim Wilby | 4 | 4 | Steve Hartley | |
| Paul Prendiville | 5 | 5 | Clive Sullivan | |
| John Newlove 71' | 6 | 6 | Roger Millward (c) | |
| Clive Pickerill | 7 | 7 | Allan Agar | |
| Keith Tindall | 8 | 8 | Roy Holdstock | |
| Ron Wileman | 9 | 9 | David Watkinson | |
| Charlie Stone 71' | 10 | 10 | Brian Lockwood | |
| Charlie Birdsall | 11 | 11 | Paul Rose 72' | |
| Sammy Lloyd | 12 | 12 | Phil Lowe | |
| Steve Norton (c) | 13 | 13 | Len Casey | |
Vince Farrar  71' | 14 | 14 | Phil Hogan 79' | |
| Brian Hancock 71' | 15 | 15 | John Millington 72' | |
| Arthur Bunting | Coach | Roger Millward | ||
Post-match and legacy
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I looked up at the scoreboard. It read 10–5... the most famous result in Rovers' history.
— Roger Millward, Roger: the autobiography (2005), p.160
After embracing one another in celebration, the victorious Hull Kingston Rovers squad ascended to the royal box and the Challenge Cup trophy was presented by the Queen Mother to player-coach Roger Millward, with Clive Sullivan following behind and Steve Hubbard eventually following with the help of a pair of crutches; Millward, who moved to the club from Castleford in 1966 and who had taken up coaching in 1977 following the sudden death of Harry Poole, said that lifting the trophy "was a moment I'd waited my whole career for and one that I'll remember for the rest of my life".[44] Prop Brian Lockwood was named man of the match and was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy.[26]
A month prior to the final, Kingston upon Hull City Council had organised an open top bus parade through the city for both teams on the day after the final, with a civic reception following at the city's Guildhall on 12 May.[45] After rendezvousing with Hull F.C. at the village of Newport, where both teams changed from coaches to separate open top buses,[46] Hull Kingston Rovers took part in the winners parade on 4 May, initially driving via west Hull to Craven Park before returning along Holderness Road to Hull City Hall, where they were received on the balcony by acting Lord Mayor Alex Clarke and a crowd of over 4,000 fans in a televised event at Queen Victoria Square.[47] Hull F.C., meanwhile, held their own bus parade that returned them to a crowd of supporters welcoming them at The Boulevard.[48]
Players and coaches
Rovers player-coach Roger Millward was ruled out of the remainder of the 1979–80 Championship due to the fracture to his jaw sustained during the final. After undergoing surgery to remove three wisdom teeth,[49] he returned to playing with Rovers' 'A' team the following October. However after sustaining another broken jaw in a late tackle during a match against Batley's 'A' team, his fourth such injury in ten months, Millward was forced to retire from playing rugby league.[50][51] F.C.'s coach Arthur Bunting, meanwhile, who had last appeared at Wembley in Hull Kingston Rovers' squad as a scrum-half during their 1964 Challenge Cup final defeat to Widnes, initially planned to step down following the final due to struggles balancing coaching with his business commitments.[52] However, a meeting with the Hull F.C. board on 4 May resulted in him securing a deal for three further years as coach.[53]
Sammy Lloyd, a record-scoring goal kicker at Hull F.C and previous club Castleford, was visibly distressed by his unusually poor kicking performance, stating in tears that he had let his family and F.C.'s fans down, drawing comparisons to Wakefield Trinity's Don Fox missing the match-winning conversion at the 1968 Challenge Cup final, and felt that he could not bear to return to Hull. However, Lloyd was greeted by a rapturous reception from fans upon his return to The Boulevard a day later, convincing him to stay on with the team.[48] Lloyd would later score four goals but ultimately missed one match-winning goal at the 1982 final against Widnes, ending the match 14–14 and sending F.C. to a replay,[54] however as a result of injuries, he was not picked to play in the replay and was replaced by Lee Crooks.
F.C.'s only try-scorer Tim Wilby later became the chairman of both Hull F.C. and the city's association football club Hull City A.F.C. in March 1997. Under his tenure, Hull F.C. were renamed 'Hull Sharks', with plans explored to merge both F.C. and Rovers, the latter of which had fell into administration, into one Humberside team, to groundshare with Hull City for the latter to cut operating costs, and in association with Hull City's owner, leisure centre proprietor David Lloyd, to play Hull's sports teams in one central 'super stadium'.[55][56] Amid controversy over "interference" with F.C., who were pushing for promotion to the newly created Super League, Wilby resigned in September 1997 citing "exhaustion" and moved to Australia, handing control of Hull F.C. and Hull City to David Lloyd.[57][58]
Subsequent finals
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Hull Kingston Rovers returned to the Challenge Cup final a year later in 1981, losing 18–6 against Widnes.[59] The club continued as runners-up in the 1986 final against Castleford,[60] the 2015 final against the Leeds Rhinos,[61] and the 2023 final against the Leigh Leopards,[62] and would not win another Challenge Cup final for 45 years until 2025, winning 8–6 against the Warrington Wolves, the club's first major trophy since 1985, as part of a treble-winning season.[63]
Hull F.C. returned to the Challenge Cup final in 1982 and, after initially playing to a 14–14 draw,[54] won the final replay at Elland Road, the first held since 1954, 18–9 against Widnes.[64] After appearing as runners-up at the closely-contended 1985 final against Wigan,[65] Hull F.C. won the 2005 final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff,[66] were runners-up at the 2008 final against St Helens and the 2013 final against the Wigan Warriors at the new Wembley Stadium,[67][68] and won back-to-back finals in 2016 and 2017 against the Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors respectively.[69][70]
Both teams did not face each other in the Challenge Cup for 45 years until 2025, when Hull F.C. were drawn to play Hull Kingston Rovers away in the quarter-final round at their home MKM Stadium venue on 5 April.[71] The match, which saw Hull F.C. defeated 16–32 by Rovers, drew a crowd of 20,226, the highest-attended non-final Challenge Cup fixture since 1989.[72]