Leeds rugby clubs

[Chiron]

pashy2 wrote: Hi Parksider,Your list of the Sunday League brought back many great memories.I was in Leeds in 70&71 and played for the Bramley Wasps & Bramley Tigers ( Bramley Social Club teams).Some of the other teams we played were:The Rising Sun (Milford)Lock Lane ( Castleford )The Black Pointer ( Castleford )High Royds ? Hospital ( Wakefield )A pub team from York ( played on The Chase always covered in cow clap)-- never drank at their pub- always stopped in Taddy for light refreshments on the way home.Some of the blokes in the team were Dave Ballard, Graham Pierce,Dave Bowe, Pete Found, Jim Ripley,Allan Harker,Denis Horner,Pete Cuddy, Dave Horan all great team mates. We had a ball.Happy New Year you SLeazers-- keep on threading! Do you remember Malcolm Poutney and the Holliday brothers? I played with them at General Accident in the late 60s and when GA folded they moved to Bramley Social Club. I remember games at Bramley Social Club they always had big crowds and a long walk back from Bradford Road to the cellar of the club where we changed sitting on piles of builders rubble!I think the changing facilities did improve in later years.

[book]

I played for the Woodway at Hawksworth for few years before changing codes to play for the Old Mods There are many teams I remember playing against including Bramley Band, Lion and Lamb, Spotted Cow. The bigger clubs in that part of Leeds for RL were Milford, Queens, George. I remember playing at Archy Gordon plaing fields as a boy which I think is now Leeds Rugby training ground at Kirkstall

[The Parksider]

pashy2 wrote: Hi Parksider,Your list of the Sunday League brought back many great memories.I was in Leeds in 70&71 and played for the Bramley Wasps & Bramley Tigers ( Bramley Social Club teams).Some of the other teams we played were:A pub team from York ( played on The Chase always covered in cow clap)-- never drank at their pub- always stopped in Taddy for light refreshments on the way home. Aha, the Bramley names mystery solved.Was it Acorn or maybe southlands at York?"Light" refreshments I don't believe........

[pashy2]

Chiron,I remember a couple of Mals in the club but after 40 years and 3 million pints I forget their surnames, and I vaguely remember a couple of brothers in the team.Other players were Dennis Casson, John Aveyard and coach Bill Ellis. It was definitely a long walk back to the club from the ground at the top of Bramley Falls wood especially if you'd been smashed up by a 5 ton forward.Parksider,The York team we played was definitely the Acorn.You're right the refreshments were not too light. When we got back to the club or The Black Lion our awaiting and adoring girlfriends could not get a bloody word of sense out of us.You old players would know what that's all about.Beautiful Rugby

[wayniac]

Chiron wrote: This is a very interesting thread. I played for Leeds Chirons from 1964 until 1969 and again in 1979. I wrote the story of what happened to the club in my book Leeds Who? (copies available at Philip Howard Books on Street Lane.) The club was formed in 1923 and the name disappeared in 1988 when it merged with Kitson College to form a club called Oakwood.Leeds Corinthians, mentioned in an earlier post, were great rivals. the club was originally called Leeds Salem changing its name to Leeds Corinthians in 1956. Corinthians have played on three different grounds in Middleton. When I first played against them they used Middleton Clearings for home games, they then moved to a new ground where the golf course is now, ending up at there present location a few years later. Interesting and I've just ordered the book!I played rugby at Temple Moor and remember playing against most of the secondary schools in the 60's. Matthew Murray had a union team as well as Foxwood. Back in the day, Foxwood had Steve Pitchford and he was built like a truck and was very hard to stop.When we played at Matthew Murray (an afternoon game) we had to hide in the changing rooms after the game to avoid the thugs who were going to give us a belting for beating their side. They had a big Indian guy who played in the centre and one of out guys coat-hangered him and he wasn't so effective after that.Temple Moor had an interesting fixture list, we played quite a few East Riding teams such as Goole and Hull GS as well as some of the gun Wakefield area sides such as QEGS and Castleford Grammar. Our game against Castleford was abandoned by the referee and we received six of the best on Monday morning for a variety of charges.I played some 11 a side league for Sheepscar and another pub team (can't remember who). A good mate of mine, Graham Sparks played for Chirons for a while. Graham was a huge guy with long black hair like an Indian chief. He also played for Sheepscar along with his cousin Colin.I shifted to Harrogate and played a few seasons for Harrogate Georgians. They had a tough fixture list including Headingley, Roundhay, Sale, Orrell, Melrose, Nottingham. I remember playing West Park Bramhope and getting sent off for the only time in my playing career. Rugby League was always my favourite game. Supported Hunslet until I emigrated to Australia. Saw the 1962 Yorkshire Cup win and was devastated by the 1965 loss to Wigan in the Challenge Cup final.Bill Ramsey of Hunslet is my Mum's cousin. Now he could play.....

