Rugby league county leagues

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates The Yorkshire League and the Lancashire League formed two sections of the Rugby Football League Championship for much of its history. Initially, the 22 clubs that broke away in 1895 played in one combined league; however, the following season saw the addition of many clubs, and the League was split into two separate county competitions.

History

This situation endured until 1901–1902, when the top teams in each league resigned and formed a new combined first division. The following season, the remaining clubs formed a second division. From then until 1907, when there was another re-organisation, the county leagues were not played.

The new structure initiated for the 1907–1908 season saw the clubs playing every other team in their own county home and away, and playing once each against the clubs from the other county. Results from all games counted towards the Rugby Football League Championship, whilst results within the county counted towards the respective county leagues.

The championship often included teams from outside the Yorkshire and Lancashire heartlands; these were allocated to a county league on a practical basis. Briefly, in the 1908–1909 season, there were enough clubs from Wales to add a third Welsh League to the structure. The sole winner of this title was Merthyr Tydfil.

The Yorkshire and Lancashire Leagues were abandoned in 1970.

Results

The RFL Lancashire League was an annual competition from 1895 to 1970 for professional rugby league teams in Lancashire. Other teams from Cheshire and Cumbria also competed in the league. During the period 1896–1901 the county leagues were played as there was no national league championship during this period. After they were played alongside the RFL Championship until 1970. Teams also competed in the Lancashire Cup.

To keep the number of teams equal in both county leagues, clubs from Yorkshire were often invited to play in the Lancashire League. Halifax joined the Lancashire League in 1930,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> remaining there until the start of the Second World War. Following the demise of Belle Vue Rangers in 1955, it was initially decided that the Yorkshire League champions would compete in the Lancashire League during the following season,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but clubs were later elected into the league on a voluntary basis instead.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Championship

Season	Winners
1895–96	Runcorn
1896–97<ref name="season9601">During the period 1896–1901 the county leagues were titled senior competitions. There was no national league championship during this period.</ref>	Template:Leagueicon Broughton Rangers
1897–98<ref name="season9601" />	Template:Leagueicon Oldham
1898–99<ref name="season9601" />	Template:Leagueicon Broughton Rangers
1899–1900<ref name="season9601" />	Runcorn
1900–01<ref name="season9601" />	Template:Leagueicon Oldham
1901–02<ref name="season0102">For the 1901–02 season the top teams from each senior competition resigned to form a single league championship. The lower clubs continued to contest separate county leagues for that year only.</ref>	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1902–07: No competition
1907–08	Template:Leagueicon Oldham
1908–09	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1909–10	Template:Leagueicon Oldham
1910–11	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1911–12	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1912–13	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1913–14	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1914–15	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1915–18	No competition due to World War I
1918–19	Template:Leagueicon Rochdale Hornets
1919–20	Template:Leagueicon Widnes
1920–21	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1921–22	Template:Leagueicon Oldham
1922–23	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1923–24	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1924–25	Template:Leagueicon Swinton
1925–26	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1926–27	Template:Leagueicon St Helens Recs
1927–28	Template:Leagueicon Swinton
1928–29	Template:Leagueicon Swinton
1929–30	Template:Leagueicon St. Helens
1930–31	Template:Leagueicon Swinton
1931–32	Template:Leagueicon St. Helens
1932–33	Template:Leagueicon Salford
1933–34	Template:Leagueicon Salford
1934–35	Template:Leagueicon Salford
1935–36	Liverpool Stanley
1936–37	Template:Leagueicon Salford
1937–38	Template:Leagueicon Warrington
1938–39	Template:Leagueicon Salford
1939–45	No competition due to World War II
1945–46	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1946–47	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1947–48	Template:Leagueicon Warrington
1948–49	Template:Leagueicon Warrington
1949–50	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1950–51	Template:Leagueicon Warrington
1951–52	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1952–53	Template:Leagueicon St. Helens
1953–54	Template:Leagueicon Warrington
1954–55	Template:Leagueicon Warrington
1955–56	Template:Leagueicon Warrington
1956–57	Template:Leagueicon Oldham
1957–58	Template:Leagueicon Oldham
1958–59	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1959–60	Template:Leagueicon St. Helens
1960–61	Template:Leagueicon Swinton
1961–62	Template:Leagueicon Wigan
1962–63	Template:Leagueicon Workington Town<ref name="season6264">During the 1962–63 and 1963–64 seasons, the RFL reverted to a two division structure and the county leagues were rebranded as the Western and Eastern Divisional Championships.</ref>
1963–64	Template:Leagueicon St. Helens<ref name="season6264" />
1964–65	Template:Leagueicon St. Helens
1965–66	Template:Leagueicon St. Helens
1966–67	Template:Leagueicon St. Helens
1967–68	Template:Leagueicon Warrington
1968–69	Template:Leagueicon St. Helens
1969–70	Template:Leagueicon Wigan

Wins by club

Rank	Club	Wins	Years
1	Template:Leagueicon Wigan	18	1901–02, 1908–09, 1910–11, 1911–12, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1914–15, 1920–21, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1925–26, 1945–46, 1946–47, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1958–59, 1961–62, 1969–70
2	Template:Leagueicon St. Helens	9	1929–30, 1931–32, 1952–53, 1959–60, 1963–64,<ref name="season6264" /> 1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1968–69
3	Template:Leagueicon Warrington	8	1937–38, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1950–51, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1967–68
4	Template:Leagueicon Oldham	7	1897–98, 1900–01, 1907–08, 1909–10, 1921–22, 1956–57, 1957–58
5	Template:Leagueicon Salford	5	1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1936–37, 1938–39
6	Template:Leagueicon Swinton	5	1924–25, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1960–61
7	Template:Leagueicon Broughton Rangers	2	1896–97, 1898–99
8	Runcorn	2	1895–96, 1899–1900
9	Template:Leagueicon Rochdale Hornets	1	1918–19
10	Template:Leagueicon Widnes	1	1919–20
11	Template:Leagueicon Workington Town	1	1962–63<ref name="season6264" />
12	Template:Leagueicon St Helens Recs	1	1926–27
13	Liverpool Stanley	1	1935–36

