Rugby League Challenge Cup

I would be very interested in hearing from anyone who has memories of Challenge Cup pro/am games they played in or watched. In particular, I would like to hear from anyone who has any information on the following Challenge Cup game:

Hensingham v Huddersfield

13th February 1926

If you have any memories you would like to share, or are aware of any sources of information about the Hensingham game, including match reports, please get in touch.

Rugby League in 1984

I found this interesting article in the Sheffield Eagles programme for their first ever league game on 2nd September 1984.

New Flyer

Huddersfield Old Boys

Huddersfield Old Boys was one of the Yorkshire rugby union clubs that continued to play during World War Two. The club also managed to produce a fixture card every season, below are the fixtures listed in the fixture card for the 1944/45 season.

There is much more in information about the wartime activities of Huddersfield Old Boys in 'Let Them Play By All Means'

Wartime Rugby - Ilkley

During the early months of World War Two a number of Yorkshire rugby union clubs that had closed down when War was declared managed to restart fixtures. Many of those clubs had fixtures planned for the whole of the 1939/40 season but very few completed their fixtures.
In January and early February 1940, Britain experienced one of the worst winters in living memory and the severe winter plus the increase in conscription were probably two of the factors that caused many clubs to close down for the duration of hostilities.
Ilkley was one of the clubs that restarted in September 1939 but was then forced to close down in early 1940.

Below are some extracts from the Ilkley club minutes

The club minutes show that in January 1940 "the bar in the clubhouse to be closed for the season, stock to be sent back. In view of the shortage of players due to recent enlistments the remainder of the fixtures to be cancelled." No further meetings were held until 10th September 1945 when a special meeting was called at which 14 people attended. At this meeting "it was decided to run a full fixture list for the 1946/47 season but in the meantime Otley be asked to run a 2^nd XV on our ground using as many Ilkley players as possible and that "endeavours be made to run games when the boys were home at Christmas and Easter."

In April 1946 a special AGM was held attended by all those interested in restarting the club - about 40 people attended. In June 1946 the secretary was instructed to write to the English Rugby Union applying for clothing coupons so that new jerseys could be bought and in September of that year 18white jerseys were purchased (apparently without coupons) as it was impossible to get any in the club colours. 

I am grateful to Ken Barnard, from Ilkley RUFC, for providing the information above.

'Let Them Play By All Means'

Tells the story of how Yorkshire rugby union clubs responded to the tremendous challenges of playing rugby during wartime. Click the ' Let Them Play' tab for further details.

Rugby League in Doncaster

Below is an extract from an article that appeared in Issue 39 of Rugby League Journal.

When I first played at Bentley Amateur Rugby league Club, we changed at Tatters Field the Doncaster Rugby League Club’s ground in a block of changing rooms that had been built for both Doncaster and Bentley to use. The dressing rooms were very cramped and I remember we often struggled to find our way to the bath when the lights on the corridor were not working, something that happened regularly. I think in those days dressing room maintenance was not a very high priority for a professional club that seemed in constant crisis. Bentley was the strongest amateur club in Doncaster at the time, and a number of players from Bentley had played regularly for Doncaster. When the ‘Dons’ had a player shortage, Bentley players would often be asked to play. When our team mates did play for Doncaster, I was amongst a number of players from the club who would go along to watch them in action. Standing on the crumbling terraces at Tatters Field on a Sunday afternoon wasn’t a very uplifting experience. Doncaster usually struggled to compete on the field and for the guys we had gone along to support I imagine it was probably an even worse experience. In fact, the highlights I remember most were more to do with the banter exchanged between players and spectators when the teams were lining up for the kick off after yet another try had been conceded by the ‘Dons’. Some of the banter was good natured but there were the occasional threats issued by angry players who said that they would see whoever had abused them after the game. I doubt that the threats of retribution were ever carried out. Most sensible spectators in attendances as small as Doncaster’s  would only abuse opposition players who would be happily picking up winning money and after the game would have probably forgotten about any abuse they received from the terraces.

Doncaster now play at the Keepmoat Stadium, a modern facility at the other side of town. Below is a photograph of the overgrown 'brownfield' site where Tatters Field once stood. If you look closely you can see a bank on the left hand side of the photograph, all that remains of one of the terraces.

Rugby League Challenge Cup

I am currently researching Rugby League Challenge Cup games involving amateur clubs, Welsh clubs and clubs based in London. I would be very interested in hearing from anyone who has any first hand knowledge of these games either as a player or spectator. I can be contacted by email please click on the contact tab for details.