Swinton Lions
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| Swinton Lions | |
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| Full name | Swinton Lions Rugby League Club |
| Emblem | Lion |
| Colours | Blue with a white chevron |
| Founded | 1866 |
| Sport | Rugby league |
| League | National League Two |
| Ground | Sedgley Park |
| Official website | www.swintonlionsrlc.co.uk |
Swinton Lions is a British rugby league club from Swinton and Pendlebury, Greater Manchester, traditionally Lancashire. The club has an impressive record in rugby league considering the size of the town with six Championships and three Challenge Cup wins.
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[edit] History
[edit] Early years
The club was formed in October 1866 when members of Swinton Cricket Club decided to take up football in the winter. In 1871 they joined the Rugby Football Union, under the name Swinton and Pendlebury FC, playing at their Station Road ground in the town. Their first game was against Eccles Standard.
They moved from Station Road in 1873 to a ground known as Stoneacre, and used the nearby White Lion public house as changing rooms. They have been known as The Lions ever since.
The first rugby match under floodlights takes place in Salford, between Broughton Rangers and Swinton on October 22 1878.
In 1886 they moved again to their Chorley Road ground. By this time the Lions had become a very strong team, and played the likes of Oxford University. They were initially reluctant to join the new Northern Union, but did so on 2 June 1896 due to the fact that the majority of other teams in the region had done so, causing financial hardship to the club. The Northern Union was then split into two county leagues.
In 1900 they won the Challenge Cup defeating Salford at Fallowfield, Manchester. In 1925 they won the Lancashire Cup. In 1926 they won the Challenge Cup again.
Swinton were the final team to win All Four Cups; they were also the only side from Lancashire to achieve this feat (Hunslet and Huddersfield were the two other clubs). The Lions were a side with a strong Welsh presence, with players like Billo Rees, Rees Thomas, Dai Moses, Ron Morgan and Graham Rees as well as the Cumberland born goal-kicking second row forward, Martin Hodgson who signed for Swinton in January 1927. Hodgson still holds the long distance penalty goal record with a kick of over 77 yards (at Rochdale, 1940).
The 1927-28 season saw the Lions sweep all before them, under the captaincy of centre Hector Halsall. They topped both the Championship and the Lancashire League, having already defeated Wigan in the Lancashire Cup. In a tense Challenge Cup Final they squeezed past Warrington 5-3, and three weeks later the Holy Grail was achieved when they comfortably eased past Featherstone Rovers 11-0 to take the Rugby League Championship.
In 1929 the club then moved to a new stadium back at their original home of Station Road. The decision to purchase land next to the railway line, was made after a breakdown in negotiations with their existing landlord at Chorley Road. This soon became a favoured ground for major fixtures, with a capacity of 60,000. Station Road played host to 19 internationals, 5 Championship finals, 17 Lancashire Cup finals, 4 Premiership finals and 30 Challenge Cup semi-finals.
Martin Hodgson played his last game for Swinton in December 1940. In 1941-42 Swinton abandoned the Lancashire League due to the Second World War and did not return until the 1945-6 season.
[edit] Post war
Swinton became winners of the Rugby League Championship in seasons 1962-63 and 1963-64.
When two divisions were reintroduced in 1973 Swinton were out of the top flight, and have struggled to regain their former glories ever since. In 1992, financial mis-management necessitated the sale of Station Road for property development. The club relocated to Gigg Lane, the home ground of Bury F.C..
In 1996 Swinton officially added 'Lions' to their name.
The financial failure of major creditor and de facto owner Hugh Eaves in 2002 put the future of the club in jeopardy and they spent a short time regrouping at Moor Lane in Kersal, Salford as tenants of Salford City FC. Since 2003, the Lions have played their home games at Park Lane, Whitefield, home of Sedgley Park RUFC.
[edit] The return to M27
In 2006, the return to Swinton and Pendlebury was taken one step further when club chairman, John Kidd, announced on the 9th August that the club had acquired a site to build a 6,000 capacity stadium with training facilities and community use in Agecroft, Pendlebury.
A website has been setup to register support and donations for the new stadium. It can be found at www.swintonlionsstadium.co.uk [[1]] .
[edit] Honours
- Championship: 1926-27, 1927-28, 1930-31, 1934-35, 1962-63, 1963-64 (6 times)
- Challenge Cup : 1899-1900, 1925-26, 1927-28 (3 times)
- Lancashire Cup: 1925-26, 1927-28, 1939-, 1969-70 (4 times)
- Lancashire League: 1924-25, 1927-28, 1928-29, 1930-31, 1939-40, 1960-61 (6 times)
- Second Division: 1984-85
[edit] Records
[edit] Player records
- Most tries in a match: 6 by Mark Riley vs Prescot Panthers, 11th August 1996
- Most goals in a match: 12 by Ken Gowers vs Liverpool City, 3rd October 1957
- Coach with the least brains in rugby league:Paul Kidd
- Most points in a match: 30 by:
- Greg Pearce vs Prescot Panthers, 11th August 1996
- Mick Nanyn vs York Wasps, 25th March 2001
- Most tries in a season: 48 by Jim Valentine, 1888-89, (2nd most tries in a season, John Stopford, 42, season 1963-64)
- Most Pies eaten in a weekend: 30 Paul Kidd 2006
- Most goals in a season: 128 by Albert Blan, 1960-61
- Worst Loser/Cry Baby: Paul Kidd 2005
- Most points in a season: 310 by Lee Marsh, 2005
- Most career tries: 298 by Jim Valentine, 1884-1901
- Most career goals: 970 by Ken Gowers
- Most career points: 2105 by Ken Gowers
- Most career appearances: 602 (including 8 as substitute) by Ken Gowers, 1954-1973.
- World record distance for a penalty goal, 77.75 yards by Martin Hodgson, Rochdale Hornets v Swinton, at the Athletic Grounds, Rochdale, 13th April, 1940
- Rugby League Cup, Wigan v Swinton, Golden Moment, Rob Russell touches down after only four minutes against the mighty Wigan. -
[edit] Team records
- Biggest victory: 90-0 vs Prescot Panthers, 11th August 1996
- Heaviest defeat: 10-106 vs Leeds, 11th February 2001
- Highest attendance:
- Club: 26,891 vs Wigan, RL Challenge Cup 1st round replay, Wednesday, 12th February 1964 ( at Station Road )
- Station Road: 44,621 for Warrington vs Wigan, 7th April 1951
[edit] Squad 2007
Daniel Aboushakra - Prop
Paul Alcock - Second Row
Antony Aldcroft - Stand-Off
Craig Ashall - Stand-Off
Dave Ashton - Centre
Marlon Billy - Wing
Mark Brocklehurst - Full-Back/Wing/Centre
Matthew Bryers - Prop/Second Row
Sean Conwaye - Stand-Off/Loose Forward
Wayne English - Fullback
Craig Farrimond - Second Row
Gareth Hayes - Prop
Christopher Hough - Scrum Half
Bruce Johnson - Prop
Robert Line - Prop
Lee Marsh - Loose Forward
Richard Marshall - Prop/Second Row
Steven McCurrie - Prop
Liam McGovern - Stand-Off
Martin Moana - Stand Off/Loose Forward
Chris Morley - Second Row
Lee Salisbury - Hooker
Andrew Saywell - Wing/Fullback
Adam Sharples - Prop
Matthew Sheen - Centre
Michael Smith - Centre
John Walker - Centre
Ben Williamson - Centre
Darren Woods - Centre
Philip Wood - Scrum Half/Stand Off
| Rugby League National Leagues - National League Two |
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See also: Rugby League Championship Third Division |
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