Leeds rugby clubs

[String o' beads]

I found a listing for a Blue Moon on Summerfield Drive at Intake but it must be long gone. There's a parade of shops which might have included a pub at one point.

[jdbythesea]

Geordie-exile wrote: I found a listing for a Blue Moon on Summerfield Drive at Intake but it must be long gone. There's a parade of shops which might have included a pub at one point. Have a look at page 2 on 6th Dec 2008 of the Public Houses thread Ricky sheds some light on the Blue Moon's disappearance. Happy Christmas SL-ers.

[Chiron]

Chiron wrote: iansmithofotley wrote: Hi everyone,This thread is also very interesting for me as I have a keen interest in rugby – nowadays mainly Rugby Union. The problem that I have with some of the previous posts is trying to relate the various dates and decades when these clubs started, thrived or declined. I was born in 1946 and brought up in Woodhouse. At that time, many of the junior schools played Rugby League. I played for my local ‘county primary’ school, which was Quarry Mount, and I was the captain in 1956/57. I was lucky enough to pass my scholarship and went to Leeds Modern School, at Lawnswood, in 1957. At this time, I knew nothing about Rugby Union and it was a ‘rugby union’ school, so I had to learn the game. In those days, where I lived, the option for grammar schools was Leeds Modern (who played football and rugby union) and the Central High School, in the city centre, (which, I believe, in those days, only played football and not rugby). Some of the more wealthy families sent their boys to the fee-paying Leeds Grammar School, near to Hyde Park, which was also a ‘rugby union’ school. My school mates who were unsuccessful in their scholarship exams (11+) mainly went to Blenheim, which was a ‘rugby league’ school, but some went to Woodhouse School or Meanwood School and I have no idea what sports were played there.From memory, a lot of the secondary schools in south Leeds, and Hunslet, all played Rugby League. I seem to remember that Cockburn was a football school, Temple Moor was a Rugby Union school, Roundhay was a Rugby Union School and West Park was a Rugby Union School. There were other secondary modern schools such as Kirkstall, Bramley, etc., but I seem to remember that they all played Rugby League. I don’t have any real knowledge of what schools played what in the other areas of Leeds, particularly in south and east Leeds.So far as relates to my own school, Leeds Modern (now Lawnswood), it was a grammar school until 1971, when it became a comprehensive/secondary modern school. When I was there, in the first three years, we played rugby in the even years and football in the odd years. All this meant was that at the beginning of the school year, in September, we played rugby until Christmas, and then changed to football until spring and the cricket season. The following school year, it was the opposite way round. In the last two years, aged fifteen and sixteen, we had to choose between football or rugby for our last two years. The same thing applied to the sixth form. However, there were always some kids who were just very good at both rugby and football and represented the school at both games, when they could.In those days (1960’s), the school had an old boys association called the Old Modernians. Although rugby was played at the school, the Old Modernians only played football and cricket. The Old Modernians had no facilities of their own and all of the games were played on the school pitches. Because the Old Modernians did not play rugby, most of the lads that went on to play Rugby Union, after they had left school, went to Moortown RUFC. I do not know why, but this went on for years. Some of us played rugby for the school on Saturday mornings and also played for Moortown Colts in the afternoons. It was only in the late sixties/early seventies that the Old Modernians got their ground on Cookridge Lane and they started to play Rugby Union. West Park school played rugby but the West Park Old Boys RUFC teams also played their games on the school pitches until they got their ground at Bramhope, also in the sixties. Whilst they were still playing on the school pitches, they had an informal headquarters at the Welcome Inn at Tinshill, which they frequented for many years. From memory, at that time, Terry Robbins, an ex Welsh Rugby League player, who had previously been the licensee at the Fforde Greene, the Compton Arms, and also the Kings Arms (on Meanwood Road), was the licensee and supported the club. West Park Old Boys RUFC became West Park Bramhope RUFC and is now West Park Leeds RUFC (after the amalgamation of Headingley RUFC, Roundhay RUFC and now, also, the West Park club).As far as I am aware, many of the Leeds Rugby Union clubs were not ‘school’ ‘old boys’ clubs but their origins may have been connected with other organisations, trades or companies. Clubs like Headingley (originally Leeds St Johns), Roundhay, Bramley (originally Bramley Old Boys