2nd August
Kenny Eyre was signed from the Intermediates for £25 and he was registered today in 1958. In his Hunslet career he appeared in the Championship, Yorkshire Cup and Challenge Cup finals. In 1961 he played in a combined City Of Leeds team (made up of players from the city’s three teams) against the New Zealand tourists. He was in Yorkshire’s 1964/65 shadow squad for the County Championship game with Cumberland and made his County debut the following season, again against the New Zealanders. Later the same season, after a non-playing sub role at Bradford, he made his debut for Great Britain against New Zealand in a 9-9 draw at Wigan. At the start of 1966/67, Kenny moved on to Headingley, another of the Wembley team to leave the club. He played for Leeds (with his brother, former Keighley player Albert) until 1970 when he reversed his brother’s journey by signing for Keighley. In his time at Parkside he made 228 appearances and scored 18 tries.
Joining Kenny on the same day was Breakfast Club regular Keith Rowson. Keith was largely an “A” team player, turning out just 17 times for the firsts. His debut was at York in a Yorkshire Cup tie and his last being in 1969 at Halifax. He scored 3 tries and 5 goals.
3rd August….
In 1981 Hunslet signed goalkicking winger Eric Fitzsimons from Oldham for a nominal fee and he would make his debut against his old club at the end of the month, kicking 5 goals. He was a regular winger for four seasons, kicking 332 goals, 26 drop goals and scoring 15 tries. He twice broke the goals and points in a season record for the re-formed club – 112 and 245 in 1982/83 and the following season increased this to 113 and 264. In March 1984 he broke his leg and returned in 1984/85 to make just three more appearances before transferring to Rochdale Hornets. He later coached at Rochdale, Oldham and Whitehaven. He had also played football for Oldham Athletic, Bradford Park Avenue and Bury.
In 1932 hooker Les White was in the Great Britain side for a Tour Match with South Auckland in Waikato, New Zealand and he helped himself to two tries in the largest win of the tour, 64-11, and this was despite heavy rain showers which restricted their passing!
1966 saw a return to the same venue to play Waikato and Bill Ramsey emulated Les’s feat in getting a brace of tries in a 47-11 win. It was noted in the match reports that the GB pack averaged two stone a man heavier than their Kiwi opponents.
4th August…
In 2018 Hunslet equalled their highest points total when they put 86 past West Wales. Joe Sanderson equalled Billy Langton record for goals in a match with 13.
At the end of 2011 , Paul March had steered Hunslet to a 7th placed finish and an avoidance of relegation thanks to the bonus point system in use at the time. It was the first time Hunslet had survived in the higher division after a promotion season. They would have achieved it in 1963/64 but the RL cancelled the third season of the two division expiriment and reverted back to one. Paul moved on for the next serason to coach Keighley Cougars.
