History

1954: Cessnock beat a short-handed Maitland, and no grand final was needed

Cessnock won the 1954 premiership by beating Maitland 15-13 in the final before a record 12,373, completing a senior double.

By Craig Dunstan · First published 3 October 2026

Cessnock won the 1954 Newcastle Rugby League premiership on Saturday 18 September, beating Maitland 15-13 in the final at the Newcastle Sports Ground.

There was no grand final. Cessnock were minor premiers, having won a play-off against Maitland after the two finished level on points, so winning the final settled the title. The week before, Cessnock’s reserve grade had beaten Northern Suburbs in their final, and the Newcastle Morning Herald called it “a clean sweep of Newcastle Rugby League senior trophies and competitions”.

Maitland without four

Maitland went in without four regular first graders, among them captain-coach Frank Stanmore. Noel Pidding moved from fullback to five-eighth and took the captaincy. The Maitland Mercury thought the patched-up side “could easily have won the game”, and it led 5-0 inside four minutes, from a Pidding penalty goal and a try to winger Don Adams.

Cessnock levelled almost at once: Don Schofield broke clear and kicked ahead, and Wynn Pryor won the bounce to score. Maitland led 10-9 late in the half before Lester Batey cut through to score under the posts, and Cessnock went to the break 12-10 ahead. Adams’ second try put Maitland back in front at 13-12, and with about ten minutes left Batey scored again to win it.

Each side scored three tries. The difference was the goals: Dave Parkinson kicked three for Cessnock and Pidding two for Maitland, though the Herald and the Cessnock Eagle both noted that Parkinson missed three easy shots. Gavin “Gabby” Stevenson was hurt early, the Eagle reporting a probable fracture of two ribs, and went back on after treatment to play the match out.

A record crowd

The Herald and the Eagle gave the same crowd: a record 12,373, paying £1,252 at the gate.

Parkinson’s three goals took his season to 184 points from 18 games, which the Eagle reported as a club record, beating the 167 Ray Griffin scored in 1932.

How the 15 was scored

The Herald and the Eagle both report the score as 15-13, and their accounts add up: three tries at three points each, plus Parkinson’s three goals, against three tries and Pidding’s two.

The Herald noted that Cessnock had last won the senior double in 1950. They won the premiership again in 1955.

Craig Dunstan is the pen name of the editor of Cessnock Rugby League. Every fact in this story comes from the sources listed above.