Castleford and Wakefield are about ten miles apart on the River Calder, which gives the derby its name. Today’s Castleford club, founded in 1926, has played Wakefield Trinity 204 times in completed first-class matches since January 1927. This page sets out the all-time head-to-head record, the Super League record, the record in league matches and in each competition, every cup and play-off tie, the Adam Watene Trophy, and shows how the balance of power has shifted decade by decade.
Figures are complete to the most recent meeting: Wakefield Trinity 52–14 Castleford Tigers at Belle Vue on 24 July 2026.
All-time record: first-class matches
Castleford lead the all-time series by 18 wins: 107 to 89, with 8 draws. They are also ahead on points, 3,820 to 3,411. For most of the derby’s history it was the other way round. Wakefield won six of the first seven meetings, and although Castleford went ahead for the first time in February 1938 and led for most of the next decade, Wakefield retook the lead in December 1949 and held it for 43 years. Their lead peaked at 24 wins in April 1968. The series was last level in April 1993, and Castleford have led it since November 1993. Their lead peaked at 22 in August 2023; Wakefield have won five of the six meetings since.
Super League record (1999–)
The clubs first met in Super League in 1999, Wakefield’s first season in the competition. They have met 66 times since, including eight Magic Weekend matches, and Castleford lead 40 to 26, with no draws, and on points 1,691 to 1,445. The early years were close: up to the end of 2014 Castleford led only 20 to 19. Then came the derby’s most one-sided spell. Castleford won 17 in a row from May 2015 to April 2022, and 20 of the 27 meetings from 2015 on. Since Wakefield returned to Super League in 2025, the tide has turned again: they have won five of the six meetings, including a 34–0 win at Wheldon Road and a 48–6 win at Magic Weekend in 2026. The two sides did not meet in Super League in 2005 and 2007, when Castleford were outside the top flight, or in 2024, when Wakefield were. The second 2020 meeting was cancelled.
League record (1927–)
League matches, from the Championship and First Division between 1927 and 1995 through to Super League, make up 182 of the 204 meetings. Castleford lead 92 to 82, with 8 draws, and on points 3,450 to 3,158. Before Super League, the league record favoured Wakefield, 56 wins to 52 with all 8 of the derby’s draws, although Castleford scored more points, 1,759 to 1,713. Wakefield’s great side of the late 1950s and early 1960s won 16 of the 19 meetings in the 1950s. Castleford’s turn came from the 1970s onwards: they lost only five of the 31 meetings in the 1980s and 1990s.
Record by competition
| Competition | Played | Castleford wins | Drawn | Wakefield wins | Castleford points | Wakefield points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship / First Division (1927–1995) | 116 | 52 | 8 | 56 | 1,759 | 1,713 |
| Super League, incl. Magic Weekend (1999–) | 66 | 40 | 0 | 26 | 1,691 | 1,445 |
| Challenge Cup (1968–2011) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 59 | 66 |
| Yorkshire Cup (1934–1990) | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 84 | 75 |
| Championship play-offs (1968–1971) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 27 |
| Premiership Trophy (1975–1992) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 33 |
| BBC2 Floodlit Trophy (1968–1979) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 34 |
| Players No.6 / Regal Trophy (1975–1990) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 18 |
| Total | 204 | 107 | 8 | 89 | 3,820 | 3,411 |
Cup ties and play-offs
Outside the league, the clubs have met 22 times, and Castleford lead 15 to 7, with 370 points to 253. They have met in only one final: the 1990 Yorkshire Cup final at Elland Road, which Castleford won 11–8. The biggest cup tie was the 1969 Challenge Cup semi-final at Headingley, won 16–10 by Castleford in front of 21,497 on their way to lifting the cup at Wembley. Wakefield won both Championship play-off meetings, in 1968 and 1971, and the 1968 Challenge Cup tie at Belle Vue. Castleford have won all nine meetings in the Premiership Trophy, the Floodlit Trophy and the Players No.6 / Regal Trophy.
