On this day in 1910, the Black & Whites, in their third consecutive Challenge Cup Final, sent the match against Leeds to a replay – Club Historian Bill Dalton looks back at the action…
Despite their moderate league form in 1909-10, Hull continued to produce winning performances in the Challenge Cup, accounting for Leigh at home by 10-7, Batley (away) by 8-0 – only their second victory at Mount Pleasant – and Halifax at the Boulevard by 13-7. The semi-final at Wakefield saw Hull overcome Salford by 20-6. Prior to that Second Round victory at Batley, the Boulevard had already entertained the ‘Gallant Youths’ when they and York contested a second replay there after two drawn first-round encounters. The attendance of 5,000 was remarkably good for considering two ‘neutral’ teams were involved, and it was certainly a demonstration of how popular cup-tie football was in that era.
So, the decade drew to a close with Hull reaching the Challenge Cup Final for a third successive time, and on this occasion were distinctly unlucky not to win it. Leeds were their opponents. Many observers felt that Hull were robbed by two decisions going against them in the drawn first encounter at Fartown, Huddersfield.
After Leeds had opened with a penalty awarded for offside, Harry Wallace equalised six minutes later with a drop-goal after Ned Rogers had missed with a penalty and also from a mark, but Harry Wallace made a break before putting a kick to the corner for George Cottrell to race over for the try. Ned Rogers converted and Hull led 7-2 at the break.
Walter Goldthorpe, after swapping passes with Fawcett, managed to touch down in the corner, although George Cottrell protested that he had grounded the ball short of the line, but to no avail. Later, Billy Anderson was kicked in the knee at a scrum by the Leeds Prop Biggs.
Astonishingly, in the minds of the Hull players, the penalty was awarded to Leeds and Frank Young tied up the score at 7-7 for the first-ever drawn Challenge Cup Final, despite Ned Rogers having been denied a claim for a try in the closing seconds. The replay was hurriedly arranged for two days hence, again at Fartown, in order for the players selected for the inaugural Australasian Tour (Frank Boylen of Hull and Ward, Webster and Young of Leeds) along with those playing in the Championship Final the following Saturday, to travel overland to catch up with the ship at Marseilles.
Hull were without Harry Taylor and Billy Anderson in addition to Stanley Britton who had sustained a broken leg in the semi-final. They were outplayed in the first-half to the tune of 0-16, and matters were even worse within five minutes of the re-start when Ned Rogers fumbled over his own goal line to present Goldthorpe with a simple touchdown. This was followed by a further try from Rowe just two minutes later. At 0-26, Leeds had the Cup won, but Hull mounted a fight-back of sorts with tries from Harry Walton and George Connell together with three goals from Ned Rogers. The replay had proved a game too far for the Airlie Birds.
So, Hull became the first team to lose three successive Challenge Cup Finals, a dubious feat not equalled until Leeds Rhino’s repeated it in 2010-2012. This was the first major trophy won by Leeds.
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