By the time of the 3rd Round of the 1935 Challenge Cup the supporters of both Castleford and Hunslet were suffering from a serious bout of “Wembley Fever”. Castleford were having a successful season in the league and, having previously reached the semi-final stage in 1929, their supporters were optimistic of their chances of going one step further this time. On the other hand, Hunslet were reigning cup holders and their fans were equally optimistic of reaching back-to-back finals.

The clubs had met in the 2nd Round of the previous season’s competition and a record crowd of 23,000 had seen the sides play out a 4-4 draw at Wheldon Lane, before Hunslet scored a convincing 23-0 win in the replay. However, Castleford were a very different proposition this time around, particularly in the forwards. Harold Haley and Frank Smith, who had both missed the replay defeat, were back in a full-strength pack bolstered this time round by new additions Pat McManus and Jim Crossley.

The level of interest was such that club officials were very confident that the attendance record set the previous year would be beaten this time around. Every possible bus from the Leeds area was fully booked with many more supporters travelling by train. A great deal of work had been done to replace the main grandstand which had been destroyed by fire the previous November and the new grandstand was to be opened for the first time for this cup tie. Every available seat had been booked a week in advance. In addition, further terracing had been installed around the ground to ensure everyone had a good view of the action. The officials’ confidence turned out to be justified as a crowd of 25,449 – still the official ground record - witnessed the match.

Castleford were almost at full-strength with only centre-threequarter Jim Croston unavailable having been injured in the previous week’s win against St Helens. T C Askin replaced him at centre while the versatile Donald Knowles took Askin’s usual place on the wing. Hunslet were at full-strength.

Castleford: 1 Lewis 2 Cunniffe 3 Atkinson 4 T C Askin 5 Knowles 6 Davies 7 Adams 8 McManus 9 Haley 10 Taylor 11 Smith 12 Crossley 13 Sadler

Hunslet: 1 Walkington 2 Dennis 3 Yates 4 Morrell 5 Grainge 6 Todd 7 Thornton 8 Tolson 9 White 10 Dawson 11 Smith 12 Plenderleith 13 Beverley

Referee: A E Harding (Manchester)

Attendance: 25,449

The record crowd was treated to a high-class encounter right from the first kick-off. Hunslet had much of the possession in the early stages but they failed to take advantage due to keen Castleford tackling. When Castleford eventually took play close to the Hunslet line an offside decision allowed Lewis to kick a penalty to put Castleford in front. Play was end to end for the rest of the first half until, with eight minutes remaining, Hunslet centre Yates was able to squeeze over the try line for the first try of the match. Tolson missed the conversion from close to the touch line and, despite a spell of sustained attack by Castleford towards the end of the half, Hunslet held a 3-2 half-time lead.

Castleford came out strongly in the second half and Hunslet were struggling to make any progress upfield. Castleford eventually benefitted when a loose pass was picked up by winger Knowles. He evaded two or three tackles before turning inside and, despite the efforts of more Hunslet defenders, he had the strength to carry them over the line to score Castleford’s first try. Although Lewis failed to convert, Castleford now led by 5 points to 3 and the try marked a turning point in the game. Castleford were now taking the majority of possession and applying increasing pressure on the Hunslet line. Eventually Askin was able to make a break and feed Atkinson who carried Hunslet defenders over the line with him to score the decisive try. As Lewis had been injured following a collision with a goalpost, Atkinson attempted the conversion himself but the ball fell just short. Castleford were now well on top and were awarded two more kickable penalties. Frank Smith took responsibility and, although missing the first kick, he succeeded with the second attempt from near half-way to give Castleford a 10-3 victory.

The more youthful Castleford pack had laid the foundations for the win, with loose forward Sadler outstanding. The pack’s dominance in the second half had allowed half-backs Davies and Adams to outplay their opposite numbers and create the space for the three-quarters that finally proved decisive. Their supporters could now look forward to the next step towards Wembley!