Making his debut today at The Athletic Grounds, Rochdale was Keith Mitchell, signed from Glasshoughton ARLFC initially as a half-back and later moving up to the forwards. Keith played 11 seasons for Hunslet including the 1986/87 promotion season. A total of 145 appearances yielded 20 tries and his last game for Hunslet was away at Blackpool Gladiators in a 42-14 win.
Signing on today from the Juniors was George “Benny” Goodman, a winger who in six seasons played 24 first team games and scored 8 tries.
A trip to Barrow brought the curtain down on Hunslet’s 1943/44 season. Mid table with 12 wins from 22 games with no cup success can at best be described as average. Arthur Thurling was the top try scorer with 17 and the goal kicking was shared between David Bennett and Bill Thompson with Jack Walkington on top with 17. Unusually, Thurling’s 51 points made him the highest points scorer, not one of the goal kickers. In the war years clubs were allowed to recruit guest players from other clubs and Hunslet’s players were in demand as no fewer than 10 appeared for others.
On the representative front Fred Smith had travelled down to Ebbw Vale in 1911 to help England to a 27-8 win over Wales.
Hunslet’s progress in the 1893 Yorkshire Cup came to an end today at Manningham with a 10-2 defeat. The 1899 Challenge Cup tie at home to Castleford brought a better result, a 16-0 win taking Hunslet into the quarter-finals. But 1905s quarter final was a bad day with a defeat by 2-8 over at Hull Kingston Rovers.
In 2007 Hunslet were drawn at home to face Hull in the Challenge Cup round 3 but switched the tie to the Kingston Communications Stadium. It is to be hoped that it was worth it financially as the team suffered a 0-78 defeat.
1907 was Hunslet’s first visit to Cavendish Park, Barrow. A long way back for the players after a 13-19 defeat
