Another bit of nostalgia relating to the famous old Leeds club: Hunslet RL. Once known as the Parksiders. Memories from bygone years As to the Hunslet RL Championship winning team of 1938, my father always said that he had never seen a better centre than Ernest Winter, and that Cyril Morrell, not far behind was one of the strongest men for his size in the game. Billy Thornton of course, the other half of the usual George Todd/Thornton partnership, was a mercurial bag of tricks, a master of the short kick through the defence, and there were none better than this partnership anywhere. Oliver Morris lodged in the old property,Cotton Mill Row, near Hunslet Lake bowling greens, and his future seemed assured when the Leeds club signed him later. Losing his life in Italy in world war 2 cut short what might have been a career on par with that of the great Welshman Barry John or any of the other great half-backs of either code. As for the rest of the team, we all knew the qualities of Sammy Newbound and Eddie Bennett who played on until the late 40s. And the rest of the team blended perfectly in attack and defence, until some more players called up for service, saw the best years of their playing careers war. An amusing anecdote relates to the first game as prop for the first team, of a young local lad, Colin Cooper. The match was against Warrington and the great Harry Bath was in opposition. The rain came down in buckets and thunder and lightening rent the air, but the game continued. When the game was over, walking into the dressing room, Colins shirt was in rags, he also had a blackening eye, a busted nose and a torn ear. But when the renowned Warrington prop complimented him on a good game, the young lad, probably embarrassed replied ‘A’nt it been a bloomin’ awful night? Having taken part in a Senior competition match at Headingley, when the coach dropped us in Infirmary Street, Ces Thompson, Sammy Newbound, Eddie Bennett and myself made our way to Whitelock‘s in Briggate. The others bought a pint or some other beverage, while I had a milk stout and we settled down to the usual type of conversation, mainly about the game. Ces, observing the sandwich Galley on the counter, swiftly cleared the lot. Thirty minutes or so later, two diminutive women appeared at the door wagging come hither fingers at the two props saying: ‘Come on lads, time to go’. And two of the most feared forwards in rugby league were led away like little lads. A wonderful story and one which Sammys wife remembered at the time of his death. At the same time Ces declared: I’ll have to get off Ernie, I’m still ruddy starving. And off he went home to his parent’s confectionary shop in Meanwood Road. Ces Thompson, later to graduate as an academic, was a natty dresser, always immaculately clad and wearing the latest diagonal, hopsack or pinstripe suits made by a local tailor; and quality shirts, ties and shoes bought from Hornes in Albion Place. He had a physique most men would envy, and once in a touch and pass game on the cricket pitch at Parkside, he caught Ted Carroll in a tender spot, after which Ted chased him around the cricket field roaring his disapproval. But it was all in good fun, and both players along like the rest of the lads were lifelong friends. Another game often played in the dressing room was the way such as Ted Carroll and others had the habit of trying to sprinkle Sloan’s liniment on the tender parts of Alf Burnell’s anatomy when on the massage table. Alf was never very happy but took it all in good part, fortunately for his tormentors as when on the field, Alf never took prisoners, Leeds Rhinos are top of the rugby league heap these days, while their old protagonists Hunslet, Hawks, after the demolition of the Hunslets Parkside ground, the movement of population and the unexpected sale of the are now in the lower leagues.. But it wasn’t always s in better days, as a look at the programme for the 1938 Championship final, between Hunslet and Leeds at Elland Road confirms. Being almost certain that I am one of an ever diminishing band of RL supporters present at the match, I was bound to sit up and take notice. It brought back a host of memories while also revealing some unexpected facts. 54000 attended that day when the ground was ablaze with the blue and yellow of Leeds and the myrtle while and flame of Hunslet. Alan Jones sung ‘Donkey Serenade’ on the tannoy sustems, the sun shone brightly and the excitement of the occasion was almost too much to bear for a mere eleven year old crammed into the boy’s pen at the Gelderd Road end. It had been rumoured that the great Australian Vic Hey would eliminate the threat of Hunslet’s Welsh wizard, Oliver Morris, partnering Billy Thornton at half-back. But early in the game, after a strong tackle by Hunslet centre Cyril Morrell on Hey, who was injured, the danger was diminished. At seven minutes Tattersfield, with the chance to put Leeds ahead after a penalty award, missed the kick. Mercurial Hunslet centre, Ernest Winter went over for a try on twenty three minutes; but the try was unconverted. Shortly after with the Hunslet faithful roaring their approval, and their side dominating the game, Irishman O’Sullivan grabbed another three points on twenty-nine minutes, slap in front of the boy’s enclosure at the Gelderd Road end; and as before the celebrations of the Hunslet supporters were deafening and prolonged. During most of the second half Leeds pressed strongly and were unfortunate not to score on a number of occasions. So much so that Hunslet’s relief was almost palpable when their captain, the great Jack Walkington dropped a wonderful goal from near the half-way line in the closing stages, putting the game beyond Leeds at 8-2; and with the Hunslet supporters giving a rousing rendition of ‘We’ve swept the seas before boys’ the Parksiders ran jubilantly around the pitch sporting the famous trophy. Unfortunately due to circumstances already explained, the nearest they came to repeating the success was in the late sixties, when they took part in one of the best RL finals ever against Wigan at Wembley. But the memories of that great day, when they were top of the RL world, will never diminish. Nor can the quality of the players or the style of rugby played, which many old time supporters believe was of the best. But perhaps most surprising, the programme shows that of the 26 players that day, not one was taller than six foot or above 14 stone in weight. The tallest being Stan Smith the Leeds winger; and the heaviest Sammy Newbound and Eddie Bennett of Hunslet. In later life Leeds winger Stan Smith was foreman at Tadcaster stone quarries and like Eric Batten came from the Kilnsey/Fitzwilliam area as also did Geff Boycott and boxer Alan Richardson some years later. The best years of Hunslet scrum-half Billy Thornton were lost to the war, and Lieutenant Oliver Morris, signed by Leeds soon after, was unfortunately killed in the Italian campaign, cutting short a career that promised to be outstanding. Many comments were made as to the future career of winger O’Sullivan, who seemed to disappear from the scene soon after the playoff. Some unkind and probably unwarranted commentwere made locally when, as the story goes, after scoring his try, he continued out of the ground into Gelderd Road and caught the train back to Ireland from central station, knowing war seemed likely. Be that as it may he was a fast and tricky winger who served the team well that day. Another little aside deriving from the same game, is a one often posed by old stagers, when they ask, with a pint at stake: Who was the player who kicked a goal over his own goalpost to help win a game away from home? Answers on a postcard please; or mine’s a pint of bitter! The answer of course is the great Jack Walkington, whose drop goal was over Hunslet’s own Parkside posts, installed at Elland Road (a soccer ground) for the match. Elland Road; April 30th 1938 Kick-0ff 3-30. Hunslet: Walkington, Batten, Morrell, Winter, O’Sullivan, Morris, Thornton, Tolson, White, Bennettt, Newbound, Stansfield, Plenderleith. Leeds: Eaton, Harris, Lingard, or Williams, Brogden, Smith, Hey, Jenkins, Satterthwaite, Murphy, Prosser, Tattersfield, Dyer, Whitehead or Duffy. Seems like only yesterday: But it really is one of my all-time yesterdays, one Ill never forget.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 16:43:28 +0000
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