RUFC, then Bramley RUFC and now Bramley Phoenix RUFC – after an amalgamation with Bradford Phoenix RUFC), Burley, Leeds Corinthians, etc., were all such clubs with no school connections. Old Leodiensians, Old Roundhegians, West Leeds etc., were school ‘old boys’ teams. Like others have said, I remember playing Leeds Chirons (all schoolteachers) at Soldier’s Field. Funnily enough, when I was at Leeds Modern School, one of my form teachers was called Andrew Barclay and, as a Moortown Colt, I once played against him whilst playing for Moortown 2nds, as the Colts had no game. I also remember playing against Yorkshire Copper Works RUFC at Stourton, but that was part of a large sports club connected with the firm and many sports were played there.Moortown RUFC had regular fixtures with Carnegie College RUFC at Far Headingley and Leeds University RUFC at Weetwood. In those days, all Rugby Union was amateur and there were no leagues. Clubs got their fixtures over many years and clubs were informally referred to as ‘senior clubs’ and ‘junior clubs’. In the 1960’s, the only ‘senior’ club in Leeds was Headingley RUFC. The most senior of the ‘junior’ clubs in Leeds was Roundhay. Moortown, Leos, Morley, Bramley, West Leeds, Roundhegians, West Park, etc., all had good seasons and bad seasons depending on who was playing at the time. Later, Roundhay (and to some extent Morley) broke through and became a ‘senior club’. The other ‘senior clubs’, at that time, in Yorkshire were Otley, Wakefield, Halifax, Bradford, Middlesborough, Hull and East Riding and Sheffield. If a talented player emerged at a ‘junior club’, he would usually get ‘poached’ and finish up at a ‘senior club’. I used to play for Moortown with Keith Smith (who sadly died of cancer whilst very young) who went on to play for Roundhay and he played a few times for England. Keith was brought up on Rugby League at Cross Green school. I also played with Brian Jefferson who went on to play Rugby League for Keighley and Great Britain. Brian played Rugby League at Blenheim school. As in all sports, it was very difficult for ‘junior clubs’ to hang on to their good players, but I also realise that talented sportsman have got to move ‘up’ to reach their goals, particularly nowadays when money is involved.‘Junior clubs’ could not get a regular fixture with ‘senior clubs’ as fixture lists went back years and were based on tradition, reputation, standing, etc. The only time that ‘junior clubs’ got to play them was in the Yorkshire Cup, or if there was a vacant fixture when a ‘pool system’, for teams without a fixture, was organised and you might get an odd game against them. Sometimes, over years, a regular fixture might be obtained against a ‘senior club ‘ second team such as Headingley Wanderers. I suppose that it was all part of the alleged snobbishness of Rugby Union, but it was very difficult for a ‘junior club’ to improve its fixture list against a ‘senior club’. Thankfully, in this modern era, with lots of well-organised, national and regional leagues, teams and clubs get promoted or relegated on their own merits. Things have changed a lot since those days, Wakefield does not exist any more, Hull and ER have teamed up with Hull Ionians, Headingley and Roundhay amalgamated to form Leeds Carnegie (was Leeds Tykes) and now they are also linked with West Park Leeds.Since player payments and professionalism have come into the game, personally, I think that standards have been raised at all levels, but particularly at senior levels, and money dictates how well, or how badly, a rugby club progresses or fails. Even some of the very ‘junior clubs’ are now paying players. I can also remember that in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, Moortown RUFC had a First team, Second team (Stags), ‘A’ team, ‘B’ team, Extra ‘A’ team, Extra ‘B’ team, over 40’s team and a Colts team. Many of the other local clubs had a similar set up. Nowadays, some of these clubs are struggling to turn out more than two teams, on a Saturday, for players over 18 years old. However, some clubs have thriving boys and youth teams. I often wonder why this is so, and why there are so few teams within clubs. What are these young men doing on Saturday afternoons instead of playing rugby, football or cricket (I understand that local football and cricket clubs have a similar problem)? They can’t all be playing on computers, fishing or going to shopping malls.From the previous posts, I do not remember a club called Alwoodley. I can remember playing Rugby League against Alwoodley junior school in the 1950’s but I can’t recall a ‘club’, as such.Ian     Hi IanInterestingly, Andy Barclay now lives in Edinburgh and came to the Chirons Reunion(book launch) in May, he still looks very fit. Andy is on a photograph taken at the event that is on www.dropkickbooks.co.uk Andy is on the front row in a light coloured jumper second from the right.All the bestStuart     Did you manage to find the photo that has Andy Barclay on it?

