St Helens 32-22 Bradford Bulls — 1997 Challenge Cup Final
Wembley Stadium, London · Attendance: 78,022
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
1997 Challenge Cup Final: St Helens 32-22 Bradford Bulls, at Wembley Stadium, London.
Sourcing caveat: Individual try scorers, minutes, and goal-kicker names/tallies for either team could not be confirmed from accessible sources. Lineups added via Rugby League Project team-sheet data; both teams returned non-sequential, individualised shirt numbers with no bench-number collisions, indicating genuine squad numbers rather than the position-order rendering seen on some other seasons' pages.
Scorers
| St Helens | No scorers recorded. |
| Bradford Bulls | No scorers recorded. |
Teams
| St Helens | Bradford Bulls | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Prescott | Fullback | Stuart Spruce | 28 |
| 14 | Danny Arnold | Wing | Abi Ekoku | 4 |
| 18 | Andy Haigh | Centre | Danny Peacock | 6 |
| 4 | Paul Newlove | Centre | Paul Loughlin | 24 |
| 5 | Anthony Sullivan | Wing | Paul Cook | 7 |
| 20 | Tommy Martyn | Five-eighth | Graeme Bradley | 3 |
| 7 | Bobbie Goulding | Halfback | Robbie Hunter-Paul | 1 |
| 8 | Apollo Perelini | Front row | Brian McDermott | 22 |
| 9 | Keiron Cunningham | Hooker | James Lowes | 25 |
| 15 | Julian O'Neill | Front row | Tahi Reihana | 27 |
| 11 | Chris Joynt | Second row | Sonny Nickle | 13 |
| 16 | Derek McVey | Second row | Bernard Dwyer | 23 |
| 6 | Karle Hammond | Lock | Steve McNamara | 26 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 10 | Ian Pickavance | Paul Medley | 12 | |
| 22 | Vila Mata'utia | Matt Calland | 20 | |
| 23 | Andy Northey | Glen Tomlinson | 2 | |
| 24 | Chris Morley | Simon Knox | 18 | |
| Shaun McRae | Coach | Matthew Elliott | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Stuart Cummings (Widnes) |
| Lance Todd Trophy | Tommy Martyn (St Helens) — Lance Todd Trophy |
Match report
St Helens retained the Challenge Cup in 1997, beating Bradford Bulls 32-22 at Wembley in a repeat of the 1996 final, a year after their record comeback win over the same opponents. Tommy Martyn was named Lance Todd Trophy winner as man of the match, underlining St Helens' dominance of English rugby league in the mid-to-late 1990s. The match confirmed St Helens as the pre-eminent cup side of the early Super League era, having now beaten Bradford in consecutive finals. Since Super League's 1996 launch, the Challenge Cup has continued to sit alongside the league championship as one of English rugby league's two most prestigious domestic honours, with the final remaining a fixture at Wembley Stadium (barring occasional relocations) and continuing to draw some of the largest single-match crowds anywhere in the sport. 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 96th Challenge Cup final played, and, under the name “St Helens,” the 7th Challenge Cup title for the club. The result is recorded in this site's full results table alongside every other Challenge Cup final played since the competition's 1896/97 inception, cross-referenced against the venue and attendance figures gathered for that table. As with all of this site's rugby league match reports, any statistic that couldn't be confirmed from an accessible source — a scorer's name, an exact minute, a goal-kicking split — has been left out entirely rather than estimated, in line with the sourcing standard applied across the Challenge Cup, World Cup, World Club Challenge and domestic finals coverage on this site.
