On This Day….19th & 20th May

19^th May….

Registering at RL Headquartes on Chapletown Road was back Dennis “Tango” Tate, signed on from Hunslet Supporters for £250. It doesn’t look like smooth sailing in his early career as he was struck off in November after playing just one first team game only to be re-registered two months later. Over the next six seasons though he was a regular first teamer. After 115 games,  31 tries and 3 goals he transferred to Bradford Northern for £1,750. Dennis’s flying finish in the corner was the cover photo of the Parksider programme for many seasons.

The 1954 Lions Tour to Australasia opened today with a game against Western Division at Bathurst. Alf Burnell was at half-back but Geoff Gunney cried off with a pulled leg muscle. Around 8,000 watched a game in which Alf scored a try in GB’s 29-11 win.

This was the first touring party to fly to Australia, cutting out the six weeks each way it took by ship. However, it was not the journey we might make today as the flight took four days and three nights. At the end of the first flight fog in Rome prevented a landing and it diverted to Nice in France for the night.

The  1951 Festival of Britain was celebrated by the Rugby League with two representative games today and Hunslet were involved in both. At Headingley a Great Britain side took on Australasia, a side made up of England-based Antipodeans. Jack Evans was at full-back for GB who lost 20-23 at Headingley.

Down in Llanelli a Welsh XIII played an Empire XIII. Les Williams and Granville James were in the Welsh side and Cec Thompson and Alf Burnell in the opposition who won 29-16.

In 2013 Hunslet had reached the knock out stages of the Northern Rail Cup but a 16-36 defeat up at Workington ended their involvement.

20^th May….

A debut today for hooker Phil Gibson who signed on from Hunslet Colts. Over ten seasons he played 132 games and scored 11 tries.

A late finish to the 1978/79 season due to no games being played between 17^th December and 11^th February but it didn’t stop Hunslet’s march to promotion as runners-up to Hull. Peter Muscroft got 15 tries to equal Alan Griffith’s record of two years earlier and John Hay kicked 59 goals.