1902-03 Northern Rugby Football Union season

The 1902–03 Northern Rugby Football Union

Rugby Football League

The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...

season was the eighth season of rugby league football

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

Season summary

League Champions: Halifax

Halifax RLFC

Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...

Challenge Cup Winners: Halifax

Halifax RLFC

(7-0 v Salford

Salford City Reds

Salford City Reds are an English rugby league club based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1873, they currently play in the Super League. They have won six Rugby Football League Championships and one Challenge Cup...

)

2nd Division Champions: Keighley

Keighley Cougars

Keighley Cougars are a professional rugby league club from Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. As of 2012 they will play in Co-operative Championship having won the Co-operative Championship 1 play off final 32-12 against Workington...

There was no county league competition this season.

Notable events

Four of the top five clubs from the 1901–02 Lancashire Senior Competition; Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006...

(although based in Yorkshire, and having played in the Yorkshire Senior Competition for the 1899–1900 and 1900–01 seasons, they had played the 1901–02 season in the Lancashire Senior Competition), St. Helens, Widnes
Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...

, and Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....

joined the 14-clubs from the previous season's 1901–02 Northern Rugby League to make an 18-club Division 1, the exception was Barrow
Barrow Raiders
Barrow Raiders are an English professional rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, who are coached by Dave Clark. Formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club, the club is the oldest of the current professional sports teams in Cumbria....

who despite finishing fourth in the 1901–02 Lancashire Senior Competition joined Division 2.
At the end of the season Manningham Rugby Club decided to switch to Association Football and became Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....

, whilst staying at Valley Parade.

Division 1

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	Pts
1	Halifax Halifax RLFC Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...	34	23	3	8	199	85	49
2	Salford Salford City Reds Salford City Reds are an English rugby league club based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1873, they currently play in the Super League. They have won six Rugby Football League Championships and one Challenge Cup...	34	20	5	9	244	130	45
3	Swinton Swinton Lions Swinton Lions is an English professional rugby league club from Swinton, Greater Manchester. The club has won the Championship six times and three Challenge Cups. They currently play in the Championship.-Early years:...	34	18	7	9	254	119	43
4	Runcorn	34	19	4	11	239	139	42
5	Broughton Rangers Broughton Rangers Broughton Rangers was a British rugby football, and subsequently a rugby league club. It was based in Broughton, Salford.-History:Broughton Rangers was founded in 1877 as Broughton and added Rangers for its second season...	34	17	7	10	222	97	41
6	Oldham Oldham Roughyeds Oldham Roughyeds is an English professional rugby league club based in Oldham, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the Championship One. Oldham is one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895....	34	20	0	14	200	128	40
7	Bradford	34	16	5	13	220	161	37
8	Warrington Warrington Wolves Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....	34	14	7	13	148	164	35
9	Hunslet Hunslet Hawks Hunslet Hawks is a professional rugby league club based in Hunslet, West Yorkshire, England. The club, sometimes known as 'the Parksiders' after their former stadium, are currently champions of Championship One.-History:-Early years:...	34	16	3	15	185	220	35
10	Hull	34	16	2	16	204	192	34
11	Batley Batley Bulldogs Batley Bulldogs are an English professional rugby league club from Batley, West Yorkshire. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Batley is one of the original twenty-two rugby football clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895...	34	15	4	15	176	214	34
12	Leigh Leigh Centurions Leigh Centurions is an English professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester who play in the Co-operative Championship.The club was founded in 1878 as Leigh Rugby Football Club and is one of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in...	34	12	5	17	136	178	29
13	Widnes Widnes Vikings Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...	34	13	2	19	131	167	28
14	Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006...	34	13	2	19	155	215	28
15	Huddersfield Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....	34	13	2	19	116	196	28
16	Wigan Wigan Warriors Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....	34	10	6	18	125	174	26
17	St Helens	34	9	2	23	125	309	20
18	Brighouse Rovers	34	7	4	23	79	270	18

Division 2

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	Pts
1	Keighley Keighley Cougars Keighley Cougars are a professional rugby league club from Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. As of 2012 they will play in Co-operative Championship having won the Co-operative Championship 1 play off final 32-12 against Workington...	34	27	2	5	270	92	56
2	Leeds Leeds Rhinos Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...	34	26	1	7	334	98	53
3	Millom Millom RLFC Millom RLFC is an amateur rugby league club based in the town of Millom in Cumbria. It is one of the oldest amateur rugby league club in the world, having been founded in 1873....	34	22	3	9	238	118	47
4	Rochdale Hornets Rochdale Hornets Rochdale Hornets RLFC is an English professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. They currently play in Championship One...	34	20	6	8	323	88	46
5	Holbeck	34	20	5	9	213	83	45
6	Barrow Barrow Raiders Barrow Raiders are an English professional rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, who are coached by Dave Clark. Formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club, the club is the oldest of the current professional sports teams in Cumbria....	34	22	0	12	230	140	44
7	Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...	34	18	2	14	263	196	38
8	Bramley Bramley Buffaloes Bramley Buffaloes is a rugby league club from the Bramley area of West Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. Previously known simply as Bramley RLFC, the club is a famous name in rugby league, having existed prior to the formation of the Northern Union in 1895...	34	16	4	14	179	151	36
9	Birkenhead Wanderers Birkenhead Wanderers FC (Rugby League) Birkenhead Wanderers was a professional rugby league club. The club was based in Birkenhead, a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...	34	14	6	14	125	140	34
10	Manningham	34	14	5	15	141	170	33
11	Lancaster	34	13	4	17	123	214	30
12	Normanton Normanton (Rugby League) Normanton was a professional rugby league club.The club was based in Normanton, a small town within the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England....	34	12	4	18	160	228	28
13	York York City Knights York City Knights Rugby League Club is a British professional rugby league club hailing from York. They play at the Huntington Stadium, situated to the north of York city centre...	34	11	4	19	111	190	26
14	South Shields South Shields (Rugby League) South Shields was a professional rugby league club.The club was based in South Shields South Shields was a (semi) professional rugby league club.The club was based in South Shields South Shields was a (semi) professional rugby league club.The club was based in South Shields (known locally as just...	34	10	2	22	158	264	22
15	Castleford	34	9	4	21	105	268	22
16	Dewsbury Dewsbury Rams Dewsbury Rams RLFC is a professional rugby league club based in the West Yorkshire town of Dewsbury. They are arguably most famous for becoming Champions in 1972-73 after finishing the regular season in 8th place. In the playoffs they beat Featherstone away, Warrington away, and then Leeds in the...	34	8	5	21	123	245	21
17	Morecambe Morecambe (Rugby League) Morecambe was a professional rugby league club.The club was based in Morecambe , a resort town within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. Together with adjoining small port of Heysham the population is approx. 51,000....	34	9	2	23	88	220	20
18	Stockport	34	5	1	28	69	348	11

Challenge Cup

Halifax

Halifax RLFC

beat Salford

Salford City Reds

7-0 in the final at Leeds

Leeds

Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...

before a crowd of 32,507

Sources

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.