I started to take my son to Central Park when he was a toddler and in 1963 when he was 6 years of age I took him to watch his first Challenge Cup final. We lost against Wakefield and he was so upset that two years later when we played this Hunslet final I decided not to take him in case the same thing happened. We won and I deeply regretted my decision as by the time we were next victorious at Wembley he was 28 years old. He witnessed every other final win since that day, unfortunately the last one, last year, on an ipad while lying in an hospital bed. It was on that same ipad and in that same bed that he saw his last match of the game he loved, when we completed our glorious double. He died a few days later.

I was in a group of 6 lads who hired a car for the weekend, it was a Ford Consul (6 seater). We all worked for the same Steel Fabrication Co in Atherton with ages ranging from 21-24 (I and the driver were 24)
So off we went at about 7.00 am , 3 in the front and 3 in the back) just point the car south and go with the flow.
We got to Birmingham no problem, then either the motorway finished at Birmingham or we came off to soon. We spent the next 4/5 hours weaving our way South nobody could read a map and the road signs caused us no end of problems.
Finally about 1.30 we arrived at Wembley ,managed to get a couple of pints and then to the ground, like everyone as said it was a cracker of a match and much closer than anticipated. A player who in my mind stood out for Hunslet was the big Welsh winger called Griffiths.
After watching the presentation we made our way back to the car and proceeded to make our way out of London (pointing North), about 6.30 pm we found a Café and had a bite to eat I think it was egg, chips and beans for everybody.
After that we found a pub (no idea were it was) and spent the night supping and playing darts.
At closing time we asked the landlady if we could kip down in the pub lounge, before throwing us out she advised us to get to the motorway which was about 8 miles away and stop at the first service station and get our heads down then.
By then the only driver was completely knackered ,one thing in his favour though was he only drank bottles of brown ale. So we settled down for the night, but we had to keep getting up to open the car doors to fumigate the car.

So the morning after we set off home up the M1, which in those days went up through Leicester and Derbyshire to South of Leeds. We knew that another car from the pub I had just started to go in was carrying 5 older Wigan supporters was going home that way and was stopping off at Matlock for Sunday dinner in the Pub.
(The pub in Atherton which some of us went in was the Queens which a few years before had as its Landlord the old Wigan scrum half Tommy Bradshaw).
So that was it in the pub in Matlock with other Wigan supporters and then home through Stockport finally arriving home about 6pm. Everybody completely shattered especially the driver.
The driver had to get the car back for 9.00pm that night or otherwise he would have had to have a morning off work on the Monday.
We had hired the car with a fixed mileage allowance on it and when he took it back that night the owner asked were we had been, when we told him Wembley he said "What via Edinburgh", he charged us a about £5.00 for the extra mileage.
Sorry for rambling on but it was a long weekend.

Yes Griffiths had a great game for Hunslet. He almost caught Trevor Lake to prevent him scoring and Trevor was a flier. He also scored one of the Hunslet tries.

I was there in 1963 and 1965.

I was only 9 in 1963. We, my family and I, that consisted of my Mum and Dad and my younger brother slept the night before in the car in Paddington before the game. Windows steamed up.

In 1965, our car broke down as many did in those days, near Bushey & Oxhey. This year we lived it up by using a 'hotel' close to Paddington.

Cars where horrid in those days. The numbers of broken down cars on the M1 for example was bumper to bumper.

In those days, the AA or RAC mechanics used to salute members.

4 of us hired a white brand new Vauxall 101 for the trip to Wembley we had red streamers all over it and " we've got a Lake in the tank" down the side, however it rained all the way home and yes all the dye stained the paintwork, it took all the next day to clean it the Hire Company wasn't impressed but we had a great day at Wembley

I'm just looking at the programme from that 1965 game 8th May

The attendances are interesting.
Round 1 v Barrow (H) 13,217
Round 2 v Saints (h) 39,938
Round 3 v Workington (a) 17,741
Semi Final v Swinton at Knowsley Road 26,658

Over 89,000 attended the Final itself.

