Hunslet Hawks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hunslet Hawks | |
 |
|
| Full name | Hunslet Hawks Rugby League Football Club |
| Emblem | Hawk |
| Colours | White, myrtle and flame |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Sport | Rugby league |
| League | National League Two |
| Ground | South Leeds Stadium |
| Official website | www.hunslethawksrl.co.uk |
Hunslet Hawks are a British rugby league team. They are based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club are sometimes known as 'the Parksiders' after their former stadium.
Some famous Hunslet players include Jason Robinson and Cec Thompson.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Early years
In May of 1883 two local teams Albion and Excelsior were granted the sum of £30 to form the Hunslet Rugby Club. At the end of that year the Imperial side joined the Hunslet club.
Hunslet announced their arrival the following season by beating Leeds St Johns (later to become Leeds Rhinos) in the third round of the Yorkshire cup. Better fixtures drew larger crowds and as a result the landlord wanted to put up the rent. The search was on for another ground - Parkside which they moved to in 1888. The first game was played in February 1888. Just one season later Hunslet won their first trophy the Yorkshire Cup beating Leeds St Johns. In 1895 Hunslet were one of the twenty-one clubs that broke away from the Rugby Football Union, and joined the Northern Football Union.
In the 1905-06 season Hunslet won the Yorkshire Cup. They were the first club to win All Four Cups, which they did in the 1907-08 season. Powered by a pack known as the Terrible Six, Hunslet were led by Albert Goldthorpe, already in his late thirties but a dominant figure in the early years of the code. Many players left Parkside following this success either being transferred to other clubs or going into retirement.
In 1912, Hull paid Hunslet £600 for Billy Batten. In 1921, Harold Buck became the game’s first £1,000 transfer when he moved from Hunslet to Leeds. According to some sources the deal included a player in part exchange.
In the remaining years up to the 1930s, Hunslet had rather a lean period, until 1932 when they regained the Yorkshire League Trophy and made it to the final of the Yorkshire cup. Hunslet celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1933/34. The club did this in some style as Hunslet beat Widnes at Wembley in the Cup Final. Hunslet tasted success in 1938 by beating Leeds in the Championship Final at Elland Road in front of a then world record crowd of 54,112. This wave of success was only halted by the Second World War.
[edit] Post war
After the war Hunslet tried to keep the success going but never quite achieved it despite reaching a number of semi-finals and finals. However, Hunslet produced a number of international players as well as a respectable league record. The club always had strength in a supply of local talent mixed with both Welsh and Australian imports.
In the 1960s the club were classic underachievers. Although the players were a group of experienced and talented people they were unable to harness their skills to best effect. This changed when Fred Ward was appointed player coach at the start of the 1962/63 season. Within three years of his appointment, Hunslet had won and secured a position in the top division, appeared in two Yorkshire Cup finals and in 1965 took part in one of the best ever Challenge Cup finals losing narrowly to Wigan. Again the side were split up by transfers and retirements. Just two years later in 1967 the dream was over. Ward left the club and with that the club entered free fall. Parkside was sold off in 1972, quickly demolished, and by July the following year the club folded.
Due to the efforts of Geoff Gunney, local businessmen and supporters the club managed to reform as New Hunslet for the 1973-4 season and moved to the Leeds Greyhound Stadium. The stay at the Greyhound Stadium was cut short when the owners closed the ground. The club reverted to New Hunslet for the 1979-80 season.
The next ground to host Hunslet was Batley, before Hunslet moved to Elland Road football stadium then owned by the local council. After leaving Elland Road, Hunslet had a brief spell at Bramley.
[edit] The nineties and onwards
On 19th November 1995 the club now known as Hunslet Hawks moved to South Leeds Stadium, only about half a mile from Parkside. They narrowly missed out on promotion in 1996.
In 1997 the Hawks appeared at Wembley for the first time since 1965 in the first (and last) Challenge Cup Plate Final but were beaten by Hull Kingston Rovers. Also in that year the Hawks were promoted to the First division as champions.
In 1999 Hunslet won the Northern Ford Premiership Grand final against Dewsbury 12-11 at Headingley. After that game the Hawks were denied entry to Super League by the RFL who cited a document called 'Framing the Future' as justification. This caused a number of players to leave the club and for the average attendance to fall by more than 1,200 to 800.
[edit] Sources
| Rugby League National Leagues - National League Two |
|---|
|
|
|
See also: Rugby League Championship Third Division |
