1976 Challenge Cup Semi Final : Wed Apr 04, 2012 9:57 am  

Does anybody remember this match? I've looked all over the web to try and gain information about the semi-final but its as if it never happened, I'm really surprised that there is no mention of the match on "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keighley_Cougars" or the Cougars own web page for that matter (which is a rather shameful web site for its lack of historical content).

I am particularly interested in the team sheet for the semi final. Who were the props, I seem to remember John Burke playing but I'm not too sure now since my research says that he was playing for South Sydney Rabbitohs and Castleford in 1976. Wiki says that he only played in the 1974 season for Keighley, is this correct? I thought he spent a few seasons with Keighley before going Down Under.

Re: 1976 Challenge Cup Semi Final : Wed Apr 04, 2012 10:32 am  

1 Jefferson
2 Jickells
3Pieniacek
4 Leek
5 Parker
6 Smith
7 Nicholson
8 Burke
9 Woolford
10 Garforth
11 Gallacher
12 Garbutt
13 Birdsall
14 Sutcliffe
15 Wood
Ref Alec Givvons

My husband played at scrum half John Burke was at Keighley for about two seasons

Re: 1976 Challenge Cup Semi Final : Wed Apr 04, 2012 10:46 am  

Our John Burke didn't get sent off. Another John Burke won the Grand National the same day on Rag Trade.
Peter Roe had been sold to Bradford a few months earlier.
Game plan had been to defend & keep Saints out and for Brian Jefferson to kick us to Wembley. Nearly worked - Saints scored a try & conversion. Jefferson kicked three goals - but two were drop goals - the first season I think when the value had been reduced from 2 points to 1. We lost lost 5-4!
Played at the old Fartown ground, Huddersfield.

Too late to arrange to get this old team on the pitch before kick-off at the Warrington game??

Re: 1976 Challenge Cup Semi Final : Wed Apr 04, 2012 11:03 am  

Wooden Stand wrote:

Too late to arrange to get this old team on the pitch before kick-off at the Warrington game??

'Lawkholme Len' is the man to ask on this one , he has all the contacts from the Past Players Assoc.

From memory I can remember that 'God' Jefferson , Dave Jickells and Billy Woolford were at the last reunion and I'm sure there were a few more there that I cant remember off the top of my head ....

Re: 1976 Challenge Cup Semi Final : Wed Apr 04, 2012 11:15 am  

Hazel wrote:

1 Jefferson
2 Jickells
3Pieniacek
4 Leek
5 Parker
6 Smith
7 Nicholson
8 Burke
9 Woolford
10 Garforth
11 Gallacher
12 Garbutt
13 Birdsall
14 Sutcliffe
15 Wood
Ref Alec Givvons

My husband played at scrum half John Burke was at Keighley for about two seasons

Hi Hazel,

Thank you for team details. I did a further on-line search and came across an eBay sale for the match day programme + a DVD of the match "http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320860152161&_trksid=p2992.m753", unfortunately the auction has already expired. Would have been a good find for the all included price of £1.50

Once again thanks!

Re: 1976 Challenge Cup Semi Final : Wed Apr 04, 2012 11:34 am  

Wooden Stand wrote:

Our John Burke didn't get sent off. Another John Burke won the Grand National the same day on Rag Trade.

I do remember John getting sent off a quite lot while playing for Keighley, once at Batley immediately after the kick off. It was bad enough getting one prop sent off but I remember we had another prop, Frank Cotton (??) and there were occasions where we would loose both John and Frank at the same time.

Wooden Stand wrote:

Game plan had been to defend & keep Saints out and for Brian Jefferson to kick us to Wembley. Nearly worked - Saints scored a try & conversion. Jefferson kicked three goals - but two were drop goals - the first season I think when the value had been reduced from 2 points to 1. We lost lost 5-4!
Played at the old Fartown ground, Huddersfield.

The plan almost worked, I think we were immensely unlucky that day, we certainly gave St Helens a scare considering the hiding that they had given us a few week previously.

Re: 1976 Challenge Cup Semi Final : Wed Apr 04, 2012 1:28 pm  

We beat St Helens at Lawkholme 10 days later!!

Our giant prop way back was Dave Cotton (big brother of ex Eng RU captain Fran Cotton)

Re: 1976 Challenge Cup Semi Final : Wed Apr 04, 2012 6:43 pm  

Wooden Stand wrote:

We beat St Helens at Lawkholme 10 days later!!

A little bit of a consolation I suppose, I remember that we did win and it was a much bigger score than at Fartown perhaps 22 : 18 but not sure.

Wooden Stand wrote:

Our giant prop way back was Dave Cotton (big brother of ex Eng RU captain Fran Cotton)

Yes, it was Dave and I knew he was the brother of Fran Cotton, my bad don't know why I wrote Frank.

Re: 1976 Challenge Cup Semi Final : Wed Apr 04, 2012 7:39 pm  

KRLFC wrote:

A little bit of a consolation I suppose, I remember that we did win and it was a much bigger score than at Fartown perhaps 22 : 18 but not sure.

It was 14-12 to Keighley. There was only minutes to go and we were 9-12 down. Sam Illingworth crashed over for a try and Jefferson converted a difficult kick to the left of the posts at the Armour Glass suite side. Geoff Pimblett the St Helens full back, took a right barracking from the Keighley fans whilst Jefferson was lining up the conversion. I was only 9 at the time, but the memory is crystal clear.

Re: 1976 Challenge Cup Semi Final : Thu Apr 05, 2012 8:18 pm  

We'd have won if some idiot hadn't blown a whistle on the stroke of half-time and Burke (as well as every other Keighley player) didn't tackle the St Helens player with the ball - this was before the days of the Rule that stated that you played until the ball was dead! Then Jefferson, with his leg heavily bandaged, missed an easily kickable penalty, which would have won the game for us!

Why isn't there any record of this game on the Cougars website?