Wigan Warriors 21-12 St Helens — 2002 Challenge Cup Final
Murrayfield, Edinburgh · Attendance: 62,140
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
2002 Challenge Cup Final: Wigan Warriors 21-12 St Helens, at Murrayfield, Edinburgh.
Sourcing caveat: Try-scoring minutes, St Helens' goal-kicker, and Wigan's full individual try-scorer list could not be confirmed and are omitted. Note that team1 here is St Helens (the beaten finalists — Darren Albert and Martin Gleeson, the scorers already listed above, were their players) and team2 is Wigan Warriors, the winners; this is the reverse of the team1-is-winner convention used elsewhere in this file, kept as originally recorded to match the existing tries/goals fields. Lineups added via Rugby League Project team-sheet data and independently cross-checked against the equivalent lineup table on the "2002 Challenge Cup" Wikipedia page, which returned identical shirt numbers for every player in both squads.
Scorers
| Wigan Warriors | Tries: Darren Albert; Martin Gleeson |
| St Helens | Goals: Andy Farrell (4 goals) |
Teams
| Wigan Warriors | St Helens | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Wellens | Fullback | Kris Radlinski | 1 |
| 5 | Darren Albert | Wing | Brett Dallas | 2 |
| 3 | Martin Gleeson | Centre | Gary Connolly | 4 |
| 4 | Paul Newlove | Centre | Jamie Ainscough | 3 |
| 19 | Anthony Stewart | Wing | Paul Johnson | 15 |
| 20 | Tommy Martyn | Five-eighth | Julian O'Neill | 6 |
| 7 | Sean Long | Halfback | Adrian Lam | 7 |
| 8 | Darren Britt | Front row | Terry O'Connor | 8 |
| 9 | Keiron Cunningham | Hooker | Terry Newton | 9 |
| 12 | Peter Shiels | Front row | Craig Smith | 10 |
| 11 | Chris Joynt | Second row | Mick Cassidy | 11 |
| 15 | Tim Jonkers | Second row | David Furner | 12 |
| 13 | Paul Sculthorpe | Lock | Andy Farrell | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 10 | Barry Ward | Ricky Bibey | 21 | |
| 14 | John Stankevitch | David Hodgson | 14 | |
| 2 | Sean Hoppe | Mark Smith | 18 | |
| 17 | Mick Higham | Brian Carney | 5 | |
| Ian Millward | Coach | Stuart Raper | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Stuart Cummings (Widnes) |
| Lance Todd Trophy | Kris Radlinski (Wigan Warriors) — Lance Todd Trophy |
Match report
Played at Murrayfield for the second time in three years, the 2002 final saw Wigan Warriors beat reigning champions St Helens 21-12 to end a lean spell for the club, which had not won the Challenge Cup since the mid-1990s heyday of the old Wigan side. Full-back Kris Radlinski was outstanding and was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy, a highly popular result given Radlinski's long service to the club through a difficult period for Wigan. Andy Farrell, then Wigan's captain and goal-kicker, also contributed with the boot. The win was a significant marker of Wigan's revival as a Super League force after St Helens and Bradford Bulls had shared most of the trophies since 1996, and it denied St Helens a run of consecutive Challenge Cup wins. 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 101st Challenge Cup final played, and, under the name “Wigan Warriors,” the 1st Challenge Cup title for the club.
