Making his debut today was club Chairman Kenny Sykes. Hailing from York Kenny played his schoolboy rugby at Acomb School then switched to soccer for a couple of years before returning with Tang Hall ARLFC. A move to Heworth ARLFC saw a gradual transition from wing to second row and an appearance for York & District Under 19s at Parkside brought him to the attention of Hunslet. After a couple of trial games in 1971 he made his first appearance today against Swinton at Parkside. After two seasons at Parkside, Kenny switched allegiance to Geoff Gunney’s New Hunslet at the Greyhound Stadium and played in their first game at Keighley and scoring the new club’s first try. In 1977 he was Captain of the “A” team which won the Yorkshire Senior Competition Cup and coached the reserves in 1979, bringing on such as Graham King and Phil Gibson. He played 52 game in his first two seasons and a further 100 for New Hunslet. He returned to Heworth and played on for a further eight season and acted as secretary. He is a member of Hunslet’s Hall Of Fame.
Kenny Sykes
The 1905 Yorkshire County Trial at Hull KR featured Tubby Brookes and Harry Wilson in the Probables side and Walter Wray for the Possibles. The Possibles won the match 18-15 and only Wilson played for the County.
The following season’s trial at the Boulevard featured Albert Everson and Herbert Place in the Stripes and Bill Jukes and John Higson for the Whites. The Whites won 30-22 and Everson scored a try. Bill Jukes progressed to the County side.
Harry Beverley played for Yorkshire against Cumberland in 1936 at Workington. The Cumberland pack were on top of Yorkshire all the game and won 16-10.
The 1942 Wartime representative match at Hull FC was between a Rugby league XIII and Northern Command. Billy Thompson was in the RL pack and Les White (hooker) and Billy Thornton (scrum half) were in opposition. Thornton and his ex-Hunslet partner Oliver Morris were superior to their opposites and steered Command to a 14-10 win.
Having assisted Great Britain to a World Cup triumph in 1960, Brian Shaw was in the second row against The Rest Of The World in the end of competition challenge. GB built up a 19-3 lead but The Rest fought back to lead 27-25. GB regained the lead through a converted try and Brian made sure of a 33-27 win with a try seven minutes from time.
In 2010 forward Neil Lowe was in Glasgow playing for Scotland against Wales in the European Cup. It was a bad day for the home side as Wales romped to a 60-22 win.
Neil Lowe
In 1931 Bramley visited Parkside in the Yorkshire Cup first round. The headline described the match as Hunslet’s “Beanfeast” as they helped themselves to 50-11 win. Winger George Broughton and centre William Adams both scored hat-tricks.
William Adams
