A TROPHY won by Warrington Wolves in the 1970s and was 'whereabouts unknown' has been found with the help of a Warrington Guardian appeal.

Astonishingly, the League Leaders' Rose Bowl – defunct for its original purpose after being presented to The Wire in 1972/73 – is not only in fine order but is the coveted prize in another competition.

Lifelong Wire fan Neil Ormston, who has joined forces with the Guardian to seek out four 'missing' pieces of silverware, received a tip after the trophy appeal was seen on Facebook.

Neil, who runs the club's heritage website (warringtonrugbyheritage.com) and organises the activities of the Rugby League Record Keepers’ Club (rugbyleaguerecords.com), followed a trail to discover the item of historic treasure is currently presented annually to the champions of RFL League 1.

Amazingly, the connection had not been made or had been lost over time that the League 1 prize currently held by Whitehaven as the 2019 winners was the same one as handed to teams that finished top of the Rugby League Championship pre-1973.

"It was pretty much under our nose," said Neil.

The hot tip, along with Neil's further exploration, revealed that the bowl was used as the sport's second-tier winners' trophy up to 2008, and has been with the third tier – League 1 – since 2009.

Warrington Guardian:

Wire with the League Leaders' Rose Bowl in 1973 and, below, being presented with it in this rare cine film footage courtesy of Cecil and Mike Waller:

Warrington Guardian:

Current Warrington assistant coach Andrew Henderson as skipper of the Championship winning Castleford side lifts the rose bowl in 2007, above and below. Pictures: SWPix.com

Warrington Guardian:

Warrington Guardian:

York City Knights with the rose bowl in 2018, above and below. Pictures: SWpix.com

Warrington Guardian:

Warrington Guardian:

Toronto Wolfpack with the rose bowl in 2017, above and below. Pictures: SWpix.com

Warrington Guardian:

Warrington Guardian:

Hunslet with the rose bowl in 2014, above and below. Pictures: SWpix.com

Warrington Guardian:

Warrington Guardian:

Salford winning at The Halliwell Jones Stadium, above and below, in 2008. Pictures: SWpix.com

Warrington Guardian:

Warrington Guardian:

The rose bowl on display on awards night. Picture: SWpix.com

Warrington Guardian:

Former Wire half-back Martin Crompton lifts the rose bowl for Northern Ford Premiership winners Widnes Vikings in 2001. Picture: SWpix.com


Alex Murphy's Wire side won the League Leaders' Rose Bowl in 1972/1973 but the play-offs determined the champions. A restructure from the following season meant that the team finishing top would be crowned champions and therefore a new trophy replaced the rose bowl.

Locating this trophy raises optimism for finding others, especially after Neil's success last year, too, when he tracked down the trophy from Warrington’s first ever cup success – the West Lancashire & Border Towns Challenge Cup.

Now, the search continues for two items of silverware won by The Wire in one-off competitions in the 1973/74 season – the Club Championship and the Captain Morgan Trophy.

In what was the first season of a return to two divisions, the Club Championship was played in place of the play-offs but this was to be replaced the following campaign by the Premiership Trophy.

The Captain Morgan Trophy was contested as a separate competition by sides who won their first-round ties in the county cup competitions.

A third trophy that remains 'whereabouts unknown' and secured several times by The Wire prior to World War one is the South West Lancashire League Trophy.

If you have any leads on where the trophies may be, contact Neil at neil.ormston@gmail.com or Guardian sports editor Mike Parsons at mike.parsons@nqnw.co.uk. All information will be treated confidentially.