1895-96 Northern Rugby Football Union season
Encyclopedia
The 1895–96 Northern Rugby Football Union
season was the first ever season of semi-professional rugby football
, which formed the foundation of the modern-day sport of rugby league
. Twenty-two Northern English teams from both sides of the Pennines
broke away from the Rugby Football Union
to create and compete in their own competition. The inaugural championship ran from September, 1895 until April, 1896. The Northern Union's first season would prove so popular that the following season saw the addition of several more clubs, and the tournament was split into two separate county competitions.
(RFU) had been organising the British rugby football season for much of the late 19th century, maintaining rules of strict amateurism. However clubs from the largely working-class areas of Northern England
believed that their players should be compensated for time taken off work as a result of playing rugby. It was put forth in an RFU meeting that broken time payments should be allowed, but the motion was voted down and all clubs were required to prove their amateurism or face expulsion from the Union.
On Thursday, the 29th of August, 1895 delegates from twelve Yorkshire
and nine Lancashire
clubs met at The George Hotel
in Huddersfield
to discuss their dispute with the RFU over compensating players. They decided overwhelmingly to resign from the RFU and set up the Northern Rugby Football Union (to later be re-named the Rugby Football League
) and run a competition of their own in which broken time payments were allowed. Mr H. H. Waller, chairman of the Brighouse club, was elected the first ever chairman of the Northern Rugby Football Union. Of the clubs at that meeting, only Dewsbury backed out for the time being, but two Cheshire
clubs, Stockport and Runcorn had joined up by the time the new 'Northern Union' played its first games on 7 September.
The points system for the Northern Union's rugby was as follows:
The new Northern Union competition kicked off on Saturday 7, September 1895 and, before it had got properly started (before the second weekend's fixtures), there was a move to change the rules of the game to further the interest of spectators and to make rugby that was distinctively different from that authorised by the RFU. In an experimental game at Valley Parade
on 1 October between Manningham and Halifax, thirteen players were on each side, line-out
s were abolished and, for part of the game, a round ball was used. A fair crowd was attracted and virtually all the officials of the Northern Union looked on. Play was started with the round ball, but midway through the first half it burst. A conventional oval ball replaced it until another round ball could be found in the second half. Little attempt was made to dribble and kick the round ball and it was thus deemed not to be a success. The game ended 3-3, but the long-term ramifications for the Northern Union were to be great indeed.
The championship hung in the balance until the final game of the tournament. Manningham needed travel to Hunslet and win in order to beat Halifax by a single point and claim the first Northern Union title. The Manningham team left Midland Station at 2.10, but the committee elected to travel in two stagecoaches. A large following travelled with the team and the road adjacent to the ground was crowded with various vehicles flying banners, flags and even Chinese umbrellas in Manningham’s claret and amber colours.
The match was played at a furious pace. A crowd of around 15,000 saw the game swing from end to end. The referee at one point had to halt the match in order to caution the players of both sides as the game was getting extremely rough. The match remained scoreless until the second half when Manningham's Jack Brown attempted a drop kick
. The ball struck the post, but flew over the bar to wild cheers. Manningham won 4-0 and thereby became the first ever champions of the Northern Union.
The Northern Union held an additional contest, for determining county champions, and it was won by Lancashire with Yorkshire second and Cheshire third.
The season ended on 29 April, which made it three weeks longer than the footballers at the time were used to. Some clubs had also found the regular trans-Pennine journeys more difficult than they'd expected. Therefore before the season was over the Union had decided to discontinue the championship for the foreseeable future, and instead run enlarged county senior competitions.
The leading try scorer for the season was Jack Hurst from Oldham
who crossed the line 28 times. The leading goalkicker for the season was Lorimer of the Champions, Manningham, who was successful 35 times. The leading point scorer was shared between Cooper of Bradford and Lorimer of Manningham with a total of 106 points each.
Pld = Games played; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; PF = Match points scored; PA = Match points conceded; PD = Points difference; Pts = League points.
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
season was the first ever season of semi-professional rugby football
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, which formed the foundation of the modern-day sport of rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
. Twenty-two Northern English teams from both sides of the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
broke away from the Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
to create and compete in their own competition. The inaugural championship ran from September, 1895 until April, 1896. The Northern Union's first season would prove so popular that the following season saw the addition of several more clubs, and the tournament was split into two separate county competitions.