[Chiron]

wayniac wrote: Chiron wrote: This is a very interesting thread. I played for Leeds Chirons from 1964 until 1969 and again in 1979. I wrote the story of what happened to the club in my book Leeds Who? (copies available at Philip Howard Books on Street Lane.) The club was formed in 1923 and the name disappeared in 1988 when it merged with Kitson College to form a club called Oakwood.Leeds Corinthians, mentioned in an earlier post, were great rivals. the club was originally called Leeds Salem changing its name to Leeds Corinthians in 1956. Corinthians have played on three different grounds in Middleton. When I first played against them they used Middleton Clearings for home games, they then moved to a new ground where the golf course is now, ending up at there present location a few years later. Interesting and I've just ordered the book!I played rugby at Temple Moor and remember playing against most of the secondary schools in the 60's. Matthew Murray had a union team as well as Foxwood. Back in the day, Foxwood had Steve Pitchford and he was built like a truck and was very hard to stop.When we played at Matthew Murray (an afternoon game) we had to hide in the changing rooms after the game to avoid the thugs who were going to give us a belting for beating their side. They had a big Indian guy who played in the centre and one of out guys coat-hangered him and he wasn't so effective after that.Temple Moor had an interesting fixture list, we played quite a few East Riding teams such as Goole and Hull GS as well as some of the gun Wakefield area sides such as QEGS and Castleford Grammar. Our game against Castleford was abandoned by the referee and we received six of the best on Monday morning for a variety of charges.I played some 11 a side league for Sheepscar and another pub team (can't remember who). A good mate of mine, Graham Sparks played for Chirons for a while. Graham was a huge guy with long black hair like an Indian chief. He also played for Sheepscar along with his cousin Colin.I shifted to Harrogate and played a few seasons for Harrogate Georgians. They had a tough fixture list including Headingley, Roundhay, Sale, Orrell, Melrose, Nottingham. I remember playing West Park Bramhope and getting sent off for the only time in my playing career. Rugby League was always my favourite game. Supported Hunslet until I emigrated to Australia. Saw the 1962 Yorkshire Cup win and was devastated by the 1965 loss to Wigan in the Challenge Cup final.Bill Ramsey of Hunslet is my Mum's cousin. Now he could play..... Fascinating, it sounds you were playing around the same time that I was. I attended Matthew Murray just after the school opened but we didn't have a rugby team in those days. I think the school started playing rugby in the late 60s. I didn't know Graham Sparks but I am sure some of the old Chirons players will. Bill Ramsey certainly could play he would also have been outstanding in the modern game.I hope that you enjoy the book

[PJ]

iansmithofotley wrote: Hi Chiron,I can remember people mentioning a team called 'Blackmoor' around the 60's/70's. I think that they were from the area around the Tynwalds/Lingfields council estates off Blackmoor Road at Moortown but I have no idea where they played.Ian Ian,I too remember playing against Blackmoor RU in the late sixties.They were based in a social club type of place off Cranmer Road. Their home pitch was the playing fields at what is now Allerton HS. We used to get changed at the club and walk across the road.

[Johnny39]

pashy2 wrote: Chiron,I remember a couple of Mals in the club but after 40 years and 3 million pints I forget their surnames, and I vaguely remember a couple of brothers in the team.Other players were Dennis Casson, John Aveyard and coach Bill Ellis. It was definitely a long walk back to the club from the ground at the top of Bramley Falls wood especially if you'd been smashed up by a 5 ton forward.Parksider,The York team we played was definitely the Acorn.You're right the refreshments were not too light. When we got back to the club or The Black Lion our awaiting and adoring girlfriends could not get a bloody word of sense out of us.You old players would know what that's all about.Beautiful Rugby Was the Acorn pub in York run by former Leeds & Hunslet player Geoff Stevenson at one time. I know he did run a pub in York but not sure which one. The Acorn R.L. connection may be playing tricks with my memory.

[Chiron]

Johnny39 wrote: pashy2 wrote: Chiron,I remember a couple of Mals in the club but after 40 years and 3 million pints I forget their surnames, and I vaguely remember a couple of brothers in the team.Other players were Dennis Casson, John Aveyard and coach Bill Ellis. It was definitely a long walk back to the club from the ground at the top of Bramley Falls wood especially if you'd been smashed up by a 5 ton forward.Parksider,The York team we played was definitely the Acorn.You're right the refreshments were not too light. When we got back to the club or The Black Lion our awaiting and adoring girlfriends could not get a bloody word of sense out of us.You old players would know what that's all about.Beautiful Rugby Was the Acorn pub in York run by former Leeds & Hunslet player Geoff Stevenson at one time. I know he did run a pub in York but not sure which one. The Acorn R.L. connection may be playing tricks with my memory. An old team mate from General Accident days told me today that Jeff Stevenson was landlord at the Fisherman's Hut in the late 60s and also organised the rugby team that played in the Leeds Sunday League.

[Chiron]

Chiron wrote: Johnny39 wrote: pashy2 wrote: Chiron,I remember a couple of Mals in the club but after 40 years and 3 million pints I forget their surnames, and I vaguely remember a couple of brothers in the team.Other players were Dennis Casson, John Aveyard and coach Bill Ellis. It was definitely a long walk back to the club from the ground at the top of Bramley Falls wood especially if you'd been smashed up by a 5 ton forward.Parksider,The York team we played was definitely the Acorn.You're right the refreshments were not too light. When we got back to the club or The Black Lion our awaiting and adoring girlfriends could not get a bloody word of sense out of us.You old players would know what that's all about.Beautiful Rugby Was the Acorn pub in York run by former Leeds & Hunslet player Geoff Stevenson at one time. I know he did run a pub in York but not sure which one. The Acorn R.L. connection may be playing tricks with my memory. An old team mate from General Accident days told me today that Jeff Stevenson was landlord at the Fisherman's Hut in the late 60s and also organised the rugby team that played in the Leeds Sunday League. I found a photo of the Fishermans Hut on this link from another threadhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqN_q1uzkv8