Round by round
Round 1
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Askam 18–23 Thatto Heath | Fallowfield Park | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Barrow Island 18–8 Waterhead | Ostley Bank | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Beverley 18–12 Embassy | Boulevard | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Blackbrook 26–20 Kells | Blackbrook | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Blackpool 4–34 Haydock | Jepson Way | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Dudley Hill 44–6 Park Amateurs | Neil Hunt Ground | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Dewsbury Moor 16–0 Upton & Frickley | — | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| East Leeds 29–20 Kingston Comm | Easy Road | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Eastmoor 26–0 Worth Village | King George's | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Egremont 32–14 Folly Lane | Recreation Ground | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Featherstone Amateurs 10–15 West Bowling | — | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Hemel 12–26 Leeds University | Pennine Way | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Heworth 24–8 Old Boys | Elm Park Way | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Hull Dockers 32–5 Bisons | Willows Sports | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Leigh East 12–14 Keighley Albion | — | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Leigh Miners Rangers 23–16 Farnworth | — | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Lock Lane 15–6 Stanningley | Lock Lane Sports | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Milford 20–34 Norland | Beckett Park | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Normanton 8–8 Clayton | Belle Vue | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Oldham St Annes 12–16 Siddal | Higginshaw Road | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Oulton 26–4 Ideal ABI | Raider Park | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Ovenden 26–14 Hensingham | Four Fields | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Redhill 33–12 London Colonials | — | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Skirlaugh 21–10 Queens | — | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Thornhill 40–14 New Earswick | — | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Walney 34–10 Westfield Hotel | — | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| West Hull 34–9 East Hull | — | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Wigan St Patricks 27–4 Simms Cross | Clarington | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Woolston Rovers 82–4 Gateshead Panthers | — | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| York Acorn 22–12 Fryston | — | — | 21 Dec 1996 |
| Shaw Cross 2–15 BRK | — | — | 28 Dec 1996 |
| Mayfield 14–12 Eccles | Mayfield Sports | — | 12 Jan 1997 |
| Saddleworth Rangers 36–0 Ellenborough | Bank Road | — | 15 Jan 1997 |
| Clayton 26–6 Normanton | — | — | 04 Jan 1997 |
| Wigan St Judes 14–24 Wigan Rose Bridge | Parsons Meadow | — | 09 Jan 1997 |
Round 2
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton 16–2 Saddleworth Rangers | — | — | 11 Jan 1997 |
| Hull Dockers 28–0 Eastmoor | Willows Sports | — | 11 Jan 1997 |
| Leeds University 24–26 Thatto Heath | Weetwood | — | 11 Jan 1997 |
| Lock Lane 18–10 Heworth | Lock Lane Sports | — | 11 Jan 1997 |
| Milford 12–13 East Leeds | Beckett Park | — | 11 Jan 1997 |
| Moldgreen 12–6 Thornhill | Ridgeway | — | 11 Jan 1997 |
| Oulton 14–10 West Bowling | Raider Park | — | 11 Jan 1997 |
| Ovenden 18–16 Barrow Island | Four Fields | — | 11 Jan 1997 |
| Redhill 24–17 Wigan Rose Bridge | — | — | 11 Jan 1997 |
| Siddal 36–0 Beverley | — | — | 11 Jan 1997 |
| Skirlaugh 34–12 Leigh Miners Rangers | — | — | 11 Jan 1997 |
| Walney 17–10 Millom | — | — | 11 Jan 1997 |
| West Hull 32–0 Haydock | — | — | 11 Jan 1997 |
| Wigan St Patricks 36–18 Blackbrook | Clarington | — | 11 Jan 1997 |
| Woolston Rovers 26–6 Keighley Albion | — | — | 11 Jan 1997 |
| Dudley Hill 40–2 Dewsbury Moor | Neil Hunt Ground | — | 14 Jan 1997 |
| BRK 39–6 Egremont | Gildersome | — | 18 Jan 1997 |
| York Acorn 7–20 Mayfield | — | — | 18 Jan 1997 |
Round 3
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dewsbury 44–18 West Hull | Crown Flatt | 947 | 24 Jan 1997 |
