Barrow did not start the 1954/55 rugby league season in the best of form.
The regular absence of Phil Jackson on national service and injuries to Lewthwaite and Castle (each of whom played only half of the games that season) contributed to some disappointing early results. The selectors tried various combinations in the pack as well and The Mail’s reporter was quite critical of many of the performances.

Fortunately, the team found form in the Lancashire Cup games played during September and October with victories over Rochdale (13-10), Widnes (10 tries in a 36-0 win) and Leigh in the semi-final (7-2) taking them to the final against Oldham at Station Road, Swinton.

A crowd of 25,462 was in attendance as Barrow produced an outstanding performance against the league leaders. The Mail wrote that ‘the forwards never let up in their great-hearted attacking and defending’. Tries by Goodwin and Parker gave Barrow a 10-2 interval lead and, on a muddy pitch, they stifled all Oldham’s attempts to come back, winning 12-2 to secure their first major trophy since joining the Northern Union in 1898.

By the turn of the year Barrow’s league form and results were much improved but the fact that a top-four finish and the Championship play-offs were already out of reach (they would finish eighth) meant that there was less distraction from the Challenge Cup campaign.

Barrow narrowly cleared their first hurdle, winning 11-8 against a lowly Dewsbury side in icy conditions and were fortunate that their hosts missed five kicks at goal. Ground conditions were no better at Salford in the second round where the game was played on ‘an expanse of grey and sticky mud’ according to The Mail but Barrow won 13-0. In the third round Rochdale were beaten 15-2 to secure a semi-final place against Hunslet.

This game was played at Wigan ‘in wind and rain and with a wet ball’. Barrow took a 9-2 interval lead but had to withstand a terrific pounding in the second half. Heroic tackling limited Hunslet to a further penalty goal and Barrow were back at Wembley where they would meet Workington, a club formed only 10 years previously but already winners of the Championship Trophy and the Challenge Cup.

The Barrow team trying to make it ‘third time lucky’ at Wembley after cup final defeats in 1938 and 1951 was: Best; Lewthwaite, Goodwin, Jackson, Castle; Horne, Toohey; Belshaw, McKeating, Barton, Grundy, Parker and Healey.

The final was a classic ‘game of two halves’ with 40 minutes in which the teams kept things tight and scored just a penalty goal each followed by a second half in which play opened up and brought five tries. Willie Horne added a drop goal and another penalty before Jack Grundy (winner of the Lance Todd trophy as man of the match) put Vince McKeating over for the opening try. After 65 minutes clever passing led to a score by Denis Goodwin and, although Town immediately replied with a try of their own, another break by Grundy led to Castle crossing with the conversion making it 21-7. A late try by Workington made the final score 21-12 but to quote The Mail again ‘Barrow’s cup dreams had come true’ and Willie Horne climbed the famous steps to collect the trophy from the Duke of Edinburgh.