[iansmithofotley]

Hi Chiron,Thank you for the link. I found the photograph and, to be honest, I would not have recognised him without your help. It is almost fifty years ago since I left Leeds Modern School and played against him, which is when I last saw him.Ian

[Chiron]

iansmithofotley wrote: Hi Chiron,Thank you for the link. I found the photograph and, to be honest, I would not have recognised him without your help. It is almost fifty years ago since I left Leeds Modern School and played against him, which is when I last saw him.Ian There is also a picture of Andrew, in his playing days, on the front cover of my book Leeds Who? The front cover is also on dropkickbooks.co.uk Andrew is captain of the 1962 team in the top right photo.

[The Parksider]

Geordie-exile wrote: I found a listing for a Blue Moon on Summerfield Drive at Intake but it must be long gone. There's a parade of shops which might have included a pub at one point. Ta Geordie....It's in the right place for Rugby league.Maybe they re-encamped at Bramley Band club who had a team for many years....

[Uno Hoo]

My first job was at I J Dewhirst, Wholesale Drapers, Kirkgate, Leeds. One of its employees was William "Billy" Hood, who was selected to play for the Hunslet RLFC first team in about 1960. I wasn't (and aren't) particularly interested in Rugby, but I do wonder what sort of career he had. Does anyone know?

[The Parksider]

Uno Hoo wrote: My first job was at I J Dewhirst, Wholesale Drapers, Kirkgate, Leeds. One of its employees was William "Billy" Hood, who was selected to play for the Hunslet RLFC first team in about 1960. I wasn't (and aren't) particularly interested in Rugby, but I do wonder what sort of career he had. Does anyone know? Billy Hood was Hunslet's best "back" prospect and captain of the junior and intermediate teams in the early 1960's. Billy was selected to play in the pre- season Lazenby Cup friendly against leeds on 12th. August 1966 taking International centre Geoff Sheltons place in his absence in Australia. However no sooner had he had his first chance, injury took it's toll and he never went on to play any league or cup games at first team level and had to retire from the club.

[Uno Hoo]

Thanks for your info', Parksider. I'm so sorry to learn that such potential wasn't realised. He was a very personable lad, and had just been promoted to sales rep. when I left Dewhirsts. Let's hope he had a successful commercial career instead.

[pashy2]

Hi Parksider,Your list of the Sunday League brought back many great memories.I was in Leeds in 70&71 and played for the Bramley Wasps & Bramley Tigers ( Bramley Social Club teams).Some of the other teams we played were:The Rising Sun (Milford)Lock Lane ( Castleford )The Black Pointer ( Castleford )High Royds ? Hospital ( Wakefield )A pub team from York ( played on The Chase always covered in cow clap)-- never drank at their pub- always stopped in Taddy for light refreshments on the way home.Some of the blokes in the team were Dave Ballard, Graham Pierce,Dave Bowe, Pete Found, Jim Ripley,Allan Harker,Denis Horner,Pete Cuddy, Dave Horan all great team mates. We had a ball.Happy New Year you SLeazers-- keep on threading!