The Rugby League Cup Final once again was a battle of the Roses, with 11 Welshmen in the Lancashire and Yorkshire thirteens as well as one New Zealander. Incidentally, Salford's manager comes from New Zealand, though he talks pure Lancashire.
(t was the 21st occasion on which teams from the two Northern counties had met in the final; the score is now Yorkshire 14, Lancashire 7. A record Cup Final crowd (for England) of 55453 saw Halifax beat Salford 20-3 in a grand game. Actually larger crowds have assembled to watch a Rugby League match, but not at Wembley. Bradford holds England's record with 65,147; Australia. the world's with 70,204.
The Rugby League game in England is largely confined to the North: but more and more Londoners this year are making a point of seeing the Cup Final, which never foils to thrill. A large contingent always comes up from Wales. In the crowd this year was more than one Rugby Union enthusiast. doubtless noting how fast and open was the game throughout, with no time wasted on prolonged scrummaging.
Of the 26 players on the field no fewer than 16 were recruits from the Rugby Union game. Basset was capped 7 times for Wales before a £1,000 offer (big money for Rugby League) persuaded him to join Halifax.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.