| Lancashire Lynx 24–4 Hull Dockers | Victory Park | 195 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Barrow 16–8 Siddal | Craven Park | 937 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Batley 48–12 Prescot Panthers | Mount Pleasant | 630 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Carlisle 34–8 BRK | Gillford Park | 452 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Doncaster 15–14 Oulton | Tattersfield | 1115 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Featherstone Rovers 48–14 Moldgreen | Post Office Road | 1526 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Huddersfield 82–0 East Leeds | Alfred McAlpine Stadium | 1819 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Hull KR 44–4 Mayfield | Craven Park | 1386 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Hull 42–0 Lock Lane | Boulevard | 1994 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Hunslet 54–6 Woolston Rovers | John Charles Stadium | 644 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Keighley Cougars 62–4 Redhill | Cougar Park | 1768 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Leigh 68–10 Wigan St Patricks | Hilton Park | 2033 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Rochdale Hornets 30–6 Walney | Spotland | 550 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Swinton 46–0 Bramley | Gigg Lane | 740 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Wakefield Trinity 52–0 Ovenden | Belle Vue | 1364 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Whitehaven 12–6 Skirlaugh | Recreation Ground | 875 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Widnes 56–2 Clayton | Naughton Park | 2296 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| Workington Town 86–0 Thatto Heath | Derwent Park | 1228 | 26 Jan 1997 |
| York 14–21 Dudley Hill | South Ryedale | 647 | 26 Jan 1997 |
Round 4
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dewsbury 26–15 Doncaster | Crown Flatt | 1047 | 07 Feb 1997 |
| Carlisle 62–2 Dudley Hill | Gillford Park | 523 | 09 Feb 1997 |
| Batley 4–38 Paris Saint-Germain | Mount Pleasant | 1252 | 09 Feb 1997 |
| Castleford 18–36 Salford | Wheldon Road | 5935 | 09 Feb 1997 |
| Featherstone Rovers 14–12 Widnes | Post Office Road | 3003 | 09 Feb 1997 |
| Huddersfield 16–16 Hull | Alfred McAlpine Stadium | 4122 | 09 Feb 1997 |
| Hull KR 16–20 Halifax | Craven Park | 4611 | 09 Feb 1997 |
| Hunslet 10–62 Bradford Bulls | Elland Road | 6102 | 09 Feb 1997 |
| Lancashire Lynx 5–48 London Broncos | Deepdale | 713 | 09 Feb 1997 |
| Leigh 18–62 Sheffield Eagles | Hilton Park | 2030 | 09 Feb 1997 |
| Oldham 48–6 Rochdale Hornets | Boundary Park | 3471 | 09 Feb 1997 |
| Wakefield Trinity 9–4 Swinton | Belle Vue | 2027 | 09 Feb 1997 |
| Warrington 66–6 Barrow | Wilderspool | 3328 | 09 Feb 1997 |
| Whitehaven 8–48 Leeds Rhinos | Recreation Ground | 2321 | 09 Feb 1997 |
| Workington Town 14–24 Keighley Cougars | Derwent Park | 3057 | 09 Feb 1997 |
| St Helens 26–12 Wigan Warriors | Knowsley Road | 12262 | 08 Feb 1997 |
| Hull 24–14 Huddersfield | Boulevard | 3464 | 12 Feb 1997 |
Round 5
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Broncos 12–34 Bradford Bulls | The Stoop | 6102 | 22 Feb 1997 |
| Carlisle 20–32 Featherstone Rovers | Gillford Park | 1062 | 23 Feb 1997 |
| Halifax 8–21 Keighley Cougars | Thrum Hall | 7421 | 23 Feb 1997 |
| Leeds Rhinos 48–22 Dewsbury | Headingley | 6775 | 23 Feb 1997 |
| St Helens 54–8 Hull | Knowsley Road | 10251 | 23 Feb 1997 |
| Salford 8–4 Paris Saint-Germain | The Willows | 5275 | 23 Feb 1997 |
| Wakefield Trinity 14–22 Oldham | Belle Vue | 3655 | 23 Feb 1997 |
| Warrington 31–18 Sheffield Eagles | Wilderspool | 5438 | 23 Feb 1997 |
Quarter-Final
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrington 10–29 Salford | Wilderspool | 6218 | 08 Mar 1997 |
| Keighley Cougars 0–24 St Helens | Cougar Park | 7845 | 09 Mar 1997 |
| Leeds Rhinos 32–12 Featherstone Rovers | Headingley | 9579 | 09 Mar 1997 |
| Oldham 12–38 Bradford Bulls | Boundary Park | 11284 | 09 Mar 1997 |
Semi-Final
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Helens 50–20 Salford | Central Park | 12580 | 22 Mar 1997 |
| Bradford Bulls 24–10 Leeds Rhinos | Alfred McAlpine Stadium | 18193 | 29 Mar 1997 |
Final
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Helens 32–22 Bradford Bulls | Wembley Stadium | 78022 | 03 May 1997 |
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.