The Player
Lance Todd was a Rugby League player, who arrived in Britain with the New Zealand tourists in 1907. He was signed by Wigan during the tour, and he became an outstanding centre, making 185 appearances for the club.
Sharing in Wigan’s inaugural Championship success in 1908/09, he was also a member of the first Wigan Challenge Cup Final line-up, which they lost to Broughton Rangers in 1911.
During November 1910, he played twice for Lancashire, when his aggregate of two tries and two goals helped seal the county title. In 1914, he transferred, unexpectedly, to Dewsbury for a fee of £400 – a huge fee at the time. In 1928 he became the team manager at Salford, achieving almost legendary status. During the 1930s Salford won three League Championships, five Lancashire League Championships, four Lancashire Cups and the Rugby League Challenge Cup.
Lance Todd died in a road accident in 1942.
For his work as a manager, and later as a radio commentator, his name lives on through the annual award of the Lance Todd Trophy, which is presented to the outstanding player in the Challenge Cup Final. The first winner of the trophy was Wakefield Trinity Centre, Billy Stott in 1946.
The Trophy
The Lance Todd Trophy is presented to the Man of the Match at the Challenge Cup Final. The winner is selected by the members of the Rugby League Writer’s Association present at the game and he is presented with the trophy at a celebratory dinner at The Willows, home of the Salford City Reds.
The Trophy belongs to the Red Devils Association, the official body representing ex-Salford players, and it has been awarded to the Man of the Match at Challenge Cup Finals since 1946.
The trophy was the idea of Harry Sunderland (a former Australian Tour manager) who, along with Robert Anderton J.P. (a Warrington director) and John Bapty (of the Yorkshire Evening Post) was a trustee of the fund raised in 1945. The annual replicas are provided by the Red Devils’ Association (the organisation of past and present members of Salford City Reds) and the presentations are made each year at the Red Devils’ Annual Dinner.
The Man of the Match does not always come from the winning team. Bradford Northern’s Frank Whitcombe was the first Lance Todd Trophy winner from a losing team in 1948, while the same fate also befell Hull’s Tommy Harris (1960), Hunslet’s Brian Gabbitas (as a joint winner in 1965) and Bradford Bulls’ Robbie Paul (1996). In Leeds Rhinos’ last two losing Final appearances in 2003 and 2005, Gary Connolly and Kevin Sinfield respectively have won the Lance Todd Trophy.
Whitcombe is also the oldest winner while Peter Ramsden is the youngest, scoring two tries on his 19th birthday to help Huddersfield claim the Challenge Cup in 1953.
Winners Of The Lance Todd Trophy
2023 – Lachlan Lam – Leigh
2022 – Chris McQueen – Huddersfield
2021 – Niall Evans – Castleford
2020 – Richard Myler – Leeds
2019 – Daryl Clark – Warrington
2018 – Tony Gigot – Catalan Dragons
2017 – Marc Sneyd – Hull FC
2016 – Marc Sneyd – Hull FC
2015 – Tom Briscoe – Leeds
2014 – Ryan Hall – Leeds
2013 – Matty Smith – Wigan
2012 – Brett Hodgson – Warrington Wolves
2011 – Jeff Lima – Wigan
2010 – Lee Briers – Warrington
2009 – Michael Monaghan – Warrington
2008 – Paul Wellens – St Helens
2007 – Paul Wellens and Leon Pryce – St Helens
2006 – Sean Long – St Helens
2005 – Kevin Sinfield – Leeds
2004 – Sean Long – St Helens
2003 – Gary Connolly – Leeds
2002 – Kris Radlinski – Wigan
2001 – Sean Long – St Helens
2000 – Henry Paul – Bradford
1999 – Leroy Rivett – Leeds
1998 – Mark Aston – Sheffield
1997 – Tommy Martyn – St Helens
1996 – Robbie Paul – Bradford
1995 – Jason Robinson – Wigan
1994 – Martin Offiah – Wigan
1993 – Dean Bell – Wigan
1992 – Martin Offiah – Wigan
1991 – Dennis Betts – Wigan
1990 – Andy Gregory – Wigan
1989 – Ellery Hanley – Wigan
1988 – Andy Gregory – Wigan
1987 – Graham Eadie – Halifax
1986 – Bob Beardsmore – Castleford
1985 – Brett Kenny – Wigan
1984 – Joe Lydon – Widnes
1983 – David Hobbs – Featherstone
1982 – Eddie Cunningham – Widnes
1981 – Mick Burke – Widnes
1980 – Brian Lockwood – Hull KR
1979 – Dave Topliss – Wakefield
1978 – George Nicholls – St Helens
1977 – Stephen Pitchford – Leeds
1976 – Geoff Pimblett – St Helens
1975 – Ray Dutton – Widnes
1974 – Derek Whitehead – Warrington
1973 – Steve Nash – Featherstone
1972 – Kel Coslett – St Helens
1971 – Alex Murphy – Leigh
1970 – Bill Kirkbride – Castleford
1969 – Malcolm Reilly – Castleford
1968 – Don Fox – Wakefield
1967 – Carl Dooler – Featherstone
1966 – Len Killeen – St Helens
1965 – Ray Ashby/Brian Gabbitas – Wigan/Hunslet
1964 – Frank Collier – Widnes
1963 – Harold Poynton – Wakefield
1962 – Neil Fox – Wakefield
1961 – Dick Huddart – St Helens
1960 – Tommy Harris – Hull
1959 – Brian McTigue – Wigan
1958 – Rees Thomas – Wigan
1957 – Jeff Stevenson – Leeds
1956 – Alan Prescott – St Helens
1955 – Jack Grundy – Barrow
1954 – Gerry Helme – Warrington
1953 – Peter Ramsden – Huddersfield
1952 – Billy Ivison – Workington Town
1951 – Cec Mountford – Wigan
1950 – Gerry Helme – Warrington
1949 – Ernest Ward – Bradford Northern
1948 – Frank Whitcombe – Bradford Northern
1947 – Willie Davies – Bradford Northern
1946 – Billy Stott – Wakefield
References
http://www.rlhalloffame.org.uk/
Http://www.wikipedia.org/