Broughton Rangers
Encyclopedia
Broughton Rangers RLFC
Founded 1877
1877 in sports
-American football:College championship* College football national championship – Princeton Tigers and Yale Bulldogs Events* Disagreement about the number of players per team prevents Yale Bulldogs from joining Columbia Lions, Harvard Crimson and Princeton Tigers in the Intercollegiate Football...

Discontinued 1955
1955 in sports
-American football:* NFL Championship – Cleveland Browns won 38-14 over the Los Angeles Rams* Oklahoma Sooners - college football champions.-England:* First Division - Chelsea win the 1954-55 title.* FA Cup - Newcastle United beat Manchester City 3-1....

Colours Blue, black and white
Stadiums Wheater’s Field
Wheater’s Field
Wheater’s Field was a rugby ground in Broughton, Salford, England. It was home to the Broughton Rangers rugby league club of the Northern Union. On 19 October 1907, the stadium hosted a match between Rangers and the New Zealand All Golds. It had a capacity of 20,000 spectators...

 
(Capacity 20,000)
The Cliff
The Cliff (training ground)
The Cliff is a sports ground in Broughton, Salford on the banks of the River Irwell, that was used as rugby league club Broughton Rangers' home ground until 1933. It was purchased by association football club Manchester United F.C. for use as their training ground...

 1913→1933
(Capacity unknown)
Belle Vue Stadium
Belle Vue Stadium
Belle Vue Stadium is a greyhound racing track in Belle Vue, Manchester where the very first race around an oval track in Britain was held on 24 July 1926. It is also used for speedway as the home ground of Elite League team Belle Vue Aces since 1988 and since 1999 has British Stock Car Association...

 
(Capacity 5,000)


Broughton Rangers was a British 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:...

, and subsequently a 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. It was based in Broughton, Salford
Broughton, Greater Manchester
Broughton is an inner city area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the east bank of the River Irwell and A56 road, in the northeastern part of the City of Salford, north-northwest of Manchester city centre and south of Prestwich. Broughton consists of Broughton Park, Higher...

.

History

Broughton Rangers was founded in 1877 as Broughton and added Rangers for its second season. The club’s headquarters was the Bridge Inn on Lower Broughton Road and home games were played at Wheater’s Field
Wheater’s Field
Wheater’s Field was a rugby ground in Broughton, Salford, England. It was home to the Broughton Rangers rugby league club of the Northern Union. On 19 October 1907, the stadium hosted a match between Rangers and the New Zealand All Golds. It had a capacity of 20,000 spectators...

.
On 15 December, 1888, Rangers lost to New Zealand Natives
New Zealand Maori rugby union team
New Zealand Māori is a rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. A prerequisite for playing in this team is that the player is to have Māori whakapapa or genealogy. In the past this rule was not strictly applied. In the past non-Māori players who looked Māori were often...

 8–0.
From 1892 the headquarters was the Grosvenor Hotel on the corner of Great Clowes Street and Clarence Street.

Broughton Rangers was one of 21 clubs which met at the George Hotel, Huddersfield
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....

 on 29 August, 1895 and formed the Northern Rugby Football 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...

. Broughton built on winning the Lancashire League in 1896-97 and 1898-99 by becoming the first champions of 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...

. When the Lancashire and Yorkshire leagues amalgamated in 1901–02; Rangers' form was so outstanding that by February the championship was guaranteed. The same year, Broughton won the 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....

 beating 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...

 25–0 at Rochdale in front of 15,006 spectators. Rangers won the East Lancashire League that season after finishing 12 points ahead of second-placed Salford.

Broughton Rangers appeared in successive Lancashire Cup Finals, in 1906-07 and 1907-08, beating 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....

 15–6 at Central Park, Wigan
Central Park (Wigan)
Central Park was a rugby league stadium in Wigan, England. It was the home of Wigan RLFC before the club moved to the JJB Stadium in 1999. Its final capacity was 18,000.-History:...

 but losing to 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....

 16–9 at Rochdale 12 months later.
Rangers reached the top-four semi-finals in 1907-08, losing to All Four Cups
All Four Cups
Between 1905 and 1970 there were four trophies available to any British rugby league side:* Challenge Cup* Rugby Football League Championship* County league * County cup...

 winners 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:...

.

Broughton Rangers lost 14-20 to New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...

 during the 1907–1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain
1907–1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain
The 1907–1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain was a tour made by a group of New Zealand rugby footballers who played matches in Australia, Ceylon, England and Wales between 1907 and 1908. Most of the matches were played under the rules of the Northern Union, what is today...

 on Saturday 19 October 1907, the match attracted a crowd of 24,000, New Zealand led early in the game and despite a Rangers comeback, New Zealand won.