Yorkshire League

The RFL Yorkshire League was an annual competition from 1895 to 1970 for professional rugby league teams in Yorkshire. During the period 1896–1901 the county leagues were played as there was no national league championship during this period. After they were played alongside the RFL Championship until 1970. Teams also competed in the Yorkshire Cup.

Championship

Season	Winners
1895–96	Manningham
1896–97<ref name="season9601" />	Brighouse Rangers
1897–98<ref name="season9601" />	Template:Leagueicon Hunslet
1898–99<ref name="season9601" />	Template:Leagueicon Batley
1899–1900<ref name="season9601" />	Bradford FC
1900–01<ref name="season9601" />	Bradford FC
1901–02<ref name="season0102" />	Template:Leagueicon Leeds
1902–07	No competition
1907–08	Template:Leagueicon Hunslet
1908–09	Template:Leagueicon Halifax
1909–10	Template:Leagueicon Wakefield Trinity
1910–11	Template:Leagueicon Wakefield Trinity
1911–12	Template:Leagueicon Huddersfield
1912–13	Template:Leagueicon Huddersfield
1913–14	Template:Leagueicon Huddersfield
1914–15	Template:Leagueicon Huddersfield
1915–18	No competition due to World War I
1918–19	Template:Leagueicon Hull
1919–20	Template:Leagueicon Huddersfield
1920–21	Template:Leagueicon Halifax
1921–22	Template:Leagueicon Huddersfield
1922–23	Template:Leagueicon Hull
1923–24	Template:Leagueicon Batley
1924–25	Template:Leagueicon Hull Kingston Rovers
1925–26	Template:Leagueicon Hull Kingston Rovers
1926–27	Template:Leagueicon Hull
1927–28	Template:Leagueicon Leeds
1928–29	Template:Leagueicon Huddersfield
1929–30	Template:Leagueicon Huddersfield
1930–31	Template:Leagueicon Leeds
1931–32	Template:Leagueicon Hunslet
1932–33	Template:Leagueicon Castleford
1933–34	Template:Leagueicon Leeds
1934–35	Template:Leagueicon Leeds
1935–36	Template:Leagueicon Hull
1936–37	Template:Leagueicon Leeds
1937–38	Template:Leagueicon Leeds
1938–39	Template:Leagueicon Castleford
1939–45	No competition due to World War II
1945–46	Template:Leagueicon Wakefield Trinity
1946–47	Template:Leagueicon Dewsbury
1947–48	Template:Leagueicon Bradford Northern
1948–49	Template:Leagueicon Huddersfield
1949–50	Template:Leagueicon Huddersfield
1950–51	Template:Leagueicon Leeds
1951–52	Template:Leagueicon Huddersfield
1952–53	Template:Leagueicon Halifax
1953–54	Template:Leagueicon Halifax
1954–55	Template:Leagueicon Leeds
1955–56	Template:Leagueicon Halifax
1956–57	Template:Leagueicon Leeds
1957–58	Template:Leagueicon Halifax
1958–59	Template:Leagueicon Wakefield Trinity
1959–60	Template:Leagueicon Wakefield Trinity
1960–61	Template:Leagueicon Leeds
1961–62	Template:Leagueicon Wakefield Trinity
1962–63	Template:Leagueicon Wakefield Trinity<ref name="season6264" />
1963–64	Template:Leagueicon Halifax<ref name="season6264" />
1964–65	Template:Leagueicon Castleford
1965–66	Template:Leagueicon Wakefield Trinity
1966–67	Template:Leagueicon Leeds
1967–68	Template:Leagueicon Leeds
1968–69	Template:Leagueicon Leeds
1969–70	Template:Leagueicon Leeds

Wins by club

	Winners	Count	Years
1	Template:Leagueicon Leeds	15	1901–02, 1927–28, 1930–31, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1950–51, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1960–61, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70
2	Template:Leagueicon Huddersfield	11	1911–12, 1912–13, 1914–15, 1915–16, 1919–29, 1921–22, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1951–52,
3	Template:Leagueicon Wakefield Trinity	8	1909–10, 1910–11, 1945–46, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1961–62, 1962–63,<ref name="season6264" /> 1965–66
4	Template:Leagueicon Halifax	7	1908–09, 1920–21, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1957–58, 1963–64<ref name="season6264" />
5	Template:Leagueicon Hull	4	1918–19, 1922–23, 1926–27, 1935–36
6	Template:Leagueicon Hunslet	3	1897–98, 1907–08, 1931–32
7	Template:Leagueicon Castleford	3	1932–33, 1938–39, 1964–65
8	Template:Leagueicon Batley	2	1898–99, 1923–24
9	Template:Leagueicon Hull Kingston Rovers	2	1924–25, 1925–26
10	Bradford FC	2	1899–1900, 1900–01
11	Template:Leagueicon Dewsbury	1	1946–47
12	Manningham	1	1895–96
13	Template:Leagueicon Bradford Northern	1	1947–48
14	Brighouse Rangers	1	1896–97

References

• Template:Cite book