When the draw for the Second Round of the 1969 Challenge Cup took place, Castleford’s luck finally changed.

They got a home draw for the first time in six years. But it wasn’t an easy one. Cup kings Wigan, at that time winners of the cup on seven occasions and finalists five times in the previous ten years, would be the visitors to Wheldon Road. There was just one league match, at home to Leeds on 31st January, between the first two rounds of the cup. A weakened team, further handicapped by Dennis Hartley’s international call up, lost 18-3. To make matters worse, Clive Dickinson broke a bone in his hand and Malcolm Reilly suffered an ankle injury which required daily treatment in an effort to get him fit for the Wigan match.

Wintery weather

The Wigan match was scheduled to be televised live by the BBC. However, the previous weekend the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Heavy snow between Friday and Tuesday, accompanied by freezing temperatures, put the match in serious doubt. The club took the decision to protect the pitch by covering it with straw which was left in place until the morning of the match. At that point an army of volunteers, along with workmen from Castleford Corporation Parks Department, moved in to clear the straw from the pitch to allow the game to go ahead. It was not until 90 minutes before kick-off that the pitch was cleared and the game given the go-ahead, the only one to survive the weather that weekend.

Clive Dickinson was absent from the Cas team, but Reilly was fit to play, Hartley was back and, against the odds, Alan Hardisty returned for his first appearance since Boxing Day. After his strong performance against Hunslet in the previous round, Derek Foster retained his place at centre.

Castleford: 1 Edwards 2 Briggs 3 Foster 4 Thomas 5 Lowndes 6 Hardisty 7 Hepworth 8 Hartley 9 Ward 10 Fox 11 Redfearn 12 Lockwood 13 Reilly Subs: 14 Howe 15 McKalroy (both unused)

Wigan: 1 Ashton 2 Jones 3 Ashurst 4 Rowe 5 Francis 6 D Hill 7 Jackson 8 Gardiner 9 Clarke 10 Ashcroft 11 Stephens 12 Hogan 13 Laughton Subs: 14 C Hill 15 O’Loughlin (both unused)

Referee: R L Thomas (Oldham)

Attendance: 8,347

Edgy stuff

Despite the reputation of both teams for open attacking rugby, the match was a tight, tense affair. The heavy conditions may have been partly responsible, but both teams were well aware of what was at stake. Wigan’s opening try by Bill Francis, converted by Ashton, was cancelled out by a Johnny Ward try and a Hepworth drop-goal to leave the teams level at half time, although Cas had a touch of luck when Wigan winger Keri Jones had a try disallowed when the touch judge ruled that he had put a foot in touch. Cas took a narrow lead for the first time after 53 minutes when Mick Redfearn, who had earlier missed a number of kicks at goal, kicked a penalty. The match was then decided by a typical piece of Hardisty magic. Wigan were attacking the Cas line when he intercepted a pass and sprinted 75 yards to score at the railway end of the ground. Jones chased him all the way and made a tackle as Hardisty grounded the ball. A second Wigan player, Bill Ashurst, was also chasing but was slightly later with his tackle, hitting the Cas captain after he had grounded the ball. This resulted in the tension boiling over with players from both sides exchanging blows. Redfearn added the conversion to give Cas a 12-5 lead, although Hardisty had to leave the field following the Ashurst tackle, having suffered another bang on the arm he had broken only a matter of weeks previously. He was to return to the field later but was little more than a passenger. Sparks continued to fly for a spell following the try until Wigan forward Hogan was sent off, followed a few minutes later by Johnny Ward. Malcolm Reilly then suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury and Cas were left to hang on to their lead as Wigan started to move the ball wide in an attempt to get back into the game. Nine minutes from time Francis scored his second try to make the score 12-8 but that was as much as Wigan could manage and Cas held on to a hard-earned win and a place in the next round.