The club won the 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....

 in 1910–11 when it beat 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....

 4–0 at the Willows, Salford in front of a crowd of 8,000.

Broughton's last game at Wheater's Field was against St. Helens on 9th April 1913 before moving to the Cliff
The Cliff (training ground)
The Cliff is a sports ground in Broughton, Salford on the banks of the River Irwell, that was used as rugby league club Broughton Rangers' home ground until 1933. It was purchased by association football club Manchester United F.C. for use as their training ground...

 on Lower Broughton Road, Higher Broughton.

Inter-war years

Broughton’s highest league position between 1918 and 1939 was sixth in 1935-36 and its lowest, 27th in 1927-28, with Rangers generally finishing in the bottom half of the league. The only trophy won in the inter-war years was the 1920-21 Lancashire Cup, when they defeated 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...

 6–3 at Salford in front of 25,000 spectators.

In 1933, Broughton Rangers moved to Belle Vue Stadium
Belle Vue Stadium
Belle Vue Stadium is a greyhound racing track in Belle Vue, Manchester where the very first race around an oval track in Britain was held on 24 July 1926. It is also used for speedway as the home ground of Elite League team Belle Vue Aces since 1988 and since 1999 has British Stock Car Association...

, inside the speedway track. In 1941–42 the club dropped out of the wartime Lancashire League and did not return to league competition until 1945–46.

On the 18th September 1935 Rangers signed future Lance Todd Trophy
Lance Todd Trophy
The Lance Todd Trophy is awarded to the Man-of-the-Match in rugby league football's Challenge Cup Final.The trophy was introduced in 1946, in memory of Lance Todd, the New Zealand-born player and administrator, who was killed in a road accident during the Second World War...

 winner Frank Whitcombe
Frank Whitcombe
Frank William Whitcombe was a Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1930s and '40s who played rugby union for Cardiff RFC, London Welsh RFC, and Army Rugby Union, playing at Prop, i.e...

 from Army Rugby Union
Army Rugby Union
The Army Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in the British Army and a constituent body of the Rugby Football Union . The ARU was formed on 31 December 1906 and marked the fulfilment of Lieutenant J.E.C...

 buying him out of the army for a fee of £90. Two years later in 1938, they sold him to Bradford Northern
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....

 for £850, a world record fee for a front row forward.

Belle Vue Rangers

In 1945-46, Broughton was renamed Belle Vue Rangers. It made a Lancashire Cup final appearance in 1946-47 which ended in 9–3 defeat by Wigan at Station Road, Swinton. The club repeated this feat in 1947-48; losing again to Wigan 10–7 at Wilderspool, Warrington
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...

.

After the war, Rangers finished mid-table or above but after finishing 12th in 1950-51, Rangers finished 30th, second from bottom in 1954-55, its last season before the club folded.

Rugby League honours

  • Championship: 1901–02 (once)
  • 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....

    : 1901–02, 1910–11 (twice)
  • Lancashire Cup
    Rugby league county cups
    Historically, British rugby league clubs competed for the Lancashire Cup and the Yorkshire Cup, known collectively as the county cups. The leading rugby clubs in Yorkshire had played in a cup competition for several years prior to the schism of 1895...

    : 1906–07, 1920–21 (twice)
  • Lancashire League
    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...

    : 1896–97, 1898–99 (twice)

  • 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....

     (Runners Up): 1906–07, 1920–21 (twice)
  • Lancashire Cup
    Rugby league county cups
    Historically, British rugby league clubs competed for the Lancashire Cup and the Yorkshire Cup, known collectively as the county cups. The leading rugby clubs in Yorkshire had played in a cup competition for several years prior to the schism of 1895...

     (Runners Up): 1907–08 (once)

Players earning international caps while at Broughton Rangers/Belle Vue Rangers

  • Billy Bentham
    Billy Bentham
    William "Billy" Bentham 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 Broughton Rangers, playing at , i.e...

     won caps for England while at Broughton 1922 Wales, 1926 Wales, and won caps for Great Britain while at Broughton 1924 New Zealand (2 matches)
  • George Bunter
    George Bunter
    George Bunter is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1940s, who at representative level has played for England, and at club level for Broughton Rangers.-International honours:...

     won a cap for England while at Broughton 1940 Wales
  • "Bert" Cambridge won a cap for England while at Broughton 1935 France
  • James "Jim" Clampitt
    James Clampitt
    James "Jim" Lamb Clampitt was an English professional rugby league footballer of the 1900s and '10s who at representative level played for Great Britain, and England, and at club level for Broughton Rangers, playing at , or , i.e...

