Tyldesley Football Club (Rugby League)
Encyclopedia
Tyldesley was a professional rugby league club.
The club was based in Tyldesley
, a town
(population approx. 35,000) within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
, in Greater Manchester
Office]]|accessdate=2010-06-03|date= 2010-06-03}}, England
.
Historically
it is part of Lancashire
.
The club took their place around the table at the momentous meeting at the George Hotel, Huddersfield
in 1895.
And after the schism, the club became founder members of the Northern Rugby Football Union (now Rugby Football League
) and played for five seasons from 1895–96 to 1899–1900
There are two items of interest to note during this first period of playing under RFU
rules,
In 1891 Tyldesley signed future England International Half-back John "Buff" Berry
from Kendal Hornets. He went on to win caps for England
(RU) while at Tyldesley in 1891 against Wales, Ireland, and Scotland.
He continued playing for Tyldesley under the Northern Union rules as a stand-off half.
Tyldesley beat Widnes
to win the 1895 Lancashire (Rugby Union) Cup at Wilderspool Stadium
, Warrington
in front of around 15,000 spectators.
for “broken time“ payments.
And so Tildesley, represented by a Mr. G Taylor, attended a meeting at The George Hotel, Huddersfield
, together with the with representatives of 21 other clubs, and agreed to form a Northern Rugby Football Union
After the Great Schism in 1895, Tyldesley were one of the founder members of the new league. In the first season 1895-96 the league consisted of 22 clubs and Tyldesley finished in a very creditable 6th position.
In season 1896-97 the league was divided into Yorkshire and Lancashire, Tyldesley playing in the latter section, where they would stay for the remainder of their (semi) professional existence. They again had a quite successful season finishing in 3rd position out of 14 teams
In the two following seasons, still in the Lancashire section, season 1897-98 & 1898-99 they could only manage a lowly 12th position (out of 14 teams).
In the final season, 1899-00 they won the wooden spoon, finishing 14th out of 14 teams, with only five points thanks to two wins and one draw.
In 1926, Landowning Club President (Mr. William Hesketh Ramsden) gave the Well Street ground in trust to the Club.
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 Tyldesley
Tyldesley
Tyldesley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It occupies an area north of Chat Moss near the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, east-southeast of Wigan and west-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, a 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. 35,000) within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after its largest component town, Wigan and also includes the towns of Leigh, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Ince-in-Makerfield, and Hindley. The borough was formed in 1974 and is an...
, 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...
Office]]|accessdate=2010-06-03|date= 2010-06-03}}, 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...
.
Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
it is part of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
.
The club took their place around the table at the momentous meeting 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....
in 1895.
And after the schism, the club became founder members of the Northern Rugby Football Union (now 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...
) and played for five seasons from 1895–96 to 1899–1900
Early Days
The first rugby club in Tyldesley was formed in 1881 when, after a meeting of local businessmen and rugby players from other Clubs, they decide to move from Garrett Hall to Tyldesley and become Tyldesley Football Club.There are two items of interest to note during this first period of playing under RFU
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
rules,
In 1891 Tyldesley signed future England International Half-back John "Buff" Berry
John Berry (rugby)
John 'Buff' Berry was a rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1880s and '90s who at representative level played rugby union for England, and at club level for, Kendal Hornets and Tyldesley, playing at Fly-half, i.e...
from Kendal Hornets. He went on to win caps for England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
(RU) while at Tyldesley in 1891 against Wales, Ireland, and Scotland.
He continued playing for Tyldesley under the Northern Union rules as a stand-off half.
Tyldesley beat 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...
to win the 1895 Lancashire (Rugby Union) Cup at Wilderspool Stadium
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...
, Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
in front of around 15,000 spectators.
Northern Union
Prior to the Schism, Tyldesley, like many other clubs from Lancashire (and Yorkshire), had suffered punishment by the RFURugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
for “broken time“ payments.
And so Tildesley, represented by a Mr. G Taylor, attended a meeting 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....