Round by round
Round 1
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normanton 22–11 Castleford Panthers | Three Lane Ends | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Wigan St Judes 28–24 Charleston | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Dewsbury Celtic 35–18 Cork | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Oulton 15–10 Crosfields | Hood Lane Recreation Ground | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Thornhill 22–10 East Leeds | Easy Road | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Eccles 20–10 Waterhead | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Leigh East 68–10 Edinburgh | Hawthornden | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Elland 8–6 Shaw Cross | Greetland All Rounders Ground | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Wath Brow Hornets 25–15 Hull Dockers | The Willows Sports & Social Club | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Hunslet Warriors 24–10 Sheffield Hills | Hunslet Green | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Heworth 19–8 Ideal Isberg | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Eastmoor 44–10 Keighley Albion | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Ellenborough 32–14 Leeds Met Uni | Beckett Park | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Milford 20–4 Walney | Beckett Park | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Millom 12–8 Ovenden | Coronation Field | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Oldham St Annes 44–12 Cottingham Phoenix | Higginshaw Road | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Featherstone Lions 16–10 RL Lionhearts | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Redhill 28–13 Dudley Hill | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| RAF 40–13 University of Wales Institute | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Farnworth 24–12 Royal Navy | Victory Stadium | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| British Army 15–6 Saddleworth | Shaw Hall Bank Road | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Simms Cross 11–10 Siddal | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Skirlaugh 44–10 Rochdale Mayfield | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Thatto Heath 10–6 Wigan Rose Bridge | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| West Bowling 20–18 Newcastle University | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| West Hull 28–8 Leigh Miners Rangers | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Lock Lane 30–10 Westgate Redoubt | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Wigan St Pats 58–22 Askam | Clarington Park | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| Woolston 28–15 Sharlston Rovers | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
| York Acorn 34–32 Dewsbury Moor | — | — | 1 Dec 2001 |
Round 2
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dewsbury Celtic 11–10 Featherstone Lions | — | — | 15 Dec 2001 |
| Farnworth 17–8 Eastmoor | King George's Field (Wakefield) | — | 15 Dec 2001 |
| Leigh East 48–10 RAF | — | — | 15 Dec 2001 |
| Lock Lane 18–2 Eccles | Lock Lane Sports Centre | — | 15 Dec 2001 |
| Milford 18–0 Millom | Beckett Park | — | 15 Dec 2001 |
| Ellenborough 16–6 Normanton | Belle Vue (Wakefield) | — | 15 Dec 2001 |
| Woolston 20–10 Oldham St Annes | Higginshaw Road | — | 15 Dec 2001 |
| Oulton 20–14 Hunslet Warriors | Raider Park | — | 15 Dec 2001 |
| Redhill 38–16 Thornhill | — | — | 15 Dec 2001 |
| Simms Cross 34–10 British Army | — | — | 15 Dec 2001 |
| Skirlaugh 20–8 Elland | — | — | 15 Dec 2001 |
| Wigan St Pats 26–12 West Bowling | — | — | 15 Dec 2001 |
| West Hull 36–4 Thatto Heath | — | — | 15 Dec 2001 |
| Wath Brow Hornets 37–12 Wigan St Judes | Parsons Meadow Playing Fields | — | 15 Dec 2001 |
