The first competitive game for the newly formed Hunslet Rugby club was approaching and today in 1883 a second practise match was held at Woodhouse Hill to determine the players for the fixture.

In 1962/63 the Rugby League started a three year trial of two Divisions. With 16 teams in each division more fixtures were needed (previous seasons had 38 or 36 games). The County Leagues had been dropped and Eastern and Western Divisional Championships were introduced with all teams playing four other teams home and away. The top four would compete in a play-off. I cannot find anything on how the opposition was decided on but Hunslet, despite being in the Second Division, played four First Division teams.  They made a good stab at it though winning four of their eight matches, ending with an away match at Bramley today which was won 18-12. They finished 8th in the 16 team league. This was played as a pre-season competition along with Yorkshire Cup ties and the first league games were played on 6th October. Hull Kingston Rovers beat Huddersfield 13-10 in the Play-Off final.

One of the “Terrible Six” made  his debut today. Walter Wray had signed in 1900 from Methley Parish Church. He played in the Yorkshire Cup finals in 1905 and 1907. He played in three County trials but was only selected once, in 1905. After 221 games and 10 tries he transferred to York.

Walter Wray

Loose forward George Chapman also made his bow today in 1923. He signed from Normanton and in 1929 he played in the Yorkshire Cup final and for Yorkshire. During his 8 season Hunslet career, he made 208 appearances and scored 45 tries. He then transferred to Batley.   

George Chapman

In 1906 Hunslet travelled to wigan and lost 4-37. This was Hunslet’s highest score against and widest margin of defeat since the club formed in 1883

In 1900 Hunslet played away at Holbeck winning 13-0. Holbeck played at Elland Road on the ground now occupied by Leeds United and Hunslet would not play there again until the 1938 Championship final against Leeds.

By coincidence, in 1958 Hunslet arranged to play their home game with Leeds today under the Elland Road floodlights. In a game for partisans rather than neutrals tries from Billy Walker, Colin Cooper and Brian Gabbitas gave Hunslet a 15-8 win, the Hunslet supporters singing “We’ve Swept The Seas Before” as the players left the field. After a very wet day, 19,289 turned out to watch.

In 1913 William Fowler played for Cumberland against Lancashire at Broughton Rangers’ new ground, The Cliff. The home side were far superior to Cumberland winning 24-3.

Cumberland were in action again in 1952, this time against Yorkshire at Workington. Yorkshire threw the ball around with speed and craft but it was not enough against a fine Cumberland defence. Hunslet’s Keith Bowman scored a try for Yorkshire but they lost 7-8. Cumberland had played with 12 men from the 14th minute. Bowman and Cracknell on the wings both had tries denied by the corner flag and Ledgard missed 3 goal kicks, the last in the last minute which would have given Yorkshire the victory.   

Keith Bowman