Background
The Rugby Football UnionRugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
(RFU) had been organising the British rugby football season for much of the late 19th century, maintaining rules of strict amateurism. However clubs from the largely working-class areas of Northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
believed that their players should be compensated for time taken off work as a result of playing rugby. It was put forth in an RFU meeting that broken time payments should be allowed, but the motion was voted down and all clubs were required to prove their amateurism or face expulsion from the Union.
On Thursday, the 29th of August, 1895 delegates from twelve Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and nine Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
clubs met at The George Hotel
George Hotel, Huddersfield
The George Hotel, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, situated in the centre of the city, is a Grade II listed building famous as the birthplace of rugby league football....
in Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
to discuss their dispute with the RFU over compensating players. They decided overwhelmingly to resign from the RFU and set up the Northern Rugby Football Union (to later be re-named the Rugby Football League
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
) and run a competition of their own in which broken time payments were allowed. Mr H. H. Waller, chairman of the Brighouse club, was elected the first ever chairman of the Northern Rugby Football Union. Of the clubs at that meeting, only Dewsbury backed out for the time being, but two Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
clubs, Stockport and Runcorn had joined up by the time the new 'Northern Union' played its first games on 7 September.
Season summary
Each team was to play all other teams twice - once at home and once away. This meant a longer than normal football season so it started a fortnight earlier than usual. In addition to the overall Northern Union championship, these games' results also counted towards final placings in the separate county competitions. The team with the highest standing on the table at the end of the season would be crowned champions of the tournament.The points system for the Northern Union's rugby was as follows:
- Converted tryTryA try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
- 5pts. - Drop goal 4 pts.
- Try alone - 3pts.
- PenaltyPenalty (rugby)In rugby football, the penalty is the main disciplinary sanction available to the referee to penalise players who commit deliberate infringements. The team who did not commit the infringement are given possession of the ball and may either kick it towards touch , attempt a place kick at goal, or...
goal - 3 pts.
The new Northern Union competition kicked off on Saturday 7, September 1895 and, before it had got properly started (before the second weekend's fixtures), there was a move to change the rules of the game to further the interest of spectators and to make rugby that was distinctively different from that authorised by the RFU. In an experimental game at Valley Parade
Valley Parade
Valley Parade, also known as the Coral Windows Stadium through sponsorship rights, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1886, and was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association...
on 1 October between Manningham and Halifax, thirteen players were on each side, line-out
Line-out
A line-out is the means by which, in rugby union, the ball is put back into play after it has gone into touch. It is the equivalent of the throw-in in soccer. Rugby league abolished line-outs in 1897...
s were abolished and, for part of the game, a round ball was used. A fair crowd was attracted and virtually all the officials of the Northern Union looked on. Play was started with the round ball, but midway through the first half it burst. A conventional oval ball replaced it until another round ball could be found in the second half. Little attempt was made to dribble and kick the round ball and it was thus deemed not to be a success. The game ended 3-3, but the long-term ramifications for the Northern Union were to be great indeed.
The match was played at a furious pace. A crowd of around 15,000 saw the game swing from end to end. The referee at one point had to halt the match in order to caution the players of both sides as the game was getting extremely rough. The match remained scoreless until the second half when Manningham's Jack Brown attempted a drop kick
Drop kick
A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it when it bounces off the ground. It contrasts to a punt, wherein the player kicks the ball without letting it hit the ground first....
. The ball struck the post, but flew over the bar to wild cheers. Manningham won 4-0 and thereby became the first ever champions of the Northern Union.
The Northern Union held an additional contest, for determining county champions, and it was won by Lancashire with Yorkshire second and Cheshire third.
- League Champions: Manningham
- Lancashire League Winners: Runcorn (from CheshireCheshireCheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
) - Yorkshire League Winners: Manningham
The season ended on 29 April, which made it three weeks longer than the footballers at the time were used to. Some clubs had also found the regular trans-Pennine journeys more difficult than they'd expected. Therefore before the season was over the Union had decided to discontinue the championship for the foreseeable future, and instead run enlarged county senior competitions.
The leading try scorer for the season was Jack Hurst from Oldham
Oldham Roughyeds
Oldham Roughyeds is an English professional rugby league club based in Oldham, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the Championship One. Oldham is one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895....
who crossed the line 28 times. The leading goalkicker for the season was Lorimer of the Champions, Manningham, who was successful 35 times. The leading point scorer was shared between Cooper of Bradford and Lorimer of Manningham with a total of 106 points each.
