1996–97 Pilkington Cup
The 1996-1997 Pilkington Cup was the twenty-sixth edition of England's premier rugby union club competition. Leicester won the competition defeating Sale in the final.[1] The event was sponsored by Pilkington and the final was held at Twickenham Stadium.[2]
Draw and Results
First Round (Sep 14)
| Team One |
Team Two |
Score |
| Barking | Barnstaple | 18-31 |
| Birmingham & Solihull | Old Halesonians | 37-8 |
| Bishop Stortford | Bicester | 13-26 |
| Bradford & Bingley | Aspatria | 13-26 |
| Bridgwater & Albion | Newbury | 22-46 |
| Bridlington | Nuneaton | 23-16 |
| Camberley | Plymouth | 24-24* |
| Camp Hill | Wigton | 17-35 |
| Charlton Park | Askeans | 11-28 |
| Derby | Blaydon | 12-13 |
| Esher | Ruislip | 20-3 |
| Gosport & Fareham | Weston-Super-Mare | 12-19 |
| Haywards Heath | Beckenham | 31-10 |
| Henley | Westcombe Park | 84-10 |
| Launceston | Cheltenham | 25-37 |
| Lichfield | Winnington Park | 19-21 |
| Longton | Sheffield | 16-26 |
| Manchester | Scunthorpe | 37-10 |
| Marlow | Norwich | 0-6 |
| Metropolitan Police | Sutton & Epsom | 47-18 |
| New Brighton | Hereford | 29-13 |
| North Walsham | Gloucester Old Boys | 17-18 |
| Preston Grasshoppers | Stoke-on-Trent | 28-10 |
| Southend | High Wycombe | 24-41 |
| Staines | Gloucester Saras | 27-20 |
| Stourbridge | Kendal | 17-28 |
| Sutton Coldfield | Sandal | 15-22 |
| Swanage & Wareham | Berry Hill | 41-8 |
| Tabard | Bracknell | 19-30 |
| Westleigh | Tynedale | 19-20 |
| Widnes | Ampthill | 30-17 |
| Worcester | Vale of Lune | 59-8 |
Second Round (Oct 12)
| Team One |
Team Two |
Score |
| Askeans | Swanage & Wareham | 18-21 |
| Barnstaple | Plymouth | 27-14 |
| Bishop Stortford | Metropolitan Police | 22-22* |
| Bridlington | Blaydon | 15-7 |
| Cheltenham | Worcester | 30-22 |
| Gloucester Old Boys | Newbury | 13-26 |
| Haywards Heath | Bracknell | 24-58 |
| Manchester | Wigton | 19-31 |
| New Brighton | Preston Grasshoppers | 12-24 |
| Norwich | Esher | 12-38 |
| Sandal | Tynedale | 16-9 |
| Sheffield | Kendal | 29-31 |
| Staines | Henley | 20-31 |
| Weston-Super-Mare | High Wycombe | 23-6 |
| Widnes | Birmingham & Solihull | 19-9 |
| Winnington Park | Aspatria | 19-46 |
Progressed to next round by virtue of scoring more tries*
Third Round (Nov 2)
| Team One |
Team Two |
Score |
| Bridlington | Wigton | 22-30 |
| Cheltenham | Henley | 23-19 |
| Esher | Bracknell | 26-15 |
| Exeter | Barnstaple | 32-3 |
| Leeds | Redruth | 96-6 |
| Liverpool St Helens | Walsall | 30-20 |
| London Welsh | Reading | 11-16 |
| Morley | Aspatria | 30-26 |
| Newbury | Clifton | 58-12 |
| Otley | Wharfedale | 34-27 |
| Preston Grasshoppers | Fylde | 24-12 |
| Rosslyn Park | Havant | 27-15 |
| Sandal | Kendal | 20-32 |
| Swanage & Wareham | Lydney | 9-26 |
| Weston-super-Mare | Bishop Stortford | 23-11 |
| Widnes | Harrogate | 12-7 |
Fourth Round (Dec 21 & 22)
| Team One |
Team Two |
Score |
| Bath | London Irish | 33-0 |
| Bristol | Blackheath | 60-17 |
| Coventry | Kendal | 79-17 |
| Gloucester | Leeds | 55-20 |
| Harlequins | Cheltenham | 47-11 |
| Leicester | Newbury | 26-21 |
| Moseley | Wigton | 49-6 |
| Newcastle | West Hartlepool | 51-10 |
| Nottingham | London Scottish | 11-25 |
| Orrell | Bedford | 34-31 |
| Preston Grasshoppers | Northampton | 11-40 |
| Reading | Saracens | 3-41 |
| Rotherham | Rosslyn Park | 41-26 |
| Sale | Richmond | 34-30 |
| Wakefield | Waterloo | 22-17 |
| Wasps | Rugby | 84-8 |
Fifth Round (Jan 25 & 26)
| Team One |
Team Two |
Score |
| Bath | Leicester | 28-39 |
| Gloucester | Bristol | 18-12 |
| London Scottish | Newcastle | 15-39 |
| Northampton | Coventry | 26-17 |
| Orrell | Sale | 0-57 |
| Rotherham | Harlequins | 23-42 |
| Saracens | Wasps | 21-17 |
| Wakefield | Moseley | 24-14 |
Quarter Finals (Feb 22)
| Team One |
Team Two |
Score |
| Harlequins | Saracens | 28-21 |
| Newcastle | Leicester | 8-18 |
| Northampton | Sale | 9-22 |
| Wakefield | Gloucester | 21-25 |
Semi Finals (Mar 29)
| Team One |
Team Two |
Score |
| Gloucester | Leicester | 13-26 |
| Sale | Harlequins | 26-16 |
Final
References