13th December….
In 1890 Hull travelled to Parkside for a league game. On arrival they found an ice-bound pitch after an unexpected overnight frost. The captains and referee had a discussion and agreed to play an exhibition game as a fair number of spectators were already in the ground. There would be no tackling. Hunslet went about their work with gusto and two James Goldthorpe drop goals plus a try and a try by Charles Bennett put Hunslet in charge. It seems the Hull players were less eager than the home side offering little in the way of constructive football. Early in the second half the crowd was losing interest and the referee called a halt to proceedings. The match was declared as a draw.
In the two representative games played today Jack Evans was selected for Great Britain against Australia in the third Test of 1952 at Bradford. The match was bad-tempered to say the least. After a number of all-in brawls the newspaper sellers outside the ground were shouting “read all about the big fight”. The referee said afterwards that he wondered if he should have dismissed both teams. Great Britain were already two up in the three match series and Australia won this game 27-7. There is no record of who won the fights! Jack kicked two goals.
The following year Wales travelled to Marseille in the European Championship with Granville James and Les William in the side. In a dead rubber (England were already the Champions) the Welsh players still had places on the upcoming tour to play for. As the match swung from one side to the other it took a last minute try for France to win 23-22 and avoid the wooden spoon.
15th December….
Already two down in the three match series the 1951 New Zealand tourists appeared to take the chance to settle a few scores in this bad tempered match. Jack Evans was at full-back for GB. Great Britain won the match 16-12, New Zealand not managing to convert any of their tries. One feature of the game was that despite the running feuds not one penalty was given to either side in a kickable position.
In 1956 Geoff Gunney was on duty for Great Britain at Swinton in the third Test against Australia. The new music phenomenon of Rock ‘n’ Roll was used by GB in training and they even played it in the dressing room before the game but it was they who were rocked in the first quarter as the Aussies tore into them. However no points were forthcoming and once GB got on the scoresheet it became one-way traffic as five tries (and at least as many chances missed) gave the home side an easy 19-0 win, Geoff scoring one of the tries.
The 1926 New Zealanders faced Yorkshire today at Fartown and Hector Crowther was a try scorer as the Tykes won 19-18.
Back in 1900 Albert Lunn was in the Yorkshire pack against Cumberland at Hull, a match won 10-5 by Yorkshire.
16th December…
Yorkshire became County Champions today in 1912 and Hunslet provided five of the players for the match against Lancashire at Oldham. Billy Batten and Albert Jenkinson were in the three-quarters, Fred Smith at half-back and Herbert Banks and John Smales were in the pack. Batten contributed a couple of tries as Yorkshire won 20-8. It was their first Championship since 1904/05.
Batten, Smith and Jenkinson were also in the Northern Union side one year earlier against Australasia in the second test on the Hearts ground in Edinburgh. The home side built up an 11-3 half-time lead but an injury to Wood, the full-back, left them one man short on the hour and the Tourists took advantage to pull back to level at 11-11. Australasia had won the first Test so could not now lose the series.
18th December….
One notable debut today was that of stand-off/centre Mick Chamberlain at home to Featherstone Rovers in 1965. He had signed from Hunslet Juniors and would play 134 games scoring 20 tries before moving to Huddersfield in 1971.
Mick Chamberlain
The 1926 New Zealand Tourists visited Parkside today. Hunslet’s forwards were to get the better of the New Zealand six, and they built up a 13-2 interval lead, Hector Crowther, Harold Buck and George Broughton getting tries. There was no further scoring for Hunslet in the second half and their visitors came back into the game with two converted tires in the first ten minutes. Hunslet held on for the rest of the match for a 13-12 win.
The Kiwis were Yorkshire’s opponents in 1907 at Wakefield. Freddie Farrar was on the wing and Harry Wilson in the forwards but they could not help prevent a 4-23 defeat.
As the Second World War progressed the Rugby League arranged representative games between services teams and RL sides. Today in 1943 it was the turn of an Army XIII to take on a Rugby League XIII at Halifax. Sam Newbound and Les White were in the Army side. Travel problems meant late changes to both sides and White was absent at the kick off. He arrived shortly afterwards and was allowed to replace his stand in even though this was explicitly against the rules at the time. Ex-Hunslet man Eric Batten scored the RL’s third try to seal an 11-4 win.