This was the game that got me into Rugby League, I was two months short of my 15th birthday. I had been to Central Park a couple of times with my dad and older brother and cheered the team on the open topped bus when they brought the cup home but I hadn't been "bitten".
A week before the game my mate Ernie, older than me by about 16 months, said why don't we go to Wembley to watch Wigan? I thought it was a great idea but our mums didn't! It took a lot of persuading and eventually they relented. We had to go there and straight back after the match.
We went with Smiths of Wigan (now Shearings), the price included a match ticket. I don't remember much of the trip down or back, other than being very excited. Probably because there was just the two of us and no parents.
Walking along Wembley Way was impressive but walking up the steps and out onto the terracing was even better and then the game just blew my mind! I was very badly bitten by the Rugby League bug (thank God)!
Rogues said the attendance was 89,000 but I thought it was 98,000. Our coach didn't leave straight after the game so me and Ernie went to Wembley bowling alley for a couple of hours.

I've been a home and mainly away supporter ever since.

Was also there in 1963 & 1965.
The loss in '63 was a huge disappointment after us being such big favs to win it.

Hunslet was supposed, to me, another cert trophy for Wigan but Hunslet were superb. Remember the Gilfedder penalty goal after about a minute. Also good runs from Trevor Lake.
Not too sure but I think the sharing of the Lance Todd trophy between Ray Ashby and Hunslet's Brian Gabbitas was the first time that had happened.
Always remeber it as a great match with a Wigan win.

I think we could see the 'writing on the wall' at the 1965 final that Wigan were coming to the end of an era. We could see that Boston, Ashton and McTigue were getting old.

And a period of decline did indeed occur, culminating in relegation a good few years later.

Attendance was just over 89,000 but maybe you were thinking of the 1966 final against St Helens when over 98,500 attended. This was the last league match I saw before permanently leaving the UK. Remember a huge penalty goal kicked by Len Killeen and a great tussle between Brian McTigue and Cliff Watson. Also Billy Boston and Tom Van Vollenhoven together on the Wembley pitch for the last time.

From that match Watson, Tommy Bishop and Len Killeen came to play in Aus. Killeen went to Balmain Tigers and joined Dave Bolton where they won the premiership in 1969. Bishop and Watson joined Cronulla to be beaten in the final by Manly in 1973. I lived in Cronulla for 30 years and followed the team.

My favourite Wigan player who played in Aus was Bill Ashurst who came with Mike Stephenson to Penrith in the 70's. Bill achieved legend status at the club and is featured in a large mural in the Leagues Club foyer.

Yes like others this match brings back a lot of memories, I went to my first final in 1963 I was 10 at the time, remember being gutted when we lost to Wakefield. My dad took me every year after that, strangely I remember the Hunslet game itself quite well, but not the actual day, apart from the fact I kept hitting myself on the head with my wooden rattle, (explains a lot I think).

Ahh.... memories.

I was nine in 1965 and this was my first Challenge Cup final. Went with my mum, dad, auntie, uncle and cousin - 6 of us with dad driving his Ford Consul. Remember driving up Wembley Way and parking right outside the stadium before that big flyover thingy was there. My auntie got a flag made up from a bedsheet with a terrific drawing of the Challenge Cup and the names of all the Wigan players down the sides. I'll never forget the colours of the Hunslet kit "white with a chocolate (brown) V."

Gilfedder's penalty was from the centre spot in the opening minute 'cos the Hunslet kick off went straight out. All week the papers were talking up the battle between Trevor Lake our Rhodesian winger and Hunslet's flyer Griffiths. In the second half Lake shot down the wing outpacing Griffiths and best of all finishing with a spectacular dive right in the corner.

My dad had booked the following week off work so after the match we drove down to the South coast ending up in Hastings. I got the paper on Sunday morning which had a full page picture of Lake in mid-air as he scored. To top it all off, we enjoyed the rest of our week in glorious hot weather despite it being only the second week of May.

Memories ahh....

Didn't realise there were so many old codgers on this forum! I was still a sperm for another 15 years or so!

Good stories though.

Typical Wiggin, easy cup run