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
League	Championship
Duration	34 Rounds
Teams	First Division: 18 Second Division: 18
First Division
Champions	Halifax (1st title)
Runners-up	Salford
Top point-scorer(s)	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
← 1901–02 1903–04 →

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

• 1902-03 Rugby Football League season at wigan.rlfans.com
• The Challenge Cup at The Rugby Football League website