1938–39 Challenge Cup
{{short description|Rugby league competition}}
{{Infobox Rugby football league challenge cup
|title = 1938–39 Challenge Cup
|league =
|logo =
|pixels =
|duration = 5 rounds
|no_of_teams =
|highest_attendance =
|lowest_attendance =
|avg_attendance =
|TV =
|biggest_home_win =
|biggest_away_win =
|season = 1938–39
|season_champs = Halifax
|season_champ_name = Winners
|second_place = Salford
|MVP =
|MVP_link =
|top_scorer =
|prevseason_link = 1937–38 Challenge Cup
|prevseason_year = 1937–38
|nextseason_link = 1940–41 Challenge Cup
|nextseason_year = 1940–41
}}
The 1938–39 Challenge Cup was the 39th staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup.{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/competitions/challenge-cup-1938-39/results.html|title=Challenge Cup 1938/39|publisher=Rugby League Project}}
First round
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" | ||||
| width=100| Date
!width=250| Team One !width=50| Score One !width=250| Team Two !width=50| Score Two | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04 Feb | Featherstone Rovers | 3 | Batley | 0 |
| 04 Feb | Halifax | 8 | Barrow | 3 |
| 04 Feb | Higginshaw | 3 | Swinton | 46 |
| 04 Feb | Hull Kingston Rovers | 8 | Hull FC | 5 |
| 04 Feb | Hunslet | 48 | United Glass Bottle | 5 |
| 04 Feb | Keighley | 11 | York | 9 |
| 04 Feb | Leeds | 9 | Huddersfield | 2 |
| 04 Feb | Oldham | 10 | Castleford | 3 |
| 04 Feb | Rochdale Hornets | 3 | Warrington | 29 |
| 04 Feb | Salford | 11 | St Helens | 0 |
| 04 Feb | Sharlston Rovers | 5 | Bramley | 23 |
| 04 Feb | Widnes | 10 | Dewsbury | 5 |
| 04 Feb | Wigan | 33 | Leigh | 0 |
| 08 Feb | Bradford Northern | 37 | Seaton Rangers | 7 |
| 08 Feb | Broughton Rangers | 5 | Wakefield Trinity | 5 |
| 08 Feb | Liverpool | 2 | St Helens Recs | 2 |
| 13 Feb | St Helens Recs | 12 | Liverpool | 3 |
| 13 Feb | Wakefield Trinity | 23 | Broughton Rangers | 5 |
Second round
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" | ||||
| width=100| Date
!width=250| Team One !width=50| Score One !width=250| Team Two !width=50| Score Two | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Feb | Bradford Northern | 2 | Oldham | 0 |
| 18 Feb | Halifax | 6 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 2 |
| 18 Feb | Keighley | 10 | Featherstone Rovers | 0 |
| 18 Feb | Leeds | 6 | Widnes | 2 |
| 18 Feb | St Helens Recs | 3 | Wigan | 8 |
| 18 Feb | Salford | 18 | Hunslet | 2 |
| 18 Feb | Swinton | 0 | Bramley | 5 |
| 18 Feb | Wakefield Trinity | 7 | Warrington | 2 |
Quarter-finals
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" | ||||
| width=100| Date
!width=250| Team One !width=50| Score One !width=250| Team Two !width=50| Score Two | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Mar | Keighley | 0 | Leeds | 2 |
| 11 Mar | Salford | 20 | Bramley | 0 |
| 11 Mar | Wakefield Trinity | 5 | Halifax | 5 |
| 11 Mar | Wigan | 7 | Bradford Northern | 0 |
| 15 Mar | Halifax | 15 | Wakefield Trinity | 12 |
Semi-finals
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" | ||||
| width=100| Date
!width=250| Team One !width=50| Score One !width=250| Team Two !width=50| Score Two | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr | Halifax | 10 | Leeds | 4 |
| 01 Apr | Salford | 11 | Wigan | 2 |
Final
Halifax beat Salford 20-3 in the final played at Wembley on Saturday 6 May 1939 in front of a crowd of 55,453.{{cite web|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=oxfshlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS101004456&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|title=OUR RUGBY FOOTBALL CORRESPONDENT. "Rugby League Cup." Times [London, England] 8 May 1939|work=The Times Digital Archive}} There would be no Challenge Cup competition in 1939–40.
This was Halifax’s fourth Cup Final win in five Final appearances.
This was Salford’s fifth Final appearance and second in consecutive years, having won the Cup the previous season{{cite book |title=Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1995-1996 |author1=Raymond Fletcher |author2=David Howes|year=1995|publisher=Headline Book Publishing |location=London |isbn=0-7472-7817-2|page=191}}
Final
{{Rugbyleaguebox
|date = 6 May 1939
|time =
|team1 = Halifax
|score = 20 – 3
|team2 = Salford
|points1 = Try Smith, Treen, Todd, Bevan
Goals Lockwood (4)
|points2 = Try Risman
|attendance = 55,453
|referee = G S Phillips (Widnes)
|manofmatch =
|report =
}}
| width="100%"
|valign="top" width="50%"| {| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" | |
| width="25"| | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hubert Lockwood |
| 2 | Jim Bevan |
| 3 | Charles Smith |
| 4 | Jack Treen |
| 5 | Arthur Bassett |
| 6 | George Todd |
| 7 | Jack Goodall |
| 8 | George Baynham |
| 9 | Harry Field |
| 10 | Hudson Irving |
| 11 | Jack Cox |
| 12 | John Chadwick |
| 13 | Harry Beverley |
| colspan=3|Coach: | |
| colspan="4"| |
|valign="top" width="50%"|
| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" | |
| width="25"| | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Harold Osbaldestin |
| 2 | Barney Hudson |
| 3 | Miller |
| 4 | Gus Risman |
| 5 | Alan Edwards |
| 6 | Tom Kenny |
| 7 | Billy Watkins |
| 8 | Bradbury |
| 9 | Bert Day |
| 10 | David Davies |
| 11 | Paddy Dalton |
| 12 | Harold Thomas |
| 13 | Jack Feetham |
| colspan=3|Coach: | |
| colspan="4"| |
|}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Halifax RLFC - 1938–39 Challenge Cup Final winners}}
{{Challenge Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:1938-39 Challenge Cup}}