| Date | Competition | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Oct 1934 | Yorkshire Cup | Wakefield 10–0 Castleford | Wheldon Road |
| 3 Oct 1946 | Yorkshire Cup | Wakefield 11–2 Castleford | Belle Vue |
| 13 Oct 1948 | Yorkshire Cup | Castleford 6–5 Wakefield | Wheldon Road |
| 16 Mar 1968 | Challenge Cup | Wakefield 18–5 Castleford | Belle Vue |
| 24 Apr 1968 | Championship play-off | Wakefield 17–14 Castleford | Belle Vue |
| 9 Sep 1968 | BBC2 Floodlit Trophy | Castleford 15–11 Wakefield | Belle Vue |
| 23 Sep 1968 | BBC2 Floodlit Trophy | Castleford 18–0 Wakefield | Wheldon Road |
| 29 Mar 1969 | Challenge Cup semi-final | Castleford 16–10 Wakefield | Headingley, Leeds |
| 23 Apr 1971 | Championship play-off | Wakefield 10–4 Castleford | Belle Vue |
| 6 Aug 1971 | Yorkshire Cup | Castleford 13–10 Wakefield | Wheldon Road |
| 26 Sep 1973 | Yorkshire Cup | Wakefield 19–18 Castleford | Belle Vue |
| 25 Apr 1975 | Premiership Trophy | Castleford 37–7 Wakefield | Wheldon Road |
| 9 Nov 1975 | Players No.6 Trophy | Castleford 24–14 Wakefield | Belle Vue |
| 26 Sep 1978 | BBC2 Floodlit Trophy | Castleford 20–11 Wakefield | Wheldon Road |
| 5 Sep 1979 | BBC2 Floodlit Trophy | Castleford 22–12 Wakefield | Wheldon Road |
| 26 Apr 1981 | Premiership Trophy | Castleford 25–8 Wakefield | Belle Vue |
| 23 Sep 1983 | Yorkshire Cup | Castleford 34–12 Wakefield | Belle Vue |
| 23 Sep 1990 | Yorkshire Cup final | Castleford 11–8 Wakefield | Elland Road, Leeds |
| 9 Dec 1990 | Regal Trophy | Castleford 20–4 Wakefield | Belle Vue |
| 26 Apr 1992 | Premiership Trophy | Castleford 28–18 Wakefield | Wheldon Road |
| 8 Feb 2003 | Challenge Cup | Wakefield 20–18 Castleford | Belle Vue |
| 21 May 2011 | Challenge Cup | Castleford 20–18 Wakefield | Belle Vue |
The Adam Watene Trophy (2009–)
Since 2009 the clubs have played for the Adam Watene Trophy. Adam Watene was a Cook Islands international prop, born in New Zealand, who helped Castleford win promotion in 2005 and joined Wakefield from Bradford in 2006. He collapsed and died after a training session at Wakefield in October 2008, a week after his 31st birthday. The trophy, commissioned by his widow Moana, is a hand-carved Māori sculpture made in New Zealand and given a Māori blessing before it was flown to England. It was first played for in a pre-season friendly at the Jungle on 25 January 2009, and since then the clubs have nominated one derby each season to decide it. The holder keeps it until the next nominated match.
After 17 contests Castleford have won the trophy 12 times and Wakefield five: in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2022 and 2026. Castleford won it six seasons running, from 2016 to 2021, during their 17-match winning run in the derby. Wakefield are the holders, after winning the 2026 contest 34–0 at Wheldon Road. The trophy was not contested in 2024, when the clubs were in different divisions. Wakefield’s 2013 win stood even though the match was abandoned seven minutes from time with Wakefield well ahead; their captain, Danny Kirmond, was presented with the trophy on the pitch.
| Season | Nominated match | Result | Venue | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Pre-season friendly, 25 Jan | Castleford won (score not confirmed) | Wheldon Road | Castleford |
| 2010 | Super League, 18 Jul | Castleford 40–16 Wakefield | Wheldon Road | Castleford |
| 2011 | Super League, 22 Apr (Good Friday) | Wakefield 28–24 Castleford | Wheldon Road | Wakefield |
| 2012 | Super League, 6 Apr (Good Friday) | Castleford 34–16 Wakefield | Belle Vue | Castleford |
| 2013 | Super League, 29 Mar (Good Friday) | Wakefield 37–16 Castleford (abandoned after 73 minutes; result stood) | Wheldon Road | Wakefield |
| 2014 | Super League (match not confirmed) | Castleford won all three derbies | — | Castleford |
| 2015 | Super League, 8 Feb | Wakefield 24–22 Castleford | Wheldon Road | Wakefield |
| 2016 | Super League, 24 Jul | Castleford 46–20 Wakefield | Belle Vue | Castleford |
| 2017 | Super League, 14 Apr (Good Friday) | Castleford 42–24 Wakefield | Wheldon Road | Castleford |
| 2018 | Super League, 27 Apr | Castleford 24–4 Wakefield | Wheldon Road | Castleford |
| 2019 | Super League, 18 Apr | Castleford 28–26 Wakefield | Wheldon Road | Castleford |
| 2020 | Super League, 21 Feb | Castleford 32–15 Wakefield | Wheldon Road | Castleford |
| 2021 | Super League, 21 Aug | Castleford 23–18 Wakefield | Wheldon Road | Castleford |
| 2022 | Super League, 29 Jul | Wakefield 32–6 Castleford | Wheldon Road | Wakefield |
| 2023 | Super League, 18 Aug | Castleford 28–12 Wakefield | Belle Vue | Castleford |
| 2024 | Not contested | — | — | — |
| 2025 | Super League, 5 Sep | Castleford 26–22 Wakefield | Wheldon Road | Castleford |
| 2026 | Super League, 5 Apr (Easter Sunday) | Wakefield 34–0 Castleford | Wheldon Road | Wakefield |
Wins by decade
Wakefield won six of the seven meetings in the late 1920s, but Castleford had the better of the 1930s, winning 14 of 20. Wakefield took over after the war and dominated the 1950s, losing only two of 19 meetings. The 1960s were close, and from the 1970s to the 1990s the derby belonged to Castleford, who won 38 of 56 and lost only 15. Wakefield edged the 2000s, Castleford won 22 of 29 in the 2010s, and the 2020s so far are Castleford 7, Wakefield 6.
