1902–03 Northern Rugby Football Union season

The 1902–03 Northern Rugby Football Union season was the eighth season of rugby league football.

1902–03 Northern Rugby Football Union season
LeagueChampionship
Duration34 Rounds
TeamsFirst Division: 18
Second Division: 18
First Division
Champions Halifax (1st title)
Runners-up Salford
Top point-scorer(s)Wales Wharton Davies ( Batley) (136)
Promotion and relegation
Relegated to Second Division St Helens
Brighouse Rangers
Second Division
Champions Keighley
Top point-scorer(s) Evans (27)
Promotion and relegation
Promoted from Second Division Keighley
Leeds
Resigned from the League Manningham
Stockport

Season summary

Overview

League Champions: Halifax

Challenge Cup Winners: Halifax (7-0 v Salford)

2nd Division Champions: Keighley[1]

Summary
  • Four of the top five clubs from the 1901–02 Lancashire Senior Competition; Hull Kingston Rovers (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, and Wigan 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 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., whilst staying at Valley Parade.[2][3]

Tables

First Division
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Relegation
1 Halifax (C) 34 23 3 8 199 85 +114 49
2 Salford 34 20 5 9 244 130 +114 45
3 Swinton 34 18 7 9 254 119 +135 43
4 Runcorn 34 19 4 11 239 139 +100 42
5 Broughton Rangers 34 17 7 10 222 97 +125 41
6 Oldham 34 20 0 14 200 128 +72 40
7 Bradford F.C. 34 16 5 13 220 161 +59 37
8 Warrington 34 14 7 13 148 164 −16 35
9 Hunslet 34 16 3 15 185 220 −35 35
10 Hull F.C. 34 16 2 16 204 192 +12 34
11 Batley 34 15 4 15 176 214 −38 34
12 Leigh 34 12 5 17 136 178 −42 29
13 Widnes 34 13 2 19 131 167 −36 28
14 Hull Kingston Rovers 34 13 2 19 155 215 −60 28
15 Huddersfield 34 13 2 19 116 196 −80 28
16 Wigan 34 10 6 18 125 174 −49 26
17 St Helens (R) 34 9 2 23 125 309 −184 20 Relegation to Second Division
18 Brighouse Rangers (R) 34 7 4 23 79 270 −191 18
Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

Second Division
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Promotion
1 Keighley (C, P) 34 27 2 5 270 92 +178 56 Promoted to First Division
2 Leeds (P) 34 26 1 7 334 98 +236 53
3 Millom 34 22 3 9 238 118 +120 47
4 Rochdale Hornets 34 20 6 8 323 88 +235 46
5 Holbeck 34 20 5 9 213 83 +130 45
6 Barrow 34 22 0 12 230 140 +90 44
7 Wakefield Trinity 34 18 2 14 263 196 +67 38
8 Bramley 34 16 4 14 179 151 +28 36
9 Birkenhead Wanderers 34 14 6 14 125 140 −15 34
10 Manningham 34 14 5 15 141 170 −29 33
11 Lancaster 34 13 4 17 123 214 −91 30
12 Normanton 34 12 4 18 160 228 −68 28
13 York 34 11 4 19 111 190 −79 26
14 South Shields 34 10 2 22 158 264 −106 22
15 Castleford 34 9 4 21 105 268 −163 22
16 Dewsbury 34 8 5 21 123 245 −122 21
17 Morecambe 34 9 2 23 88 220 −132 20
18 Stockport 34 5 1 28 69 348 −279 11
Source: [4]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Challenge Cup
Main article: 1903 Challenge Cup

Halifax beat Salford 7-0 in the final at Leeds before a crowd of 32,507 [5]

Sources

References
  1. "1902-03 Season summary". Archived from the original on 2009-08-26. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  2. "Bradford City History". Transformation of Valley Parade. Bradford City Football Club. Archived from the original on 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
  3. "Valley Parade History". The Dawn of Football at Valley Parade. The Bradford City Football Club Museum. Archived from the original on 2011-08-12. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
  4. Fletcher, Raymond; Howes, David, eds. (1995). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1995-96. London: Headline Publishing Group. p. 302. ISBN 978-0-7472-7817-7.
  5. "RFL Challenge Cup Roll of Honour". Archived from the original on 2009-04-03. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
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