When League was the new TV game

Sat 10 Nov 2007

On Saturday 10th November 1951 the first televised Rugby League match was broadcast from Station Road, Swinton, where Great Britain met New Zealand in the second Test of that 1951 series.

In those days, with no floodlights or Sunday rugby, all matches kicked off at the same time on a Saturday afternoon, so concern was shown in many quarters about the detrimental effect television would have on attendances. No conclusive figures were produced, but the attendance at Swinton that day was 28,246, over 9,000 less than the first Test at Bradford, but almost 10,000 more than attended the third Test at Leeds.
The television authorities were delighted by the action provided by the Lions and Kiwis. New Zealand scored one try more than Britain, and led 11-7 at half-time. They still led 19-18 in stoppage time when a controversial penalty award was converted by full-back Jimmy Ledgard (Leigh) to give Britain an exciting 20-19 victory.
It was Ledgard’s fourth goal of the afternoon after the Lions had scored tries through loose-forward Ken Traill (Bradford Northern), hooker Vince McKeating (Workington Town) and wingers Dick Cracknell (Huddersfield) and George Wilson (Workington Town).
New Zealand’s five tries were scored by second-row forward Charlie McBride (West Coast), stand-off Cyril Eastlake (Auckland), and wingers Jack Forrest (West Coast) and Bruce Robertson (Auckland), who touched down twice. Full-back Des White (Auckland) could land only two goals.

Meninga saves the day
Great Britain has lost every home Test series against the Kangaroos since 1959.
But on Saturday 10th November 1990, the Lions came within twenty seconds of ending that depressing sequence in one of the most dramatic, intense and thrilling Test matches of all time.
The 1990 Kangaroos lost the first Test at Wembley to a Great Britain squad finely tuned by coach and former Test hero Mal Reilly. As a result Australia made eight changes for the second Test, which drew a crowd of 46,615 to Old Trafford.
The most significant of those changes was probably the return to the front row of prop Glenn Lazarus (Canberra) who had played for only the final eight minutes of that first Test defeat at Wembley. Another change was the introduction into the team of stand-off Cliff Lyons for his Test debut.
The match, quite rightly, was described by many as being an epic. Clashes were fierce and defences solid, as these most bitter of rivals fought out a sensational and spectacular contest.
Australia drew first blood when winger Dale Shearer (Brisbane Broncos) scored against the run of play, following good work from Cliff Lyons (Manly). Although Britain enjoyed the better of the first half, their only points came from the boot of Hull winger Paul Eastwood, who landed a penalty.
Early in the second half Britain took the lead, when second-row forward Paul Dixon crashed over from close range. Within five minutes Australia regained the lead with a superb 50-yard try. The ball was kept alive with slick passing involving half the Kangaroo team, before a deft kick from winger Andrew Ettingshausen (Cronulla) was gathered by Cliff Lyons and touched down for skipper Mal Meninga (Canberra) to convert.
At 10-6, and with ten minutes to go, Australia appeared to have the circumstances well under control. But a pass from scrum-half Ricky Stuart (Canberra) was intercepted by substitute Paul Loughlin, and the St Helens centre raced 50 yards to equalise. The kick was relatively simple, but Paul Eastwood fluffed the opportunity to write his name into Test history.
With the scores tied at 10-10, and Britain one ahead in the three-match contest, the Lions were confident of, at the very least, drawing the series. But with twenty seconds to go Ricky Stuart made up for his earlier error by breaking though on his own 25 yards line. He raced 50 yards before slipping the ball to Mal Meninga who dived over to give the Kangaroos that sensational 14-10 victory.

Anniversary of Irish star's death
It was on this day in 1999, Wednesday 10th November, that the death occurred of the former Salford, Warrington and St Helens hooker Tom McKinney, who was aged 72 years.
Despite his ancestry - he was born in Ballymena - McKinney was raised in Scotland, and turned professional for Salford in November 1949 from the Jedforest RUFC.
Within two years McKinney had gained international recognition, making the first of eight appearances for Other Nationalities, and appearing in his first of 16 Test matches for Great Britain. He toured Australasia with the 1954 British Lions, and was a member of the 1957 Great Britain World Cup squad. In January 1954 he played at prop-forward for a Combined Nations team which took on France as part of their twentieth anniversary celebrations.
On the domestic front McKinney moved to Warrington in January 1955, and two years later was transferred to St Helens where he ended his career. He won two League Championship winners medals, with Warrington in 1955 and with St Helens four years later.
After his retirement McKinney was an active member of the Red Devils' Association, and thoroughly enjoyed the Lance Todd Trophy presentation dinners which are organised by that association. In later life he retained his good humour, had a lucid memory of his playing days, and was a true gentleman, far removed from the ferocious character he was on the pitch during his playing career.

