1973 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy
| 1973–74 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy | |
|---|---|
| Structure | Floodlit knockout championship |
| Teams | 21 |
| Winners | Bramley |
| Runners-up | Widnes |
1973 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy was the ninth occasion on which the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy competition had been held.
This year there was another new name on the trophy when Bramley won the trophy by beating Widnes by the score of 15-7.
The match was played at Naughton Park, Widnes, Cheshire (but historically in the county of Lancashire). The attendance was 4,542 and receipts were £1538.
Bramley perennial strugglers, had been expected to just make up the numbers against high-flying Widnes, but instead they showed what self-belief, commitment and hard work could do. The result was totally unexpected and is still one of the greatest shocks in Rugby League history. Bramley had joined the Rugby League for the 1896-97 season, the second season in its existence, and in the 77 years since, this was the first trophy the club had ever won. It would also be the only trophy before leaving the league at the end of the 1999 season. This was also the second consecutive season in which Widnes had finished as runner in the BBC Floodlit Trophy.
This was the year in which the Arab-Israeli war created an oil crisis, which together with the miner's work to rule, caused the Brish Government to ban the use of floodlights in sport on 13 November. This in turn resulted in many of the matches in the Floodlit Trophy, including the final, being played in the afternoon rather than at night.
This season saw three new clubs joing the tournament. These were Bramley, Dewsbury and Whitehaven which increased the number of entrants by three, to a new high total of twenty-one.
The format remained the same as the last season with the preliminary round played on a two-legged home and away basis and the rest of the tournament being played on a knock-out basis. The preliminary round now involved ten clubs, to reduce the numbers taking part in the competition proper to just sixteen.
Involved 5 matches and 10 Clubs
Involved 5 matches and the same 10 Clubs in reverse fixtures
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