Radcliffe (Rugby League)
Encyclopedia
Radcliffe was a professional rugby league club.
The club was based in Radcliffe
, a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury
, in Greater Manchester
, England
.
The club joined the Northern Union
in 1901-02 and played for the single season in the Lancashire Senior Competition
, which was effectively Division 2 (West). Only limited County League information is available for this season.
in the first round of the 1897 Challenge Cup
, losing by 3 points to nil. The following year they entered the second Challenge Cup competition and lost again in the first round, this time away to Hull
at the Boulevard
by 19 points to nil.
Very little else is known about the Radcliffe 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. This meant that teams were excluded from the senior competitions leaving them with several options :-
a) Join the new Lancashire League or the Lancashire Combination (reserve grade)
b) Join a new Yorkshire Senior League
c) reverting to amateur status within the Northern Union
d) revert back to rugby union
e) turn to Association Football, which many clubs did
f) fold
Radcliffe were one of the 4 Yorkshire (Goole
, Heckmondwike
, Liversedge and Sowerby Bridge
) and 2 Lancashire clubs (the other being Altrincham
) not elected to the new Division 2, but it is unknown as to which route the club followed. In Cherry and White it is said that the club "disappeared".
Some of the achievements are as follows:-
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 Radcliffe
Radcliffe, Greater Manchester
Radcliffe is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground in the Irwell Valley, along the course of the River Irwell, south-west of Bury and north-northwest of Manchester. Radcliffe is contiguous with the town of Whitefield to the...
, a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury
Metropolitan Borough of Bury
The Metropolitan Borough of Bury is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. Lying to the north of the City of Manchester, the borough is composed of six towns: Bury, Ramsbottom, Tottington, Radcliffe, Whitefield and Prestwich, and has a population of 181,900...
, in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, 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 1901-02 and played for the single season in the Lancashire Senior Competition
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...
, which was effectively Division 2 (West). Only limited County League information is available for this season.
History
The club had been founded some years before their single year in the (semi) professional ranks. They had been drawn away to WiganWigan 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....
in the first round of the 1897 Challenge Cup
1897 Challenge Cup
The first Rugby League Challenge Cup competition was held in 1897, and although much has been written about the final, there is a dearth of information about the competition as a whole.- Background :...
, losing by 3 points to nil. The following year they entered the second Challenge Cup competition and lost again in the first round, this time away to 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...
at the Boulevard
The Boulevard (Stadium)
The Boulevard was a multi-purpose stadium in Hull, England. The venue was saved from demolition and reopened on 25 October 2007 as the home of greyhound racing in the city. It can also be used as a community stadium hosting amateur rugby league matches...
by 19 points to nil.
Very little else is known about the Radcliffe club.
At the end of the 1901-02 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. This meant that teams were excluded from the senior competitions leaving them with several options :-
a) Join the new Lancashire League or the Lancashire Combination (reserve grade)
b) Join a new Yorkshire Senior League
c) reverting to amateur status within the Northern Union
d) revert back to rugby union
e) turn to Association Football, which many clubs did
f) fold
Radcliffe were one of the 4 Yorkshire (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...
, Heckmondwike
Heckmondwike (Rugby League)
Heckmondwike was a professional rugby league club.The club was based in Heckmondwike , a small town in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, which is located geographically at the centre of West Yorkshire, England....
, Liversedge and Sowerby Bridge
Sowerby Bridge (Rugby League)
Sowerby Bridge was a professional rugby league club.The club was based in Sowerby Bridge, a small market town that lies within the Upper Calder Valley in the district of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, northern England, and approximately 3 miles from Halifax.The club joined the Northern Union in...
) and 2 Lancashire clubs (the other being Altrincham
Altrincham (Rugby League)
Altrincham was a professional rugby league club.The club was based in Altrincham, a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England.The town was originally in the County of Cheshire....
) not elected to the new Division 2, but it is unknown as to which route the club followed. In Cherry and White it is said that the club "disappeared".
Club league record
In the single season in which Radcliffe played (semi) professional Rugby League, 1901-02, there are few records readily available.Some of the achievements are as follows:-
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 and results
The following are just a few of Radcliffe’s fixtures during the sole season (and others) in which they played (semi) professional Rugby League :-| Season | Date | Competition | Opponent | Venue | H/A | Result | Score | Att | Notes | Ref | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896-97 | Sat 20 Mar 1897 | Challenge Cup 1st Rd | 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.... |
Folly Field | A | Lost | 0-3 | ? | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1897-98 | Sat 5 Mar 1898 | 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... |
Boulevard The Boulevard (Stadium) The Boulevard was a multi-purpose stadium in Hull, England. The venue was saved from demolition and reopened on 25 October 2007 as the home of greyhound racing in the city. It can also be used as a community stadium hosting amateur rugby league matches... |
A | Lost | 0-18 | ? | |||||||||||||
| 1901-02 | 28 Sept 1901 | Lancs Senior | 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... |
Lowerhouse Lane Halton Stadium The Stobart Stadium Halton is a rugby league stadium in Widnes, England. The Widnes Vikings play their home games there as do Everton Reserves... |
A | Lost | 0-28 | ? | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 1901-02 | Sat 2 Nov 1901 | Lancs Senior | St Helens | Home | A | Lost | 0-19 | ? | |||||||||||||
| 1901-02 | Sat 7 Dec 1901 | Lancs Senior | 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 | 6-23 | ? | |||||||||||||
| 1901-02 | 12 Oct 1901 | Lancs Senior | 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... |
Home | H | Lost | 3-14 | ? | |||||||||||||
| 1901-02 | 18 Jan 1902 | Lancs Senior | 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... |
Lowerhouse Lane Halton Stadium The Stobart Stadium Halton is a rugby league stadium in Widnes, England. The Widnes Vikings play their home games there as do Everton Reserves... |
A | Lost | 0-40 | ? | 2 | | |- |
1901-02 | Sat 8 Mar 1902 | Lancs Senior | 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.... |
Springfield Park Springfield Park (Wigan) Springfield Park was a multi-purpose stadium in Wigan, England. It was the home ground of Wigan Athletic F.C. until the club moved to the new JJB Stadium after the 1999 season. At its largest, the stadium held 40,000... |
A | Lost | 0-22 | ? | 3 | |
| 1901-02 | Mon 7 Apr 1902 | Lancs Senior | 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.... |
Home | H | Lost | 5-21 | ? |
See also
- British rugby league systemBritish rugby league systemThe 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...
- Season 1901-02
- Cumberland LeagueCumberland LeagueThe 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 leaguesRugby league county leaguesThe 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