Normanton (Rugby League)
Encyclopedia
Normanton was a professional rugby league club.
The club was based in Normanton
, a small town
(population Approx. 20,000) within the City of Wakefield
in West Yorkshire
, England
.
The club joined the Northern Union
in 1898-99
and played for a total of five seasons until 1905-06
.
They played at the Mopsey Garth ground.
The club started out as founder members of the Yorkshire Senior Competition Division 2 (East)
, and moved as the competition structures changed.
Only limited County League information is available for the season 1901-02
spent in the Yorkshire Senior League.
Together with 14 other clubs including Hull Kingston Rovers
and Keighley
, Normanton were one of the founders of the third division of the Yorklshire Senior Competition (actually called the Yorkshire Rugby Union Intermediate Competitions) in 1893.
After the Great Schism in 1895, Normanton remained true to the Rugby Football Union. until eventually following the majority of other Yorkshire clubs and joining the Northern Union
in 1898. They, together with Eastmoor, Featherstone, Goole
, Hull Kingston Rovers
, Kinsley, Outwood Parish Church, Ripon, Rothwell, and York, were among the founders of the Yorkshire Second Competition (Eastern Section).
In season 1899-00
Normanton finished top of this league, and on the way beat Leeds
in the first round of the Challenge Cup before losing to Batley
in the second round.
In 1901-02
Normanton were elected into the Yorkshire Senior Competition where they finished a creditable 8th (and one place above local rivals Castleford) out of 14. (This Castleford club who played at the turn of the century had no connection whatsoever with the present Castleford Tigers
club)
At the end of the 1901-02
season, the County Leagues
elected 18 teams to join the new Division 2 (7 from Lancashire and 10 from Yorkshire and new member South Shields
) with the existing second competition scrapped.
1901-02
Normanton, being one of the fortunate ones, joined the new second division and finished 12th out of 18 teams.
1903-04
Normanton continued to play in the Second division, but struggled and finished in 17th (and bottom) place.
1904-05
was a little better and Normanton managed to finish 10th out of 14 (and one place below Castleford).
1905-06
saw the Rugby League revert to one single division of 31 clubs. Normanton finished in 26th position but in doing so ended the season in financial difficulties. The Northern Union allowed Millom
and Normanton to cancel their game due to the cost of travelling. At the end of the season Normanton was forced to fold. (Millom
, who finished one position below Normanton in 27th place also folded at the end of the season due to financial difficulties).
RL = Single Division; Pl = Games Played: W = Win; D = Draw; L = Lose; PF = Points For; PA = Points Against; Diff = Points Difference (+ or -); Pts = League Points
% Pts = A percentage system was used to determine league positions due to clubs playing varying number of fixtures and against different opponents
League points: for win = 2; for draw = 1; for loss = 0.
The club was based in Normanton
Normanton, West Yorkshire
Normanton is a town and civil parish within the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is northeast of Wakefield and southwest of Castleford, and at the time of the 2001 Census, the population was 19,949.-History:...
, a small town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
(population Approx. 20,000) within the City of Wakefield
City of Wakefield
The City of Wakefield is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. Wakefield is the district's administrative centre. The district includes the "Five Towns" of Normanton, Pontefract, Featherstone, Castleford and Knottingley. Other...
in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The club joined the Northern Union
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...
in 1898-99
1898-99 Northern Rugby Football Union season
The 1897–98 Northern Rugby Football Union season was the fourth season of rugby league football.-Season summary:The Lancashire Senior Competition was won by Broughton Rangers and the Yorkshire Senior Competition by Batley.-Lancashire Senior Competition:...
and played for a total of five seasons until 1905-06
1905-06 Northern Rugby Football Union season
The 1905–06 Northern Rugby Football Union season was the eleventh season of rugby league football.-Season summary:Leigh won the Championship for the first time this season and Bradford their first Challenge Cup....
.
They played at the Mopsey Garth ground.
The club started out as founder members of the Yorkshire Senior Competition Division 2 (East)
Rugby league county leagues
The Yorkshire League and the Lancashire League formed two sections of the Rugby Football League Championship for much of its history. Initially, the 22 clubs that broke away in 1895 played in one combined league, however the following season saw the addition of many clubs, and the League was split...
, and moved as the competition structures changed.
Only limited County League information is available for the season 1901-02
1901-02 Northern Rugby Football Union season
The 1901–02 Northern Rugby Football Union season was the seventh season of rugby league football.-Season summary:The top seven sides from both the Lancashire and the Yorkshire Senior 1900-01 competitions of the NRFU, resigned and merged into a new league in 1901-02, that was won by Broughton Rangers...
spent in the Yorkshire Senior League.
History
The first rugby club in Normanton was established in 1879 and used the Midland Hotel as its base.Together with 14 other clubs including Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006...
and Keighley
Keighley Cougars
Keighley Cougars are a professional rugby league club from Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. As of 2012 they will play in Co-operative Championship having won the Co-operative Championship 1 play off final 32-12 against Workington...