     won caps for England while at Broughton 1909 Wales, 1911 Wales, Australia, 1912 Wales, 1913 Wales, 1914 Wales won caps, and won caps for Great Britain while at Broughton 1908 New Zealand, 1911 Australia, 1914 New Zealand
  • James "Jim" Cumberbatch
    James Cumberbatch
    James "Jim"/"Jimmy" Cumberbatch is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1930s, who at representative level has played for England, and at club level for Broughton Rangers, and Newcastle, playing at , i.e...

     won caps for England while at Broughton 1937 France, while at Newcastle 1938 Wales
  • John "Jack" Flynn
    John Flynn (rugby league)
    John "Jack" Flynn was an English professional rugby league footballer of the 1900s, who at representative level played for England, and at club level for Broughton Rangers.-International honours:...

     won a cap for England while at Broughton 1908 New Zealand

  • John "Jack" Garvey
    John Garvey (rugby league)
    John "Jack" Garvey 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, Broughton Rangers, and Wigan, playing at , or /, i.e. number 3 or 4, or 6....

     won caps for England while at St. Helens 1933 Other Nations, while at Broughton 1936 Wales
  • Elwyn Gwyther
    Elwyn Gwyther
    Elwyn Gwyther is a Welsh former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1940s and '50s who at representative level has played rugby union for Wales XV, and at club level for Llanelli RFC, playing at Prop forward, i.e...

     represented Wales XV (RU) while at Llanelli RFC in the 'Victory International' non-Test match(es) between December 1945 and April 1946, and won caps for Wales (RL) while at Belle Vue Rangers , and Leeds 1947...1953 15-caps, and won caps for Great Britain (RL) while at Belle Vue Rangers in 1947 against New Zealand (2 matches), in 1950 against Australia (3 matches), and in 1951 against New Zealand
  • Andrew Hogg
    Andrew Hogg (rugby league)
    Andrew Hogg was a Scottish professional rugby league footballer of the 1900s who at representative level played for Great Britain, England, and Other Nations, and at club level for Broughton Rangers, playing at , i.e...

     won caps for England while at Broughton 1908 Wales, New Zealand, and won caps for Great Britain while at Broughton 1908 New Zealand won caps for Other Nations
    Other Nationalities rugby league team
    The Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players...

    while at Broughton ?-caps
  • Edward "Ned" Jones
    Edward Jones (rugby league)
    Edward "Ned" Jones was a professional rugby league footballer of the 1910s who at representative level has played for Wales, and at club level for Broughton Rangers.-International honours:Ned Jones won a cap for Wales while at Broughton Rangers in 1913....

     won a cap for Wales while at Broughton Rangers 1913 1-cap
  • Glyn Jones
    Glyn Jones (rugby league)
    Glyn Jones is a former professional rugby league footballer of the 1940s who at representative level has played for Wales, and at club level for Broughton Rangers.-International honours:Glyn Jones won a cap for Wales while at Broughton Rangers in 1946....

     won a cap for Wales while at Broughton Rangers 1946 1-cap
  • Stan McCormick
    Stan McCormick
    Stan 'Mac' McCormick was an English professional rugby league footballer of the 1940s, and '50s, and coach of the 1960s and '70s, who at representaive level played for Great Britain, England and Lancashire, and at club level for Belle Vue Rangers, St. Helens, and Warrington, with whom he won the...

     won caps for England while at Belle Vue 1948 Wales, France, while at St. Helens 1949 Wales, France, 1951 Wales, 1953 France (2 matches), Wales, and won caps for Great Britain while at Belle Vue 1948 Australia (2 matches), while at St. Helens Australia
  • F. Moss won caps for England (RU) while at Broughton Rangers in 1885…1886

  • John H. Payne
    John Payne (rugby)
    John H. Payne was an English rugby union footballer of the 1880s who at representative level played for England, and at club level for Broughton Rangers, playing at Half-back, e.g. Fly-half, or Scrum-half...

     won caps for England (RU) while at Broughton Rangers in 1882…1885
  • Doug Phillips won caps for Wales while at Oldham and Belle Vue Rangers 1945…1951 9-caps, and won caps, and won caps for Great Britain while at Broughton Rangers in 1946 against Australia (3 matches), and while at Belle Vue Rangers in 1950 against Australia
  • Robert "Bob" Poole
    Robert Poole (rugby league)
    Robert "Bob" Poole was an English professional rugby league footballer of the 1900s, who at representative level played for England, and at club level for Broughton Rangers.-International honours:...

     won a cap for England while at Broughton 1905 Other Nations
  • John "Jack" Price
    John Price (rugby league)
    Jack Price 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 Broughton Rangers, and Wigan, playing at , or /, i.e...

     won caps for England while at Broughton 1921 Australia, while at 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....

