Halifax 19-18 St Helens — 1986/87 Challenge Cup Final

Wembley Stadium, London · Attendance: 91,267

Data last verified: 11 August 2026.

1986/87 Challenge Cup Final: Halifax 19-18 St Helens, at Wembley Stadium, London.

Sourcing caveat: Try/goal minutes not confirmed by any source found. Full lineups, benches and coaches were subsequently confirmed via Rugby League Project.

Scorers

Halifax	Tries: Wilf George; Seamus McCallion; Graham Eadie Goals: Colin Whitfield (3 goals) Drop goals: John Pendlebury
St Helens	Tries: Mark Elia; Paul Loughlin; Paul Round Goals: Paul Loughlin (3 goals)

Teams

Halifax			St Helens
1	Graham Eadie	Fullback	Phil Veivers	1
2	Scott Wilson	Wing	Barry Ledger	2
3	Colin Whitfield	Centre	Paul Loughlin	3
4	Grant Rix	Centre	Mark Elia	4
5	Wilf George	Wing	Kevin McCormack	5
6	Chris Anderson	Five-eighth (c)	Brett Clark	6
7	Gary Stephens	Halfback	Neil Holding	7
8	Graham Beevers	Front row	Tony Burke	8
9	Seamus McCallion	Hooker	Graham Liptrot	9
10	Keith Neller	Front row	John Fieldhouse	10
11	Paul Dixon	Second row	Andy Platt	11
12	Mick Scott	Second row	Roy Haggerty	12
13	John Pendlebury	Lock	Chris Arkwright	13
Substitutes
14	Brian Juliff		Paul Round	14
15	Neil James

Chris Anderson		Coach	Alex Murphy

Match officials

Referee	John Holdsworth (Kippax)
Lance Todd Trophy	Graham Eadie (Halifax) — Lance Todd Trophy

Match report

Halifax, reigning league champions, defended their Challenge Cup crown in a dramatic Wembley finish against St Helens. Halifax built what looked a decisive 18-8 lead, and John Pendlebury's drop goal stretched it further to 19-12, but St Helens fought back through Paul Round's try to close within a single point at 19-18. In the closing stages Mark Elia nearly snatched a shock win for Saints, only for Pendlebury to produce a match-saving tackle to knock the ball clear and preserve Halifax's title defense — their fifth Challenge Cup win overall. Fullback Graham Eadie, who scored a try in the win, was named Lance Todd Trophy winner. For much of the competition's early history the final rotated around northern club and representative grounds such as Headingley, Fartown, Central Park and the Athletic Ground, Rochdale, before Wembley Stadium became the final's permanent home from 1928/29 onward (with a short break during Wembley's 2000-2007 reconstruction, when finals were staged at Murrayfield, Twickenham and the Millennium Stadium instead). Since 1946/47, the competition's individual award, the Lance Todd Trophy, has been presented to the final's outstanding player, voted for by a panel of media representatives at the final whistle — on several notable occasions the trophy has gone to a player on the losing side, an unusual honour that reflects the award's focus on individual performance rather than simply reflecting the final scoreline. This was the 86th Challenge Cup final played, and, under the name “Halifax,” the 5th Challenge Cup title for the club.

Round by round

Jump to round:

Preliminary Round

Result	Venue	Attendance	Date
Castleford 74–6 Blackbrook	Headingley	—	1987-01-17
Wigan 68–0 Workington	Central Park	12046	1987-01-18
Hunslet 13–0 York	Elland Road	1351	1987-01-18
Heworth 10–6 Elland	Thrum Hall	—	1987-01-21
St Helens 18–16 Swinton	Knowsley Road	4455	1987-01-21
Kells 4–4 Fulham	Recreation Ground (Whitehaven)	2310	1987-01-22
Fulham 22–14 Kells	Polytechnic Of Central London Stadium	370	1987-01-27

Round 1

Result	Venue	Attendance	Date
Widnes 24–16 Castleford	Wheldon Road	4416	1987-01-31
Halifax 38–10 Fulham	Polytechnic Of Central London Stadium	1575	1987-02-01
Leeds 4–0 Salford	The Willows	4534	1987-02-01
Bradford 21–17 Warrington	Wilderspool	5148	1987-02-01
Barrow 54–2 Batley	Craven Park (Barrow)	1708	1987-02-03
Hull KR 29–14 Doncaster	Craven Park (Hull, Old)	3826	1987-02-03
Hull 10–2 Bramley	McLaren Field	1561	1987-02-04
Hunslet 26–12 Featherstone	Post Office Road	2537	1987-02-04
Oldham 10–8 Wigan	The Watersheddings	11906	1987-02-04
Rochdale Hornets 4–4 Carlisle	Athletic Ground (Rochdale)	746	1987-02-04
Leigh 25–6 Runcorn	Canal Street	964	1987-02-04
St Helens 48–12 Dewsbury	Crown Flatt (Old)	1998	1987-02-05
Mansfield 14–7 Heworth	Alfreton Sports Stadium	701	1987-02-05
Keighley 8–6 Sheffield	Owlerton Stadium	375	1987-02-05
Whitehaven 32–10 Huddersfield	Arena 84	859	1987-02-08
Wakefield 15–10 Blackpool	Bloomfield Road	823	1987-02-10
Carlisle 30–22 Rochdale Hornets	Brunton Park	788	1987-02-11

Round 2

Result	Venue	Attendance	Date
St Helens 24–14 Oldham	The Watersheddings	7699	1987-02-14
Bradford 6–6 Widnes	Odsal Stadium	7318	1987-02-15
Halifax 29–10 Hunslet	Thrum Hall	6112	1987-02-15
Hull KR 42–4 Keighley	Craven Park (Hull, Old)	4543	1987-02-15
Leeds 26–7 Barrow	Headingley	7849	1987-02-15
Leigh 18–6 Carlisle	Hilton Park	3062	1987-02-15
Hull 38–7 Mansfield	Alfreton Sports Stadium	1579	1987-02-15
Whitehaven 25–2 Wakefield	Belle Vue (Wakefield)	2779	1987-02-15
Widnes 29–12 Bradford	Naughton Park	11118	1987-02-18

Round 3

Result	Venue	Attendance	Date
Halifax 35–7 Hull KR	Thrum Hall	7052	1987-02-28
Leigh 12–8 Hull	The Boulevard	7329	1987-03-01
Widnes 14–7 Leeds	Headingley	14791	1987-03-01
St Helens 41–12 Whitehaven	Knowsley Road	10788	1987-03-01

Semi Final

Result	Venue	Attendance	Date
St Helens 14–8 Leigh	Central Park	13105	1987-03-14
Halifax 12–8 Widnes	Headingley	16064	1987-03-28

Final

Result	Venue	Attendance	Date
Halifax 19–18 St Helens	Wembley Stadium (Old), London	91267	1987-05-02

Early rounds feature amateur and community clubs alongside professional ones; team names are linked only where this site has a team page for that exact club, matching the same safety-first approach used for the Final's own results table.

Sources

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