, Normanton were one of the founders of the third division of the Yorklshire Senior Competition (actually called the Yorkshire Rugby Union Intermediate Competitions) in 1893.
After the Great Schism in 1895, Normanton remained true to the Rugby Football Union. until eventually following the majority of other Yorkshire clubs and joining the Northern Union
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...
in 1898. They, together with Eastmoor, Featherstone, Goole
Goole (Rugby League)
Goole was a professional rugby league club.The club was based in Goole, a small town and port in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England...
, Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006...
, Kinsley, Outwood Parish Church, Ripon, Rothwell, and York, were among the founders of the Yorkshire Second Competition (Eastern Section).
In season 1899-00
1899-00 Northern Rugby Football Union season
The 1899–1900 Northern Rugby Football Union season was the fifth season of rugby league football.-Season summary:The Lancashire Senior Competition was won by Runcorn and the Yorkshire Senior Competition by Bradford....
Normanton finished top of this league, and on the way beat 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...
in the first round of the Challenge Cup before losing to 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...
in the second round.
In 1901-02
1901-02 Northern Rugby Football Union season
The 1901–02 Northern Rugby Football Union season was the seventh season of rugby league football.-Season summary:The top seven sides from both the Lancashire and the Yorkshire Senior 1900-01 competitions of the NRFU, resigned and merged into a new league in 1901-02, that was won by Broughton Rangers...
Normanton were elected into the Yorkshire Senior Competition where they finished a creditable 8th (and one place above local rivals Castleford) out of 14. (This Castleford club who played at the turn of the century had no connection whatsoever with the present Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
club)
At the end of the 1901-02
1901-02 Northern Rugby Football Union season
The 1901–02 Northern Rugby Football Union season was the seventh season of rugby league football.-Season summary:The top seven sides from both the Lancashire and the Yorkshire Senior 1900-01 competitions of the NRFU, resigned and merged into a new league in 1901-02, that was won by Broughton Rangers...
season, the County Leagues
Rugby league county leagues
The Yorkshire League and the Lancashire League formed two sections of the Rugby Football League Championship for much of its history. Initially, the 22 clubs that broke away in 1895 played in one combined league, however the following season saw the addition of many clubs, and the League was split...
elected 18 teams to join the new Division 2 (7 from Lancashire and 10 from Yorkshire and new member South Shields
South Shields (Rugby League)
South Shields was a professional rugby league club.The club was based in South Shields South Shields was a (semi) professional rugby league club.The club was based in South Shields South Shields was a (semi) professional rugby league club.The club was based in South Shields (known locally as just...
) with the existing second competition scrapped.
1901-02
1901-02 Northern Rugby Football Union season
The 1901–02 Northern Rugby Football Union season was the seventh season of rugby league football.-Season summary:The top seven sides from both the Lancashire and the Yorkshire Senior 1900-01 competitions of the NRFU, resigned and merged into a new league in 1901-02, that was won by Broughton Rangers...
Normanton, being one of the fortunate ones, joined the new second division and finished 12th out of 18 teams.
1903-04
1903-04 Northern Rugby Football Union season
The 1903–04 Northern Rugby Football Union season was the ninth season of rugby league football.-Season summary:The League Champions were Bradford and the Challenge Cup Winners were Halifax....
Normanton continued to play in the Second division, but struggled and finished in 17th (and bottom) place.
1904-05
1904-05 Northern Rugby Football Union season
The 1904–05 Northern Rugby Football Union season was the tenth season of rugby league football.-Season summary:Oldham won their first Division One Championship whilst Warrington won the Challenge Cup. St...
was a little better and Normanton managed to finish 10th out of 14 (and one place below Castleford).
1905-06
1905-06 Northern Rugby Football Union season
The 1905–06 Northern Rugby Football Union season was the eleventh season of rugby league football.-Season summary:Leigh won the Championship for the first time this season and Bradford their first Challenge Cup....
saw the Rugby League revert to one single division of 31 clubs. Normanton finished in 26th position but in doing so ended the season in financial difficulties. The Northern Union allowed Millom
Millom RLFC
Millom RLFC is an amateur rugby league club based in the town of Millom in Cumbria. It is one of the oldest amateur rugby league club in the world, having been founded in 1873....
and Normanton to cancel their game due to the cost of travelling. At the end of the season Normanton was forced to fold. (Millom
Millom RLFC
Millom RLFC is an amateur rugby league club based in the town of Millom in Cumbria. It is one of the oldest amateur rugby league club in the world, having been founded in 1873....
, who finished one position below Normanton in 27th place also folded at the end of the season due to financial difficulties).