| Heworth 16–14 York Acorn | — | — | 15 Dec 2001 |
Round 3
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheffield Eagles 34–12 Leigh East | Don Valley Stadium | 539 | 26 Jan 2002 |
| Barrow 28–5 Oulton | Craven Park (Barrow) | 711 | 27 Jan 2002 |
| Batley 34–4 Heworth | Mount Pleasant | 468 | 27 Jan 2002 |
| Chorley 10–2 Redhill | Victory Park | 269 | 27 Jan 2002 |
| Featherstone Rovers 23–7 Gateshead | Gateshead International Stadium | 483 | 27 Jan 2002 |
| Huddersfield 44–4 Wath Brow Hornets | Alfred McAlpine Stadium | 1479 | 27 Jan 2002 |
| St Gaudens 24–0 Keighley | Cougar Park | 1101 | 27 Jan 2002 |
| Doncaster 26–14 Lock Lane | The Jungle | 950 | 27 Jan 2002 |
| York 42–0 Milford | Headingley | 960 | 27 Jan 2002 |
| Oldham 38–4 West Hull | Boundary Park | 1131 | 27 Jan 2002 |
| Rochdale Hornets 44–28 Farnworth | Spotland Stadium | 626 | 27 Jan 2002 |
| Leigh 36–12 Simms Cross | Halton Stadium | 1301 | 27 Jan 2002 |
| Whitehaven 50–0 Dewsbury Celtic | Recreation Ground (Whitehaven) | 757 | 27 Jan 2002 |
| Dewsbury 28–4 Wigan St Pats | Clarington Park | 701 | 27 Jan 2002 |
| Hunslet 18–13 Woolston | Wilderspool | 678 | 27 Jan 2002 |
| Workington Town 38–12 Toulouse Olympique | Derwent Park | 954 | 27 Jan 2002 |
| Hull Kingston Rovers 38–6 Ellenborough | — | 596 | 30 Jan 2002 |
| Swinton 32–24 Skirlaugh | Gigg Lane | 206 | 30 Jan 2002 |
Round 4
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leeds 17–4 Bradford | Valley Parade | 11781 | 9 Feb 2002 |
| Wigan 34–10 Hull FC | JJB Stadium | 7415 | 9 Feb 2002 |
| Halifax 48–26 St Gaudens | Stade Jules Ribet | 3200 | 10 Feb 2002 |
| Warrington 10–0 Barrow | Craven Park (Barrow) | 2714 | 10 Feb 2002 |
| London 26–6 Batley | Mount Pleasant | 769 | 10 Feb 2002 |
| Castleford 19–6 Salford | The Jungle | 5394 | 10 Feb 2002 |
| UTC 20–6 Chorley | Victory Park | 374 | 10 Feb 2002 |
| Doncaster 30–10 Huddersfield | Belle Vue (Doncaster) | 1867 | 10 Feb 2002 |
| Hull Kingston Rovers 31–24 Featherstone Rovers | Lionheart Stadium | 2011 | 10 Feb 2002 |
| Workington Town 24–2 Hunslet | John Charles Centre for Sport | 491 | 10 Feb 2002 |
| St Helens 40–6 Oldham | Bower Fold | 4089 | 10 Feb 2002 |
| Leigh 24–20 Rochdale Hornets | Spotland Stadium | 2710 | 10 Feb 2002 |
| Wakefield Trinity 26–6 Sheffield Eagles | Don Valley Stadium | 1972 | 10 Feb 2002 |
| Widnes 54–0 Swinton | Gigg Lane | 1638 | 10 Feb 2002 |
| Whitehaven 16–8 Dewsbury | Recreation Ground (Whitehaven) | 938 | 10 Feb 2002 |
| Villeneuve 17–8 York | Huntington Stadium | 442 | 10 Feb 2002 |
Round 5
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leeds 44–4 Hull Kingston Rovers | Headingley | 11198 | 22 Feb 2002 |
| Wigan 72–6 UTC | Stade Aimé Giral | 8000 | 23 Feb 2002 |
| St Helens 36–14 Warrington | Wilderspool | 7401 | 23 Feb 2002 |
| Doncaster 24–16 Villeneuve | Belle Vue (Doncaster) | 1441 | 24 Feb 2002 |
| Leigh 26–23 Whitehaven | The Coliseum | 3110 | 24 Feb 2002 |
| Castleford 19–6 London | Griffin Park | 2436 | 24 Feb 2002 |
| Wakefield Trinity 12–4 Widnes | Halton Stadium | 3510 | 24 Feb 2002 |
| Halifax 32–12 Workington Town | Derwent Park | 2109 | 24 Feb 2002 |
Quarter-Final
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leeds 46–10 Wakefield Trinity | Headingley | 8963 | 16 Mar 2002 |
| Castleford 32–14 Doncaster | The Jungle | 6061 | 17 Mar 2002 |
| St Helens 26–20 Halifax | The Shay | 5159 | 17 Mar 2002 |
| Wigan 30–16 Leigh | The Coliseum | 9760 | 17 Mar 2002 |
Semi-Final
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wigan 20–10 Castleford | Headingley | 10380 | 13 Apr 2002 |
| St Helens 42–16 Leeds | JJB Stadium | 17475 | 14 Apr 2002 |
Final
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wigan Warriors 21–12 St Helens | Murrayfield | 62,140 | 27 Apr 2002 |
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.