Crooks in trouble
The Auckland district team wound up their 1987 tour of England by meeting a Rugby League Chairman’s XIII at Headingley on Tuesday 10th November.
The match was billed as a tour trial, offering potential tourists the opportunity to stake a claim for inclusion in the British Lions squad which toured Australasia six months later.
The Chairman’s XIII lined up as follows: John Myler (Widnes); Phil Ford (Bradford Northern), Garry Schofield (Leeds), Colin Whitfield (Halifax), Martin Offiah (Widnes); Shaun Edwards (Wigan), Deryck Fox (Featherstone Rovers); Lee Crooks (Leeds), Seamus McCallion (Halifax), Roy Powell (Leeds), Karl Fairbank (Bradford Northern), Mark Roberts (Warrington), Andy Platt (St Helens); Subs: Mark Forster (Warrington), Paul Dixon (Halifax).
In the cold, blustery conditions, the match was poor preparation for a tour of Australia, although nine of the Chairman’s XIII did fly to Australia with the 1988 Lions. The match was a scrappy affair which Britain controlled almost throughout. They led 6-2 at half-time and went on to win 12-6. Wingers Phil Ford and Martin Offiah scored tries, with Colin Whitfield adding a couple of goals.
Prop Peter Brown (Te Atatu) landed a first half penalty for Auckland, and winger Shane Horo (Northcote) scored a last minute consolation try. By then the Chairman’s XIII were down to eleven players after Shaun Edwards found himself dispatched to the sin-bin. Earlier skipper Lee Crooks and Auckland’s Peter Brown had been sent off on the hour, following a nasty brawl which also resulted in Mark Roberts leaving the field with a broken nose.

Lancashire win in Cumbria
The 1996 BARLA Open Age County Championship was unusual inasmuch as all three matches resulted in away victories.
The Championship began on Sunday 10th November at Guilford Park, Egremont, where reigning Champions Cumbria entertained Lancashire. It turned out to be a close, entertaining match, which the visitors won despite scoring only one try to Cumbria’s three. The difference was the superb kicking of Dean Pickup, who landed a touchline conversion to Andy Parle’s try, three penalties and a dropped goal. An Ian Dawson dropped goal completed the scoring for Lancashire.
Barrow Island winger Ian McAllister was the unluckiest player afield, for he scored all the Cumbrian points with three tries.
The Lancashire team which pulled off this excellent victory was: Dean Pickup (Eccles); John Thewlis (Waterhead), Gary Law (Haydock), Andy Parle (Simms Cross), Eddie Connor (St Maries); Ian Dawson (St Maries), Gary McKeown (St Maries); Paul Ashurst (Thatto Heath), Tony Hollins (St Maries), Keith Murphy (Widnes Albion), Paul Davis (Widnes Albion), Mick Deakin (St Annes), Roy Wakefield (Littleborough); Subs: Wayne Bloor (Haydock), Mike Carter (Woolston Rovers), Peter Jones (Eccles), Andy Friar (Widnes Albion).

Workington and Hull KR triumph in the regions
For a couple of seasons during the early 1960s, regional competitions were staged for clubs to the east and west of the Pennines.
Each club played eight qualifying group matches, four at home, four away, before semi-final matches decided which clubs contested the two finals.
The first Eastern Division Championship final was staged at Headingley, and was contested by Huddersfield and Hull Kingston Rovers. Across the Pennines Widnes and Workington Town met at Central Park, Wigan, in the first final of the Western Division Championship.
Both finals took place on Saturday 10th November 1962.
Reigning League Champions Huddersfield were favourites to lift the Eastern Division title, especially as Hull Kingston Rovers were missing five first choice players with injuries. But their deputies played superbly, and after 30 minutes the Robins were 10-0 up. Although Huddersfield came back strongly, Rovers had enough experience to close down their opponents and hang on to win 13-10. Wingers Graham Paul (2) and Bob Harris scored tries for the Robins, and Cyril Kellett landed a couple of goals. Centre Ray Haywood and scrum-half Tommy Smales were the Huddersfield try scorers and full-back Frank Dyson kicked two goals.
The victorious Hull Kingston Rovers team was: Cyril Kellett; Graham Paul, Terry Major, Brian Burwell, Bob Harris; Alan Burwell, Arthur Bunting; Bob Coverdale, Pete Flanagan, Jim Drake, Brian Tyson, Peter Murphy, Ted Bonner.
The Western Division final at Wigan was a tremendously exciting affair which thrilled a crowd of 13,588.
Widnes went in front with a try from centre Billy Thompson, which full-back Bob Randall converted. A try by Workington's South African Piet Pretorius was converted by Syd Lowdon to equalise the scores at 5-5 before half-time. A Lowdon penalty put Workington ahead early in the second half, but two long range penalties from Bob Randall looked like taking the trophy to Widnes.
However, with two minutes remaining, Lowdon dropped a goal to force a 9-9 draw. Later in the month Workington won the replay 10-0.
The Workington team for both the final and the replay was as follows: Syd Lowdon; Ray Glastonbury, John O’Neill, Eddie Brennan, Piet Pretorius; Harry Archer, Sol Roper; Norman Herbert, Terry Ackerley, Bill Martin, Brian Edgar, Matt McLeod, Frank Foster.