Dewsbury Celtic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dewsbury Celtic | |
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| Full name | Dewsbury Celtic Rugby League Football Club |
| Emblem | Harp |
| Colours | Green and White |
| Founded | 1879 |
| Sport | Rugby league |
| League | National League Three |
| Ground | Crow Nest Park |
| Official website | www.dewsburycelticrlfc.co.uk |
Dewsbury Celtic is a rugby league club in the town of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. They play in Rugby League Conference National Division and have a thriving junior section. Their second team, known as the Shamrocks, competed in the Pennine League in 2005/2006 but had to withdraw after BARLA rule changes meant that players could not overlap summer and winter seasons.
[edit] History
Dewsbury Celtic is one of the most famous names in amateur rugby league with a long and proud history. It is one of the oldest Irish sports club in Yorkshire and possibly Britain. The origins of Dewsbury Celtic can be directly linked to Ireland’s Great Famine of 1845. Official records show that in 1845 200 Irish immigrants were living in Daw Green Westtown. By 1851 the number had risen to 1,000 working mainly as labourers and mill workers.
Having started as the Dewsbury Shamrocks in 1879 they switched in the late 1890s to Association Football, returning to rugby league in 1910. At this point they joined what was then the Northern Union and changed their name to Dewsbury Celtic. They became one of the best local teams and won the Yorkshire County Amateur Cup in 1912-1913. Sadly this great team was torn apart by the First World War, losing 15 players. They reformed in 1919 and then disbanded again in 1939 at the start of the Second World War.
In the post war period the club reformed and became one of the most famous names in amateur rugby league, and their name was feared by professional clubs drawn against them in the Challenge Cup.
In recent times other local teams have overtaken Celtic in the league structure and in an effort to revitalise the club they switched to summer rugby in 2005, taking over the fixtures of the defunct Manchester Knights. In 2006 they applied for National League Three, finishing in 5th place and qualifying for the play-offs, where they lost to St Albans Centurions.
[edit] Honours
- Yorkshire Cup Winners: 1914/15, 1964/65, 1971/72, 1973/74
- Yorkshire Cup Runners: Up 1958/59
- BARLA Yorkshire Cup Winners: 1974/75, 1976/77
- BARLA Yorkshire Cup Runners Up: 1975/76, 1999/2000
- BARLA National Cup Runners Up: 1980
- National Conference League Div 2 Runners Up: 1991/92
- Rugby Leaguer Cup Winners: V Pilkingtons 1972
- Leeds League Div 1 Champions: 1962, 1965, 1974
- Leeds League Div 2 Champions: 1967
- George Oldroyd Trophy Winners: 1953,1955,1956,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965, 1966,1967,1969,1971,1973
- Donald Green Memorial Cup Winners: 1972, 1974
- Rose Bowl winners: 1952
- Huddersfield Examiner Trophy Winners: 1972, 1974
- Bernard Lee Memorial Trophy Winners: 1974
- Bill Norfolk Cup Winners: 1977
- West Yorkshire Challenge Cup/Championship Cup/League Cup Treble: 1977
- Yorkshire League Premier Div Champions: 1988/89
- Yorkshire League Senior Div Champions: 1998/99, 2003/2004
- Yorkshire League Senior Div Top Four playoff Winners: 1998/99
- Yorkshire League Senior Cup Winners: 1998/99
- Yorkshire League Senior Cup Runners Up: 2000/01
- Heavy Woollen Jim Brown Cup Winners 32 times since 1954/55