Championship ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manningham | 42 | 33 | 0 | 9 | 367 | 158 | 66 |
| 2 | Halifax Halifax RLFC Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town... |
42 | 30 | 5 | 7 | 312 | 139 | 65 |
| 3 | Runcorn | 42 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 314 | 143 | 56 |
| 4 | Oldham Oldham Roughyeds Oldham Roughyeds is an English professional rugby league club based in Oldham, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the Championship One. Oldham is one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895.... |
42 | 27 | 2 | 13 | 374 | 194 | 56 |
| 5 | Brighouse | 42 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 247 | 129 | 53 |
| 6 | Tyldesley | 42 | 21 | 8 | 13 | 260 | 164 | 50 |
| 7 | Hunslet Hunslet Hawks Hunslet Hawks is a professional rugby league club based in Hunslet, West Yorkshire, England. The club, sometimes known as 'the Parksiders' after their former stadium, are currently champions of Championship One.-History:-Early years:... |
42 | 24 | 2 | 16 | 279 | 207 | 50 |
| 8 | Hull | 42 | 23 | 3 | 16 | 259 | 158 | 49 |
| 9 | Leigh Leigh Centurions Leigh Centurions is an English professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester who play in the Co-operative Championship.The club was founded in 1878 as Leigh Rugby Football Club and is one of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in... |
42 | 21 | 4 | 17 | 214 | 269 | |
| 46 | ||||||||
| 10 | Wigan Wigan Warriors Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011.... |
42 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 245 | 147 | 45 |
| 11 | Bradford | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 254 | 175 | 45 |
| 12 | Leeds Leeds Rhinos Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League... |
42 | 20 | 3 | 19 | 258 | 247 | 43 |
| 13 | Warrington Warrington Wolves Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003.... |
42 | 17 | 5 | 20 | 198 | 240 | |
| 39 | ||||||||
| 14 | St. Helens | 42 | 15 | 8 | 19 | 195 | 230 | |
| 36 | ||||||||
| 15 | Liversedge | 42 | 15 | 4 | 23 | 261 | 355 | |
| 34 | ||||||||
| 16 | Widnes Widnes Vikings Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward... |
42 | 14 | 4 | 24 | 177 | 323 | |
| 32 | ||||||||
| 17 | Stockport | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 171 | 315 | |
| 32 | ||||||||
| 18 | Batley Batley Bulldogs Batley Bulldogs are an English professional rugby league club from Batley, West Yorkshire. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Batley is one of the original twenty-two rugby football clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895... |
42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 137 | 298 | |
| 31 | ||||||||
| 19 | Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts... |
42 | 13 | 4 | 25 | 156 | 318 | |
| 30 | ||||||||
| 20 | Huddersfield Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C.... |
42 | 10 | 4 | 28 | 194 | 274 | |
| 24 | ||||||||
| 21 | Broughton Rangers Broughton Rangers Broughton Rangers was a British rugby football, and subsequently a rugby league club. It was based in Broughton, Salford.-History:Broughton Rangers was founded in 1877 as Broughton and added Rangers for its second season... |
42 | 8 | 8 | 26 | 165 | 244 | |
| 24 | ||||||||
| 22 | Rochdale Hornets Rochdale Hornets Rochdale Hornets RLFC is an English professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. They currently play in Championship One... |
42 | 4 | 8 | 30 | 78 | 388 | |
| 16 |
| Champions |
Pld = Games played; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; PF = Match points scored; PA = Match points conceded; PD = Points difference; Pts = League points.
Notes
Operational rules
Broken time payments:- Although full-time professionalism was still banned, payments up to a maximum of six shillingShillingThe shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s per day were permitted for loss of a player's earnings as a result of playing (based on increases in average earnings, this would have been approximately £144 in 2009).
Sources
- The Great Schism at rugbyfootballhistory.com
- Rugby League's first season at rlhalloffame.org.uk
- 1895: The Birth of Rugby League at rl1908.com
- 1895–96 Northern Rugby Football Union season at wigan.rlfans.com
- Manningham's first season at bantamspast.co.uk
- Rugby League History at rlheritage.co.uk
- The History Of Rugby League at napit.co.uk
- The Northern Union at warringtonwolves.org
- Birthplace of Rugby League - article at examiner.co.uk