20th November….
A day for debuts….
In 1912 winger Harold Buck played his first game, a league match against Bradford Northern at Parkside. He had played as a junior for Cockburn School. In a varied career he played association football for Hall Lane, Armley, St Peter’s Mission and Clarence Ironworks and rugby for Chetwynd Hornets. He appeared at the premier sprinting event of the time, The Powderhall Sprints and during WW1 played Rugby Union for the Royal Navy Depot XV. He was selected for a county Charity Match for Yorkshire v Lancashire during the war and served as a stoker 1st class on HMS Resolution. Throughout the war he made regular appearances in the Hunslet team (38 matches, 10 tries) and on resuming his career after the war was selected for a trial for the 1920 tour but withdrew due to injury. In November 1921 he transferred to Leeds where he played 94 games, scoring 67 tries. He also played for Yorkshire and in a tour trial whilst at Headingley. After Leeds he moved to Bradford Northern making 5 appearances and 2 tries before moving back to Hunslet for four seasons and bringing his peace-time record to 166 matches 79 tries and 20 goals. His son, Ken, played 12 games for Hunslet just after WW2.
Harold Buck
In 1937 stand-off Oliver Morris came north form Pontypridd RU. At the end of his first season he played in the Championship final at Elland Road against Leeds for whom he would sign in August 1939. The fee was £1,000 with a further £500 if war did not break out within two months. Unfortunately it did and Hunslet had to forfeit the additional fee. He represented Wales whilst at both Parkside and Headingley and made war-time guest appearances for Castleford and Bradford Northern. He had played 55 games and scored 22 tries for Hunslet and sadly did not survive the war being killed in action in Italy in 1944.
Oliver Morris
Arthur Talbot signed on from Dewsbury in 1948 and spent his first season in the second team as he was a full-back and the incumbent was Tuss Griffiths, In his second season he picked up a few games at full-back and scrum-half, again being restricted by the presence of Ginger Burnell. Tuss moved to Doncaster in 1950 but Jack Evans got the nod as his replacement but Arthur got his chance at stand-off and made regular appearances there until Brian Gabbitas came on the scene. His versatility gave him the chance to cover for Burnell, Gabbitas and also at full-back when Billy Langton became the regular. He played in the 1956 Yorkshire Cup final when Ginger was unavailable and made a total of 226 appearances scoring 12 tries and 579 goals before moving to Batley in 1958.
Arthur Talbot
The 1929 Australian tourists faced Yorkshire today at Belle Vue Wakefield and the home side fielded a young side although the Yorkshire Post considered them to have a strong pack, well led by Hunslet man Hector Crowther. Fellow Parksiders George Chapman (loose forward), George Todd (stand-off) and Harry Beverley (centre) were also selected against the Australian test strength team. The forwards performed well but Todd and his scrum-half Annable didn’t quite gel, so the three-quarters rarely got moving. After conceding the first try Yorkshire replied when Todd intercepted and sent in Atkinson for a try which he converted and soon after Beverley went over after a passing move involving both Todd and Chapman but the Aussies levelled the score by half-time. Yorkshire tried to play in appositive manner in the second half but tourist’s class took them to a 25-12 win.
21st November….
When prop Sam Windmill was dismissed for striking today in 1976 against Huddersfield he wouldn’t have expected an eleven week suspension! The disciplinary panel handed him a three match ban but due to the big freeze that season it would take until 9th January to clear those matches off. Available to play Sam had to sit out a further four weeks before the weather relented and normal service was resumed.
The 1931 Yorkshire Cup final was held today at Headingley with Hunslet facing Huddersfield. In eight previous cup-ties Hunslet had only once come out as victors and that was back in 1893 with a 2-0 win in this same competition at Parkside. The papers reported that the Fartowners were so badly hit by injuries that they only had 13 fit men to make up a team. Having not won a trophy since 1908 Hunslet would have been fancying their chances of success as they were at full strength although Jack Walkington played with a painful carbuncle on the back of his neck. However, the Huddersfield pack at the time was a formidable unit and dominated the scrum possession starving the Hunslet three-quarters of any chance to create and the match was settled by goal kicks – a penalty and a drop goal for Huddersfield against a penalty for Hunslet.
The 1956 Australian tourists visited Parkside today. Hunslet were without the services of hooker Sam Smith and elected to play youngster John Kelly in his place. A converted try after three minutes got the visitors off to a flyer but Hunslet hung in through the first half with an Alf Burnell try and three Billy Langton penalties leaving them 9-13 behind at the break. Penalty goals were traded in the second half and it was only in the last twelve minutes that Australia put the game to bed with twelve points, winning 27-15. The best forward on the field was reported as an Australian but unfortunately for them he was in a Hunslet shirt, Arthur Clues having a storming game against his countrymen.
When Doncaster entered the league in 1951 their home ground was the Greyhound Stadium on York Road and in 1953 moved to Bentley Road Stadium, a ground which would later be named after their chairman Ken Tattersfield. It was Hunslet’s first visit to their new home today and they were up against two former Parksiders in Paddy Doyle and Fred Davies. Hunslet’s indiscipline was their downfall as they lost 7-10, all Doncaster’s points being from penalty goals. Ted Carroll was sent off towards the end of the game and while attending the disciplinary meeting to receive his six match ban was given a final warning as to his future behaviour.
Just one representative today in Walter Goldthorpe who travelled to Newcastle with Yorkshire to face Northumberland and they returned home with a 32-0 win under their belts.