New Club
A new club, Hopetown Rovers, was quickly formed in time for the new season. The new club joined the Wakefield and Dewsbury District League, using the Huntsman Inn as a base and playing on Normanton Common. Thus continuing the existence of a Rugby club in the town. The club later went through several transitions and name change including to Normanton ARLFC and finally Normanton Knights ARLFC in the early 1980sClub League Record
The League positions for Normanton for the 5 years in which they played (semi) professional Rugby League are given in the following table :-RL = Single Division; Pl = Games Played: W = Win; D = Draw; L = Lose; PF = Points For; PA = Points Against; Diff = Points Difference (+ or -); Pts = League Points
% Pts = A percentage system was used to determine league positions due to clubs playing varying number of fixtures and against different opponents
League points: for win = 2; for draw = 1; for loss = 0.
Several fixtures & results
The following are just a few of Normanton’s fixtures during the five season (and other times) in which they played (semi) professional Rugby League :-| Season | Date | Competition | Opponent | Venue | H/A | Result | Score | Att | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1897-98 | Sat 3 Sept 1898 | Yorks Sec Comp (East) | Derwsbury | Mopsey Garth | H | Won | 16-3 | ? | 1 | |
| 1899-00 | date unknown | CC R1 | 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... |
venue unknown | Won | ? | ||||
| 1899-00 | date unknown | CC R2 | 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... |
venue unknown | Lost | ? | ||||
| 1903-04 | Sat 3 Oct 1903 | 2nd Div | St Helens | Knowsley Rd Knowsley Road Knowsley Road was a stadium located in Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside. It was the home of St Helens RLFC from 1890 until its closure in 2010. St Helens Town FC played their home fixtures at Knowsley Road from 2002 until 2010. For a period, the venue also hosted Liverpool FC Reserves... |
A | Lost | 0-27 | ? | ||
| 1903-04 | Sat 30 Jan 1904 | 2nd Div | St Helens | Mopsey Garth | H | Lost | 6-8 | ? | ||
| 1905-06 | Sat 20 Jan 1906 | RL | St Helens | Knowsley Rd Knowsley Road Knowsley Road was a stadium located in Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside. It was the home of St Helens RLFC from 1890 until its closure in 2010. St Helens Town FC played their home fixtures at Knowsley Road from 2002 until 2010. For a period, the venue also hosted Liverpool FC Reserves... |
A | Lost | 3-28 | ? | ||
| 1905-06 | Sat 31 Mar 1906 | RL | St Helens | Mopsey Garth | H | Lost | 5-9 | ? | ||
| 1908-09 | Sat 27 Feb 1909 | Challenge Cup 1st Rd | Hull Hull FC Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull FC, is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition... |
Home | H | Lost | 10-20 | ? | ||
| 1912-13 | 17 Feb 1912 | Challenge Cup 1st Rd | 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.... |
Home | H | Drew | 6-6 | ? | ||
| 1912-13 | 19 Feb 1912 | CC 1st Round replay | 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.... |
Wilderspool Wilderspool Stadium Wilderspool Stadium is a rugby league stadium located in Warrington, England. The ground was Warrington RLFC's old ground before moving to the Halliwell Jones Stadium. It holds just over 9,000, after substantial decreases for crowd safety... |
A | Lost | 0-75 | ? | ||
See also
British rugby league systemBritish rugby league system
The British rugby league system is based on four separate structures: the professional leagues administered by the Rugby Football League, the reserve leagues, the amateur leagues administered by British Amateur Rugby League Association and the Rugby League Conference.There is no system of automatic...
1899-00 Northern Rugby Football Union season
1899-00 Northern Rugby Football Union season
The 1899–1900 Northern Rugby Football Union season was the fifth season of rugby league football.-Season summary:The Lancashire Senior Competition was won by Runcorn and the Yorkshire Senior Competition by Bradford....
1901–02 Northern Rugby Football Union season
1902–03 Northern Rugby Football Union season
1903–04 Northern Rugby Football Union season
1904–05 Northern Rugby Football Union season
1901–02 Northern Rugby Football Union season
Cumberland League
Cumberland League
The Cumberland League is a series of rugby league divisions in the traditional county of Cumberland.The league is run by the British Amateur Rugby League Association . Teams from the Cumberland league can apply for election to the National Conference League if they meet minimum...
Rugby league county leagues
Rugby league county leagues
The Yorkshire League and the Lancashire League formed two sections of the Rugby Football League Championship for much of its history. Initially, the 22 clubs that broke away in 1895 played in one combined league, however the following season saw the addition of many clubs, and the League was split...
List of defunct rugby league clubs
External links
- 1896–97 Northern Rugby Football Union season at wigan.rlfans.com
- Hull&Proud Fixtures & Results 1896/1897
- Widnes Vikings - One team, one passion Season In Review - 1896-97
- Saints Heritage Society
- Folly Field
- Normanton Knights ARLFC website
- Normanton Knights History
- Eastmoor Dragons ARLFC - Club Info - History 2