Pilkington Recs
Encyclopedia
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| Full name | Pilkington Recs A.R.L.F.C |
| Emblem | Pilkington Shield |
| Colours | Red, amber and black |
| Founded | 1878 |
| Sport | Rugby League |
| League | North West Counties North West Counties The North West Counties A.R.L. are a series of rugby league regional leagues covering the following age groups in the North West of England:-* Age 8 to 12* Age 13 to 15* Age 16 to 18* Open Age... |
| Ground | Windle City Road |
| Official Website | http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/pilkingtonrecsarlfc/ |
The Recs Rugby Football Club is an amateur 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...
team based in St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
.
History
The club was founded in 1878 as part of the sports and recreational section of Pilkington Glass. The side played rugby, and occasionally association football.However, on 14 June 1913, to discuss the future of the club. It was announced that the club would drop association football to rugby football. After considerable discussion, it was unanimously agreed to join the constitution of the Northern Rugby Football Union Football (later 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...
). The Recs officially known as St Helens Recs were based at City Road and played their first game on 6 September 1913.
St Helens now had two professional sides with St Helens RLFC being the other professional club. During the 1920s and 1930s the Recs played at every level of competition, hosting visiting Australian touring sides, and gaining honours in the game. Despite their success on the pitch, they played their last game on 29 April 1939. The game was away at Hull K.R.
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 Recs lost 25-12. The club had been suffering for a while on falling attendances and the economic depression it was not possible for the town to sustain two teams.
In 1945, following the Second World War, rugby league matches resumed including amateur games. In 1949 a group of Pilkington employees submitted an application to the Pilkington Recreation Club Committee at Grove Street to form an amateur rugby league team. Their first match on 27 August 1949 against local amateur side, Vine Tavern, and played away at their ground.
The Recs lost 32-3 in front of a 2,000 strong crowd. However, later in the season the Recs won return match 15-13 in front of an estimated 4,000 crowd.
On 13 February 1977 the Recs drew a home fixture in the Challenge Cup against Wigan. The game was played at Knowsley Road
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...
as the City Road venue could not accommodate the number of spectators.
Club house fire
On 10th of June 2011, it was reported that the team's clubhouse on City Road was on fire. Club officials, who had been alerted to the blaze, scrambled to save kit and equipment from the changing rooms before the fire tore through the building.Players earning international caps while at St. Helens Recs
- F. Albert BaileyAlbert BaileyF. Albert Bailey is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1930s who at representative level has played for England, and at club level for St. Helens Recs, playing at , or , i.e. number 2 or 5, or, 3 or 4.-International honours:...
won caps for England while at St. Helens Recs 1934 France - Frank BowenFrank BowenFrank Bowen is a former professional rugby league footballer of the 1920s who at representative level has played for Great Britain, and at club level for St. Helens Recs, playing at , or , i.e. number 8 or 10, or, 11 or 12, during the era of contested scrums....
won caps for Great Britain while at St. Helens Recs in 1928 against New Zealand (3 matches) - Thomas "Tommy" DingsdaleThomas DingsdaleThomas "Tommy" Dingsdale is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1920s who at representative level has played for England, and at club level for St. Helens Recs, and York, playing at , i.e. number 1.-International honours:...
won caps for England while at St. Helens Recs 1928 Wales
- Oliver DolanOliver DolanOliver Dolan is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1930s who at representative level has played for England, and at club level for St. Helens Recs.-International honours:...
won caps for England while at St. Helens Recs 1932 Wales - Albert 'Alec' FildesAlbert FildesAlbert 'Alec' E. Fildes is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1920s and '30s who at representative level played for Great Britain, and England, and at club level for St. Helens Recs, and St. Helens, playing at , or /, i.e...
won caps for England while at St. Helens Recs 1927 Wales, 1929 Other Nations, and won caps for Great Britain while at St. Helens Recs 1926-27 New Zealand (2 matches), 1928 Australia (3 matches), New Zealand (3 matches), 1929-30 Australia (3 matches), while at St. Helens 1932 Australia, New Zealand (3 matches)
- John "Johnny" GreenallJohn GreenallJohn "Johnny" Greenall is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1920s who at representative level has played for Great Britain, and England, and at club level for St. Helens Recs, playing at /, i.e. number 6.-International honours:...
won caps for England while at St. Helens Recs 1923 Wales (2 matches), and won caps for Great Britain while at St. Helens Recs 1921-22 Australia - James "Jim" OwenJames Owen (rugby league)James "Jim" Owen is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1920s who at representative level has played for Great Britain, and England, and at club level for St. Helens Recs, playing at , i.e. number 2 or 5.-International honours:...
won caps for England while at St. Helens Recs 1921 Wales, Other Nations, Australia, 1923 Wales (2 matches), and won caps for Great Britain while at St. Helens Recs 1921-22 Australia
- James "Jimmy" Pyke, won a cap for England (RU) while at St. Helens Recs in 1892 against Wales
- James "Jim" WallaceJames Wallace (rugby league)James "Jim" Wallace is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1920s who at representative level has played for Great Britain, and England, and at club level for St. Helens Recs, playing at , i.e. number 2 or 5.-International honours:...
won caps for England while at St. Helens Recs 1925 Wales, 1926 Other Nations, and won caps for Great Britain while at St. Helens Recs 1926-27 New Zealand
Other notable players
- Bob DagnallBob DagnallRobert "Bob" Dagnall is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1960s who at representative level has played for Great Britain, and at club level for Rochdale Hornets, St. Helens, and St Helens Recs, playing at , i.e...
- Stanley "Stan" Hill (Forward)
- Tommy Smith Father of St Helens RLFC's Wilf Smith
- Dave Archer (Flyin' winger)