1991 saw the introduction of a new 3 Division league structure with Hunslet playing in the new 14 team Third Division. There were also to be 14 Teams in the First Division (“Championship”) and 8 in the Second Division. This format lasted two seasons before reverting back to two divisions. Today was the first game in the new league, a 30-22 home win against Barrow.
In 2010 Paul March coached Hunslet to a promotion to the Championship from Championship One. Hunslet retained their status through the 2011 and 2012 seasons but today in 2013 saw them relegated back to Championship One after an 8-46 loss at Featherstone Rovers.
As 2013 ended, on the same day in 1894 what would prove to be Hunslet’s last season in Rugby Union was beginning. It was only in 1892/93 that Rugby Union brought in league format with Hunslet playing in the Yorkshire Senior Competition. That first season it was a ten team competition and Hunslet were runners-up to Bradford. 1893/94 saw a 7th place finish in a 12 team league and this last season would see them finish 5th of the 12 teams. These league games and the Yorkshire Cup Ties were the only “official” games played in Rugby Union. Fixture lists before 1892 and running alongside the YSC from 1892 were made up of “Ordinary” or “Club” games organised between the clubs so were technically friendlies.
The programme for the 1948 home game against Leeds today reported that electricity was finally to be switched on in the Parkside ground and that the “Hurricane Lamps and other contraptions by which the Pavillion and Ground have been lighted previously can be relegated to the ‘museum’ or scrapyard”. It had taken two years and overcoming many problems for the work to be completed. A modern amplifying system was sson to be installed at no expense to the club (although it didn’t say where the money was coming from) and the Ministry of Works had also granted a license for re-covering the Popular Stand Roof.
Debuts of players signed for the new seasons continued apace. Among them were :-
1888 William Stephens – a forward, he would play 124 games in six seasons. 1900 Tom Tunningley – also a forward, he played 78 games in three seasons after which he sadly passed away at a young age. A Yorkshire player. 1902 Harry Wilcox – 116 games in four seasons. He had signed from Bristol RU and he played in the 1905 Yorkshire Cup final. 1962 Fred Ward – brought in as player/coach he steered Hunslet to two Yorkshire Cup finals and a Wembley appearance as well as Yorkshire appearances. 1993 Giles Boothroyd – signed from Castleford, he was at Hunslet for five seasons and made 93 appearances scoring 27 tries. 1993 Eric Kibe – as far as I know our only Kenyan player, Eric played 45 times scoring 19 tries.
Eric Kibe
Yorkshire Cup ties today were in 1951, 1956 and 1974. The first of these followed the first league meeting between Hunslet and Doncaster three days earlier and it was again at Doncaster. Hunslet were without Alf Burnell, Jack Evans and Les Williams, having to bring in Waite, Sinclair and Ormondroyd. The 8,000 crowd saw Doncaster start with 12 men as former Parkside favourite Tuss Griffiths had not yet arrived. Arthur Talbot, who’s dropped ball led to the Dons winning drop goal in the league game, made amends with three first hald goals, the first appropriately a drop, to set Hunslet on the way to a 9-4 victory.
Arthur Talbot
In 1956 it was Doncaster again, this time at Parkside. The Dons had seven regulars out and proved to be no match for a full strength Hunslet, losing 0-45. Alan Snowden scored five tries.
The 1974 game was at home to Hull. After a bad start where Crewdson broke free and released Barron who fed Kenny Sykes for try, Hull tightened their defence and led 9-7 at half-time eventually winning 17-14.
