Goole (rugby league)

Goole was a semi-professional and now an amateur rugby league club based in Goole, Yorkshire, England. The club joined the ranks of the Northern Union semi-professionals in 1901–02 and played for the single season in the Yorkshire Senior Competition, which was effectively Division 2 (East).

Goole Vikings ARLFC
Club information
Full nameGoole Vikings
Amateur Rugby League Football Club
Nickname(s)The Seaporters
Current details
Ground(s)
  • Victoria Pleasure Grounds
    Carter St,
    Goole DN14 6SL
CompetitionYorkshire Men's League

History

In January 1898 Goole RUFC were ordered by the governing body of rugby union, the RFU, not to play a charity rugby match against a touring Little Red Riding Hood pantomime troupe; this was deemed to be an act of professionalism because earlier on its tour the troupe had played in a charity match with Batley.[1] Very shortly after that Goole RUFC changed code and joined the Northern Union.

In that year, 1898, they, together with Eastmoor,[2] Featherstone, Hull Kingston Rovers, Kinsley, Normanton, Outwood Parish Church, Ripon, Rothwell, and York, were among the founders of the Yorkshire Second Competition (Eastern Section).

At the end of the 1901–02 season, the County Leagues elected 18 teams to join the new Division 2 (7 from Lancashire and 10 from Yorkshire and new member South Shields) with the existing second competition scrapped.[3]

Goole was one of the 4 Yorkshire (the others being, Heckmondwike, Liversedge and Sowerby Bridge) and 2 Lancashire clubs (Altrincham and Radcliffe) not elected to the new Division 2, but it is unknown as to which route the club followed

In 1893 Goole caused one of the biggest shocks in Rugby history when they knocked Leeds out of the Yorkshire Cup in the second round by 15 points to 2. Leeds had been finalists in T'Owd Tin Pot in the previous year and had their best team out against Goole. Leeds had only lost 2 of their previous 19 games before the Goole game and they did not win another game that season such was the shock. A couple of interesting points - Leeds beat Hull away in the first round by 15 points to nil; in those days tries counted as 2 points and conversions as 3 points; Leeds travelled to Goole in a "Private Saloon Carriage" which was attached to the train.

However, before eventually folding,[4] were drawn against Hull in the Challenge Cup, two years later.[5]

On 10 November 2018 a committee was formed at the Victoria Pleasure Grounds and Rugby League was again brought back to go with the formation of a new team, The Goole Vikings Amateur Rugby League Football Club, who will keep the historic nickname from the early 1900s ‘The Seaporters’

The Vikings will play in the Yorkshire Men's League governed by York & District Rugby League in the 2019 Summer Season. Their home ground once again will be the Victoria Pleasure Grounds, Rugby League has finally come home.

Club League record

In the single season in which Goole played semi-professional rugby league, 1901–02, there are few records readily available.[6]

Some of the achievements are as follows:-[7]

Season Competition Pos Team Name Pl W D L PW PA Diff Pts % Pts No of teams in league Notes Ref
1901–02Yorks Senior12Goole1314[6]
Only limited County League information is available for this season.

Heading Abbreviations
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 couple of Goole's fixtures. The first from the year before, and the second from two years after, the sole season in which they played semi-professional rugby league:[5][6][8][9][10]

Season Date Competition Opponent Venue H/A Result Score Att Notes Ref
1899–0024 Mar 1900Chall Cup R d 1WarringtonWildespoolALost0–44?[10]
1901–02Sat 14 Feb 1903Chall Cup R d 1HullThe BoulevardHLost**? [5]
**The score unknown, but Hull proceeded to beat Hull Marlborough 45–0 in the next round

Notable players

W. T. Greensitt of Goole played in The Rest's 7–5 defeat by Leeds in the 1901–02 Yorkshire Senior Competition Champions versus The Rest match at Headingley Stadium on Saturday 19 April 1902.[11]

See also

References
  1. "After the Aftermath".
  2. "Eastmoor Dragons ARLFC – Club Info – History 2".
  3. J C Lindley with personal recollections by D W Armitage (1973). 100 Years of Rugby – The History of Wakefield Trinity Football Club. The Wakefield Trinity Centenary Committee. pp. 37 and 38.
  4. J C Lindley with personal recollections by D W Armitage (1973). 100 Years of Rugby – The History of Wakefield Trinity Football Club. The Wakefield Trinity Centenary Committee. p. 52.
  5. "Hull&Proud". Archived from the original on 7 March 2011.
  6. "Cherry and White".
  7. Jack Winstanley & Malcolm Ryding (1975). John Player Rugby League Yearbook 1975–76. Queen Anne Press.
  8. "Widnes History".
  9. "Saints Heritage Society".
  10. "Warington History". Archived from the original on 6 July 2010.
  11. Dalby, Ken (1955). The Headingley Story – 1890–1955 – Volume One – Rugby. The Leeds Cricket, Football & Athletic Co. Ltd ASIN: B0018JNGVM
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