Challenge Cup record wins

[morley pie eater]

According to official RL records, Wigan have won the cup 19 times to Leeds 14 wins.

Some younger fans may not be aware that these figures are doctored, and in fact Wigan lead 19 to 12.

The cup was suspended at the start of the second world war, as it had been for 4 years during WWI. So there was no competition in 1939-40.

The government then recognised that there was a need to entertain people at home, including the "Bevin Boys" and other essential war workers. So the cup was reinstated for the remaining 5 years of the war, up to the 1944-5 season.

But the rules were adapted to enable clubs to raise teams when so many players were unavailable. For example, players were not cup-tied and, after being knocked out with one team, could and did play for another in a later round.

Servicemen home on leave or based in the UK, could play for any club near to where they were stationed. Leeds in particular took advantage of recruiting players (on the books of other teams) from Catterick garrison, reputedly offering transport and pay, quite within rules. Leeds won the cup twice in the wartime, in 1940-41 and 1941-2.

Up until sometime in the 1970s (I think), wartime finals were excluded from RL records by all but Leeds fans - long before Uncle Gary was at Leeds! For some unexplained reason, this suddenly changed.

In 1939, the score was Wigan 2 Leeds 4 (number of cup wins).

1965 Wigan 7 Leeds 5 excluding wartime finals, but 7-7 if they were counted.

1978 saw Wigan 7 Leeds 8, but that became 7-10 with wartime finals included.

Now we are comfortably ahead, helped not just by our 8 consecutive wins, but by Leeds' 3 consecutive losses in 2010-12. (They also lost in 94, 95, 00, 03 and 05!)

So you may think "Why does it matter?" It matters to me because there's a principle of fairness, and a scent of skulduggery about the way this unjustified change came about.

[DaveO]

Changing the way the record books are written when for decades the war time finals are excluded is definitely rather pathetic especially if the one promoting the change is at a club that comes out better. It’s a bit childish as well.

That said I’d rather not rely on discounting a couple of war time finals for us remain as the most successful cup side.

There is only one way to maintain that record long term and it is to start winning finals again and that pathetic effort from team and coach in this years semi final isn’t the way to do it. We have not featured in a CC final for too long.