, together with the with representatives of 21 other clubs, and agreed to form a Northern Rugby Football Union
After the Great Schism in 1895, Tyldesley were one of the founder members of the new league. In the first season 1895-96 the league consisted of 22 clubs and Tyldesley finished in a very creditable 6th position.
In season 1896-97 the league was divided into Yorkshire and Lancashire, Tyldesley playing in the latter section, where they would stay for the remainder of their (semi) professional existence. They again had a quite successful season finishing in 3rd position out of 14 teams
In the two following seasons, still in the Lancashire section, season 1897-98 & 1898-99 they could only manage a lowly 12th position (out of 14 teams).
In the final season, 1899-00 they won the wooden spoon, finishing 14th out of 14 teams, with only five points thanks to two wins and one draw.
Revert to Rugby Union
For the 1901-02 season there is no mention of the club, and so assume that they dropped down to the lower divisions. They do turn up again in 1911 when they become the first club to successfully return to the Rugby Union code after playing Northern Union. They cite as the reason that the “cost prove too much of a burden in the "Professional" game”.In 1926, Landowning Club President (Mr. William Hesketh Ramsden) gave the Well Street ground in trust to the Club.
Club League Record
The League positions for Tyldesley 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 Tyldesley’s fixtures during the five seasons (and other times) in which they played (semi) professional Rugby League :-| Season | Date | Competition | Opponent | Venue | H/A | Result | Score | Att | Notes | Ref | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1895-96 | Sat 28 09 1895 | Rl | 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 | Draw | 0-0 | " " | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1895-96 | Sat 26 10 1895 | RL | St Helens | 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... |
A | Draw | 3-3 | ||||||||||||||
| 1895-96 | 02 11 1895 | Rl | 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 | Won | 9-0 | ||||||||||||||
| 1895-96 | 30 11 1895 | RL | 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 | Lost | 3-10 | >- |
1895-96 | Sat 28-12-1895 | Rl | 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... |
H | Won | 3-0 | |||||
| 1895-96 | 08-02-1896 | RL | Widnes | 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 | 0-11 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 1895-96 | 07 03 1896 | Rl | Warrington | 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... |
H | Draw | 3-3 | ||||||||||||||
| 1895-96 | Sat 21 03 1896 | RL | Hull | Home | H | Won | 18-0 | ||||||||||||||
| 1895-96 | Sat 28 03 1896 | Rl | St Helens | Home | H | Won | 11-10 | ||||||||||||||
| 1895-96 | Tue 21 04 1896 | RL | Wigan | Home | H | Won | 5-0 | ||||||||||||||
| 1896-97 | -1 -1 1896 | Lanc Sen Comp | Widnes | 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 | Won | 8-4 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 1896-97 | Sat 26 09 1896 | Lanc Sen Comp | St Helens | 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... |
A | Lost | 0-3 | ||||||||||||||
| 1896-97 | Sat 31 10 1896 | Lanc Sen Comp | Wigan | Folly Field | A | Won | 3-0 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1896-97 | 07 11 1896 | Lanc Sen Comp | Widnes | Home | H | Won | | | ||||||||||||||
| 1896-97 | Sat 05 12 1896 | Lanc Sen Comp | Wigan | Home | H | Won | 8-0 | ||||||||||||||
| 1896-97 | 19 12 1896 | Lanc Sen Comp | Warrington | Home | H | Won | 3-0 | ||||||||||||||
| 1896-97 | Sat 20 02 1897 | Lanc Sen Comp | St Helens | Home | H | Won | 12-9 | ||||||||||||||
| 1896-97 | 27 02 1897 | Lanc Sen Comp | Warrington | 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... |
