The trophy, initially presented for the Halifax Intermediate League Championship, was presented in 1908 by league official Joe Nichol, a former Halifax player and joint owner of Nichol & Brown Sports shop in town.
In later years, this evolved into a top-four play off at the end of the season, with the final at Thrum Hall, the proceeds of which became the Halifax & District League’s chief source of revenue.
The Championship has gone through a whole series of formats and guises during its history. There is little information about the Championship in the 1960’s and 1970’s. It seems to come to life again with the sponsorship of Stansfield Transport Ltd, from 1984.
Nicholl Cup (THE HALIFAX JUNIOR FOOTBALL CUP Presented by JOE NICHOLL)
1907-8 Caddy Field (no play-offs?) Captain H. Burton
1908-9 Caddy Field (no play-offs?) Captain T. Longbottom
1909-10 Caddy Field (no play-offs?) Captain J. Tate
1910-11 Catherine Slack beat Elland Wanderers Captain E.W. Gledhill
1911-12 Rastrick beat Elland Wanderers Captain C. Ridsdale
1912-13 Rastrick beat Elland Wanderers Captain C. Ridsdale
1913-14 Todmorden beat Rastrick Captain J. Bouchen
1914-15 Wyke beat Elland Wanderers after extra-time
1915-16 Pineberry beat Elland Wanderers
1916-17 Halifax Intermediates beat Pineberry
1917-18 Siddal beat Pineberry
1918-19 Elland Wanderers beat Halifax “A” (Courier Cup instead of League)
1919-20 Halifax “A” beat Wyke
1920-1 Elland Wanderers v Rastrick
1921-2 Rastrick v Elland or Greetland (Rastrick had finished top)
1922-3 Possibly Calder Valley v Pineberry (top 2 in Nov)
1923-4 Calder Valley beat Elland by 2-0 at Thrum Hall
1924-5 Calder Valley v Rastrick
1925-6 Possibly Rastrick v Windhill (top 2 in final table)
1926-7 Possibly Windhill v Sowerby Bridge W.E. (top 2 in Dec) Halifax A Captain A. Gregg
1927-8 Calder Valley v Rastrick
1928-9 Calder Valley beat Rastrick
1929-30 no open-age league operating
1930-1 Rastrick v Siddal, in a game postponed to Sept 1931.
1931-2 no open-age league operating
1932-3 Halifax West End beat Stainland
1933-4 Rastrick beat Lindwell (Under 21 Intermediate League)
1934-5 Courier Cup was Halifax West End v Siddal
1935-6 Siddal v Luddenden
1936-7 Apr 17 - Alf Higgs presents trophy. Maybe Lindwell v Ripponden Intermediates. (Greetland v Lindwell in Courier Cup at Thrum Hall)
1937-8 Courier Cup Final was Elland v Greetland at Stainland (Intermediates?)
1938-9 Courier Cup final was Elland v Greetland (Under 21 league)
1939-40 No open-age league operating
1940-1 No open-age league operating
1941-2 No open-age league operating
1942-3 No open-age league operating
1943-4 No open-age league operating
1944-5 No open-age league operating
1945-6 A league, but not many Halifax teams. Buslingthorpe Vale top. St Mary’s and Queensbury joint winners of Under 18 league
1946-7
1947-8 Ovenden beat Greetland (presented with Nicholl Cup). Not a play-off; had tied at top of table.
1948-9 Ovenden beat Siddal (tied in league). Nicholl Cup presented by Gareth Price.
1949-50 Greetland beat Siddal
1950-1 Ovenden, Siddal, Greetland and Pellon top 4
1951-2 Ovenden beat Siddal
1952-3 Ovenden v Siddal
1953-4 Siddal, Ovenden, Hebden Bridge and Greetland top 4
1954-5 Ovenden v Siddal
1955-6 Greetland v Luddenden
1956-7 Ovenden beat Hebden Bridge
1957-8 Greetland v Ovenden or Underbank
1958-9 Greetland v Underbank or Mayfield
1959-60 Underbank beat Ovenden
1960-1 Ovenden v Greetland
1961-2 Ovenden v Hebden Bridge
(No longer Top 4 Play-off, as teams now in Joint Hx-Hudd League. But different system comes in to determine qualifiers.)
1962-3 Bad winter – It is unclear whether there was a Halifax play-off, or just joint Huddersfield and Halifax Joint RL play-off, or perhaps neither?
1963-4 Illingworth Captain G. Slattery
1964-5
1965-6
1966-7 (In Joint League Final, Ovenden beat Siddal at Barracks – pic on Facebook)
1967-8
1968-9 Illingworth beat Siddal
1969-70
1970-1 Siddal beat Ovenden
1971-2
1972-3 Ovenden beat Siddal
1973-4
1974-5
1975-6
1976-7
1977-8
1978-9 Ovenden v Park ???
1979-80
1980-1
1981-2
1982-3
1983-4
Stansfield Championship Trophy
1984-5 Elland beat Park Amateurs
1985-6 Elland beat Park Amateurs
1986-7 Park Amateurs beat Elland
1987-8 Park Amateurs beat Elland
1988-9 Ovenden beat Elland
1989-90 Park Amateurs beat Ovenden
1990-1 Elland beat Park Amateurs
1991-2 Elland beat Park Amateurs
1992-3 No competition (play-offs scrapped and replaced with Handicap Cup)
1993-4 Ovenden beat Park Amateurs
1994-5 Ovenden beat Park Amateurs
1995-6 Siddal beat Park Amateurs
1996-7 Siddal beat Park Amateurs
1997-8 Park Amateurs beat Elland
1998-9 Elland beat Park Amateurs
1999-00 Siddal beat Elland
2000-1 Siddal beat Ovenden
2001-2 Siddal beat Elland
2002-3 Siddal beat Elland
2003-4 Ovenden v Illingworth at Ovenden Park
2004-5
2005-6 Siddal?
2006-7 Brighouse
2007-8 Siddal
2008-9 Ovenden beat Elland at Brighouse
2009-10 Siddal
2010-11Halifax Irish
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15 King Cross Park
2015-16 Siddal
2o16-17 Ovenden
2017-18
2018-19