On debut today was half-back Steve Langton in 1989 at home to Dewsbury. He had signed from Batley and would be with Hunslet for four seasons making 50 appearances and scoring 11 tries. He also played for Bradford And Bingley RU and Carlisle.
Steve Langton
A Yorkshire County Trialat Batley in 1907 included Harry Wilson in the Probables and Freddie Farrar and Walter Wray in the Possibles. The Yorkshire Post was quite critical of the quality of rugby on show. Farrar had a chance to open the scoring in the first five minutes as he eluded all opposition except the full-back. Freddie elected to kick over him rather than try to beat him but the ball just ran dead as he chased up. Wilson was noted as prominent in forward play which was generally described as scrappy. The Probables won 16-15. In these days where player welfare is rightly carefully monitored it is interesting to look back at Harry Wilson’s 1907/08 season. He played in 35 Hunslet games including three Cup finals plus the Championship replay, the Yorkshire Trial, three County matches, three Northern Union Tests and an England game against New Zealand. That’s a total of 43 matches. Over Christmas / New Year he played five games in 10 days including the Yorkshire Cup final and Hunslet’s game against the Tourists.
Harry Wilson
In the 1960 World Cup it was Great Britain v Australia today at Odsal and Brian Shaw was in the GB pack. On a wet day Australia decided to ignore their backs and take the British pack to the wall. However the Hull Daily Mail said the “British pack…picked up the wall and hit Australia over the head with it”. The British forwards took turns at the play the ball then whipped the ball to their half-backs while the Aussie half-backs only seemed to get the ball when their forwards were tired of it. The British tactics worked as they won 10-3 but the game was no classic as an advertisement to the tv audience. This was the decider for the Trophy so Great Britain were 1960 World Champions.
There was a 1st round Yorkshire Cup-tie at Barley Mow against Bramley in 1932. On a heavy pitch churned up by a Juniors curtain-raiser. Bramley were in front at half time following a try and a penalty to a Crowther try for Hunslet, They had, however, missed a number of penalty kicks. Hunslet dominated the second half, the forwards ‘working cleverly; and the half-backs ‘worrying the defence into a state of impotence’. Jack Walkington was ‘outstanding’ at full-back as Hunslet won 18-5.