     1922 Wales, 1924 Other Nations, and won caps for Great Britain while at Broughton 1921–22 Australia (2 matches), while at 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....

     1924 Australia (2 matches), New Zealand (2 matches)
  • Ray Price won caps for Wales while at Belle Vue Rangers 1948…1953 6-caps, and won caps for Great Britain while at Warrington in 1954 against Australia, and New Zealand (2 matches), in 1955 against New Zealand, in 1956 against Australia (3 matches), and in 1957 against France (2 matches)
  • Arthur "Artie" V. Royle
    Arthur Royle
    Arthur "Artie" V. Royle was an English rugby union footballer of the 1880s who at representative level played for England, and at club level for Broughton Rangers, playing at Fullback, i.e. number 15...

     won a cap for England (RU) while at Broughton in 1889 against New Zealand Natives
    New Zealand Maori rugby union team
    New Zealand Māori is a rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. A prerequisite for playing in this team is that the player is to have Māori whakapapa or genealogy. In the past this rule was not strictly applied. In the past non-Māori players who looked Māori were often...

  • George Ruddick
    George Ruddick
    George Ruddick was a Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1900s and '10s who at club level played rugby union for Brecon RFC, and at representative level played rugby league for Great Britain, and Wales, and at club level for Broughton Rangers, playing at , or , i.e...

     won caps for Wales while at Broughton Rangers 1908…1910 3-caps, and won caps for Great Britain while at Broughton Rangers in 1908 against New Zealand (2 matches), and in 1910 against Australia, and Australasia

  • Charles Montague Sawyer won caps for England (RU) while at Broughton Rangers in 1880 against Scotland, and in 1881 against Ireland.
  • Robert Seddon
    Robert Seddon
    Robert Lionel "Bob" Seddon was an English international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Broughton Rangers and Swinton and county rugby for Lancashire. Seddon was capped at international level for both England and the British Isles...

     won caps for England (RU) while at Broughton Rangers in 1887 against Wales, Ireland and Scotland. He was also the first captain of a British Isles team
    British and Irish Lions
    The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...

     in 1888 and died on the tour.
  • Billy Stott
    Billy Stott
    William "Billy" Stott is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1930s and '40s who at representative level has played for England, and at club level for Broughton Rangers, Oldham, Wakefield Trinity, and Belle Vue Rangers, playing at , i.e...

     (1946 Challenge Cup Winner and 1946 Lance Todd Trophy
    Lance Todd Trophy
    The Lance Todd Trophy is awarded to the Man-of-the-Match in rugby league football's Challenge Cup Final.The trophy was introduced in 1946, in memory of Lance Todd, the New Zealand-born player and administrator, who was killed in a road accident during the Second World War...

     Winner with while at 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...

    ) won a cap for England while at Broughton 1936 Wales
  • Alfred Teggin
    Alfred Teggin
    Alfred Teggin was a rugby union footballer and cricketer of the 1880s who at representative level played rugby union for England, and at club level for Broughton Rangers, playing in the Forwards, e.g. Front row, Lock, or Back row, and at county level played cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club...

     won caps for England (RU) while at Broughton Rangers in 1884 against Ireland, in 1885 against Wales, in 1886 against Ireland and Scotland, and in 1887 against Ireland, and Scotland
  • Ernest "Ernie" Thompson
    Ernest Thompson (rugby league)
    Ernest "Ernie" Thompson is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1930s who at representative level has played for England, and at club level for Broughton Rangers.-International honours:...

     won a cap for England while at Broughton 1936 Wales
  • Melbourne "Mel" Tierney won a cap for Wales while at Belle Vue Rangers 1953 1-cap
  • Frank Whitcombe
    Frank Whitcombe
    Frank William Whitcombe was a Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1930s and '40s who played rugby union for Cardiff RFC, London Welsh RFC, and Army Rugby Union, playing at Prop, i.e...

     won caps for Wales while at Broughton Rangers, and Bradford Northern 1938…1948 14-caps, and won caps for Great Britain while at Bradford Northern in 1946 against Australia (2 matches)
  • Robert "Bob" Wilson
    Robert Wilson (rugby league)
    Robert "Bob" Wilson was an English professional rugby league footballer of the 1900s, who at representative level played for England, and at club level for Broughton Rangers.-International honours:...

    won a cap for England while at Broughton 1905 Other Nations
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