H | Won | 6-0 | ||||||||||||||
| 1896-97 | 27 03 1897 | CC R2 | 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... |
Home | H | Won | 9-3 | ||||||||||||||
| 1896-97 | Sat 10 04 1897 | CC R4 | St Helens | 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... |
A | Lost | 0-12 | ||||||||||||||
| 1897-98 | Sat 25 12 1897 | Lanc Sen Comp | Wigan | Folly Field | A | Lost | 2-3 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1897-98 | 04 09 1897 | Lanc Sen Comp | Warrington | Home | H | Won | 19-0 | ||||||||||||||
| 1897-98 | Sat 25 09 1897 | Lanc Sen Comp | St Helens | 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... |
A | Lost | 0-11 | ||||||||||||||
| 1897-98 | Sat 09 10 1897 | Lanc Sen Comp | Wigan | Home | H | Won | 3-0 | ||||||||||||||
| 1897-98 | 13 11 1897 | Lanc Sen Comp | Widnes | Home | H | Lost | 2-27 | ||||||||||||||
| 1897-98 | 04 12 1897 | Lanc Sen Comp | Warrington | 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... |
H | Lost | 0-9 | ||||||||||||||
| 18 97-98 | 18 12 1897 | Lanc Sen Comp | Widnes | 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 | 0-3 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 1897-98 | Sat 15 01 1898 | Lanc Sen Comp | St Helens | Home | H | Won | 8-3 | ||||||||||||||
| 1897-98 | Fri 08-04-1898 | Friendly | Hull | 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... |
H | Lost | 2-9 | ||||||||||||||
| 1898-99 | 01 10 1898 | Lanc Sen Comp | Widnes | Home | H | Lost | 4-8 | ||||||||||||||
| 1898-99 | 29 10 1898 | Lanc Sen Comp | Warrington | 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... |
H | Lost | 4-21 | ||||||||||||||
| 1898-99 | Sat 24 12 1898 | Lanc Sen Comp | Wigan | Home | H | Draw | 0-0 | ||||||||||||||
| 1898-99 | Mon 26 12 1898 | Lanc Sen Comp | St Helens | 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... |
A | Lost | 5-9 | ||||||||||||||
| 1898-99 | 21 01 1899 | Lanc Sen Comp | Warrington | Home | H | Lost | 0-6 | ||||||||||||||
| 1898-99 | Sat 11 02 1899 | Lanc Sen Comp | St Helens | Home | H | Lost | 3-6 | ||||||||||||||
| 1898-99 | Sat 04 03 1899 | Lanc Sen Comp | Wigan | Folly Field | A | Draw | 0-0 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1898-99 | 15 04 1899 | Lanc Sen Comp | Widnes | 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 | 2-14 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 1899-00 | 26 10 1899 | Lanc Sen Comp | Warrington | 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... |
H | Lost | 0-22 | ||||||||||||||
| 1899-00 | 11 11 1899 | Lanc Sen Comp | Widnes | Home | H | Lost | 3-10 | ||||||||||||||
| 1899-00 | 25 11 1899 | Lanc Sen Comp | Widnes | 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 | 0-11 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 1899-00 | Sat 02 12 1899 | Lanc Sen Comp | St Helens | 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... |
A | Lost | 3-26 | ||||||||||||||
| 1899-00 | Sat 23 12 1899 | Lanc Sen Comp | Wigan | Folly Field | A | Lost | 6-15 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1899-00 | Sat 30 12 1899 | Lanc Sen Comp | St Helens | Home | H | Lost | 3-14 | ||||||||||||||
| 1899-00 | 07 01 1900 | Lanc Sen Comp | Warrington | Home | H | Lost | 0-11 | ||||||||||||||
| 1899-00 | Sat 13 01 1900 | Lanc Sen Comp | Wigan | Home | H | Lost | 5-7 | ||||||||||||||
| 1899-00 | 17 04 1900 | SWL R1 | Widnes | 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 | 6-23 | 2 |
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...
Season 1901-02
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...
1895–96 Northern Rugby Football Union season
1896–97 Northern Rugby Football Union season
1897–98 Northern Rugby Football Union season
1898–99 Northern Rugby Football Union season
1899–00 Northern Rugby Football Union season
List of defunct rugby league clubs