| Decade | Played | Castleford wins | Drawn | Wakefield wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 1930s | 20 | 14 | 1 | 5 |
| 1940s | 12 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| 1950s | 19 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
| 1960s | 25 | 10 | 2 | 13 |
| 1970s | 25 | 14 | 1 | 10 |
| 1980s | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 |
| 1990s | 17 | 13 | 2 | 2 |
| 2000s | 23 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
| 2010s | 29 | 22 | 0 | 7 |
| 2020s | 13 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
Streaks, margins and crowds
The longest winning run belongs to Castleford: 17 straight wins from May 2015 to April 2022, ended by a 32–6 Wakefield win at Wheldon Road in July 2022. Wakefield’s best is 12 straight wins, from January 1957 to May 1963, part of a 16-match unbeaten run that included a 14–14 draw on Christmas Day 1956. Wakefield also won nine in a row between 2004 and 2008. They have won the last three meetings, and lead 6 to 4 over the last 10.
The biggest win is Castleford’s 86–0 at Wheldon Road on Easter Monday 1995, which is also the highest-scoring meeting. Wakefield’s biggest are 48–6 at Magic Weekend in Liverpool in July 2026 and 44–3 at Belle Vue in 1928. The next highest-scoring meeting was Castleford’s 58–20 win at Belle Vue in 2015 (78 points), and the lowest was Castleford’s 6–0 win on Christmas Day 1946. Sixteen meetings have been decided by a single point. Between 1945 and 1959 the clubs met 12 times on Christmas Day; Wakefield won seven of them.
Of the crowds on record, the biggest is 42,903 at Magic Weekend in Liverpool on 5 July 2026. The biggest at either club’s ground is 11,235 at Wheldon Road on 17 August 2017, when Castleford won 45–20. Crowds are not recorded for most matches before 1999.
Home advantage has counted. At Wheldon Road, Castleford have 58 wins, 5 draws and 35 defeats from 98 meetings. At Belle Vue, Wakefield have 50 wins, 3 draws and 43 defeats from 96. Of the 10 meetings on neutral grounds, Castleford have won 6 and Wakefield 4.
The original Castleford club (1896–1906)
An earlier Castleford club, which had no direct connection with today’s, played Wakefield Trinity 14 times in first-class matches between 1896 and 1906: 12 in the Yorkshire Senior Competition and two in the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1905–06, the season before the club folded. Wakefield won seven, six were drawn, and Castleford won one, 5–2 on 27 December 1897. Wakefield scored 108 points to Castleford’s 38. The sides also met four times in the Second Division between 1902 and 1904, all won by Wakefield; those matches are not counted as first class. None of these matches are included in the figures above.
About these figures
Results, dates and venues are compiled from published match records, for first-class matches and for each competition. Only first-class matches are counted, so friendlies, including the Boxing Day and pre-season derbies of recent decades, are not. Two matches are not counted: a league match at Belle Vue on 8 January 1978 that was abandoned, and the second 2020 Super League meeting, which was cancelled. Super League figures include Magic Weekend and the Super 8s rounds of 2016 to 2018. The first meeting was on 8 January 1927, an 8–0 Wakefield win at Wheldon Road. Where a source omits a month from a date, it has been taken from the match before. Wakefield played as Wakefield Trinity Wildcats from 1999 to 2016. Clubs are listed alphabetically throughout.
