Thatto Heath Crusaders 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...

 club situated in Thatto Heath

Thatto Heath

Thatto Heath is an area of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies approximately north-northwest of Widnes and about east of Liverpool city centre...

, 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...

. The club currently competes in the National Conference League

National Conference League

The National Conference League is the top league in the pyramid of amateur rugby leagues run by the British Amateur Rugby League Association...

 Premier division.

History

Thatto Heath RLFC began life in 1981, originally formed by ex-St Helens RLFC player Frankie Barrow. The team began competing in the 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...

 4th Division, and the ‘A’ Team entered Division 5.

The team progressed through the divisions rapidly and finished the 1986-87 season by lifting the North West Counties Premier Division Championship Trophy, the St Helens Cup and they took out the BARLA National Cup

BARLA National Cup

The BARLA National Cup is a knock-out competition for amateur rugby league clubs in Great Britain. It is administered by the British Amateur Rugby League Association .-Past Winners:* 1973-74 Leigh MW 12 - 7 Latchford Albion...

 Final with a 15-8 victory over the National Conference League

National Conference League

The National Conference League is the top league in the pyramid of amateur rugby leagues run by the British Amateur Rugby League Association...

 Champions Heworth. Captain John McCabe entered the record books as the only player to appear on the winning side in five National Cup Finals.

During the next 20 years Thatto Heath enjoyed enormous success, including the National Cup Trophy, a record five County Cups, two Champions Challenge successes, a record seven North West Counties Premier Division titles, two North West Counties Challenge Cups, three North West Counties Premier Challenge Cups and eight St Helens Cups. It was during this period the club recorded their most famous win, against Chorley Chieftains

Blackpool Panthers

Blackpool & The Fylde Panthers RLFC was an English professional rugby league club based in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire. They played at Woodlands Memorial Ground owned by Fylde rugby union club...

 27-12 in the Silk Cut Challenge Cup

Challenge Cup

The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....

 third round in January 1996.

Over the years the club has produced numerous players who have moved on to join the professional ranks including Andy Brown, Gary Forber, Scott Ranson, Stuart Wakefield, Barry Ashall (Swinton)

Swinton Lions

Swinton Lions is an English professional rugby league club from Swinton, Greater Manchester. The club has won the Championship six times and three Challenge Cups. They currently play in the Championship.-Early years:...

, Darren Harris, Paul Bishop, Darren Abram, Gary Sanderson (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....

, Derrick Seabrook, Steve Dudley (St Helens), Neil Slater (Trafford Borough)

Blackpool Borough

Blackpool Borough was a rugby league club based in Blackpool, Lancashire.The team wore tangerine, black and white jerseys.-Blackpool Borough:...

, Chris Honey (Barrow)

Barrow Raiders

Barrow Raiders are an English professional rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, who are coached by Dave Clark. Formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club, the club is the oldest of the current professional sports teams in Cumbria....

, Arthur Bradshaw (Salford)

Salford City Reds

Salford City Reds are an English rugby league club based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1873, they currently play in the Super League. They have won six Rugby Football League Championships and one Challenge Cup...

 and in more recent times Ray Waring, Ste Gee, Mark Gleave and Lydon Smith (Chorley Chieftains)

Blackpool Panthers

Blackpool & The Fylde Panthers RLFC was an English professional rugby league club based in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire. They played at Woodlands Memorial Ground owned by Fylde rugby union club...

. Alex Murphy

Alex Murphy (rugby league)

Alex J. Murphy OBE is an English former professional rugby league footballer and coach of the mid to late 20th century...

 was also a graduate from the club.

During 1999 the club found themselves without a ground so a merger was proposed with another local rugby league club, St Helens Crusaders. With the approval of the SIDAC social club, the club then became Thatto Heath Crusaders – St.Helens.

The club was eventually elected to the National Conference League

National Conference League

The National Conference League is the top league in the pyramid of amateur rugby leagues run by the British Amateur Rugby League Association...

in 2000-01. Thatto Heath took out the National Conference Division 2 Championship title that same year.