1901–02 Northern Rugby Football Union season

none 1901–02 Northern Rugby Football Union season Championship 26 Rounds 14 1901–02 Season Broughton Rangers (1st title) Champions Salford ENG James Lomas (Salford) (172) ENG Robert Wilson (Broughton Rangers) (38) Lancashire Senior Competition Wigan Champions Widnes Yorkshire Senior Competition Leeds Champions Manningham 1900–01 Northern Rugby Football Union season 1900–01 1902–03 Northern Rugby Football Union season 1902–03 The 1901–02 Northern Rugby Football Union season was the seventh season of rugby league football run by England's Northern Rugby Football Union. A number of off-season changes made this season different from preceding ones. In June 1901 fourteen leading clubs from both Lancashire and Yorkshire resigned from their respective County Championships to form a new Northern Rugby Football League. Creation of National Championship At the end of May 12 clubs met to discuss a new Northern Union League, the 12 clubs were Broughton Rangers, Oldham, Runcorn, Salford, Swinton and Warrington from Lancashire together with Bradford, Batley, Halifax, Huddersfield, Hull and Hunslet from Yorkshire.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000901/19010529/081/0003 The new Northern Union League Huddersfield Daily Examiner 29 May 1901 3 ((10,370)) British Newspaper Archive subscription The Northern Union committee narrowly approved the formation of the new league by 12 votes to 11 at its meeting on 4 June and invited Leigh (Lancashire) and Brighouse Rangers (Yorkshire) to join the new league.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001442/19010607/219/0008 Northern Union League. The new combination sanctioned Leigh Chronicle 8 7 June 1901 ((3,295)) British Newspaper Archive subscription There was a lot of acrimony about the decision and some cynicism expressed that Leigh and Brighouse had only been invited to ensure that the vote to approve the new league passed.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000273/19010605/007/0003 The New Football League. Northern Union split. Yorkshire Evening Post 5 June 1901 3 ((3,359)) British Newspaper Archive subscription The meeting also agreed that the name of the new league would be the Northern Rugby Football League. The clubs involved justified their action on the basis that games in the senior competitions were uncompetitive and the ability gap between top and bottom was too great.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000986/19010610/089/0005 Northern Union Football. Mr. R. Walmsley speaks out. Athletic News 10 June 1901 5 ((1,340)) British Newspaper Archive subscription The Yorkshire clubs who were not included in the new league were unhappy with the whole issue and at a meeting of the Yorkshire Senior Competition on 20 June, the Yorkshire clubs voted to boycott the Northern Rugby League and would not play any games against League clubs. In retaliation to the Yorkshire boycott the Northern Rugby Football League by-laws regarding transfers and promotion were changed to omit any mention of Yorkshire. This had the effect of a) making it permissible for Northern Rugby Football League clubs to sign players of Yorkshire clubs without the Yorkshire clubs' permission (and vice versa) and b) promotion to the Northern Rugby Football League would only be open to the club winning the Lancashire Senior Competition; previously promotion was going to be given to the winners of a match between the Yorkshire Senior Competition and Lancashire Senior Competition champions.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19010812/226/0010 The Northern Union Football Trouble Yorkshire Post 12 August 1901 10 ((16,890)) British Newspaper Archive subscription Effects on the senior competitions Hull Kingston Rovers felt unable to comply with the Yorkshire Senior Competition boycott and at the end of July the club was expelled from the Yorkshire Senior Competition.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000711/19010731/137/0005 Sport and Play Lancashire Daily Post 31 July 1901 5 ((4,605)) British Newspaper Archive subscription Not having been invited to join the Northern Rugby Football League but still wishing to seek admission to the Northern Rugby Football League, Hull Kingston Rovers applied for membership of the Lancashire Senior Competition and were accepted in August.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0002868/19010809/060/0003 The Northern League. Yorkshire club in a Lancashire Competition Brighouse News 9 August 1901 3 ((1,796)) British Newspaper Archive subscription The expulsion of Hull Kingston Rovers left the Yorkshire Senior Competition with only seven clubs and this was reduced to six when Leeds Parish Church resigned from the competition after the club had to leave their Clarence Road ground.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19010801/263/0012 The Leeds Parish Church club's future Yorkshire Post 1 August 1901 12 ((16,881)) British Newspaper Archive subscription To bring the numbers in the competition back up to 14, seven clubs were promoted from the Yorkshire No.2 competition; these clubs being Dewsbury, Goole, Heckmondwike, Keighley, Normanton, Sowerby Bridge and York.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002868/19010802/043/0003 The Northern Union. Hull Kingston Rovers Boycotted. Vacancies in the Senior Competition filled up Brighouse News 2 August 1901 3 ((1,795)) British Newspaper Archive subscription The Lancashire Senior Competition also promoted a number of teams from the second competition by adding Altrincham, Birkenhead Wanderers, Lancaster, Morecambe and Radcliffe; originally Tyldesley were offered one of the places but the offer was withdrawn and the place given to Radcliffe instead.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000687/19010706/247/0012 Lancashire Senior Competition Yorkshire Post 6 July 1901 12 ((16,859)) British Newspaper Archive subscriptionhttps://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000206/19010724/038/0007 Northern Football Union. Lancashire Senior Competition Manchester Courier 24 July 1901 7 ((13,949)) LXXVII British Newspaper Archive subscription To increase the number of games 12 of the Lancashire based clubs, including both Northern Rugby Football League & Lancashire Senior Competition teams, formed two additional leagues, the South East and South West Lancashire Leagues.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001442/19010614/077/0005 Local and District News Leigh Chronicle 14 June 1901 5 ((3,296)) British Newspaper Archive subscription Where clubs played either a Northern Rugby Football League or Lancashire Senior Competition game and the teams were in the same Lancashire League then the result of the game counted for both competitions.Saxton Irvin History of Rugby League: Volume 7: 1901–02 1 In September 1901 the Athletic News reported on a number of players who comprised what the paper called "the rival poaching" i.e. players who had moved from Yorkshire Senior Competition to Northern Rugby Football League clubs and vice versa due to the lack of agreement between the two competitions.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000986/19010909/147/0008 The rival poaching Athletic News 9 September 1901 8 ((1,353)) British Newspaper Archive subscription Among these was James Lomas who joined Salford from Bramley and was subsequently the subject of the first three figure transfer fee when a tribunal assessed his value at £100.Morris Graham The King of Brilliance Kindle loc. 2417 2010 London League Publications Developments 1901–1902 In early December 1901 representatives of the Northern Rugby Football League and Yorkshire Senior Competition met to see if the differences between them could be reconciled. No progress could be made as the Yorkshire Senior Competition was still advocating the abolition of the Northern Rugby Football League and the only compromise the Northern Rugby Football League was prepared to make was expanding the number of clubs in the Northern Rugby Football League to 15 and for a single club to be relegated each season.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19011206/310/0014 Northern Rugby League and Yorkshire Senior Competition Yorkshire Post 6 December 1901 14 ((16,991)) British Newspaper Archive subscription There was no further contact until April 1902 when the Northern Rugby Football League and Yorkshire Senior Competition met again, this time the Yorkshire Senior Competition proposed to lift its boycott of the Northern Rugby Football League, that transfer agreements the same as those between the Lancashire Senior Competition and the Northern Rugby Football League be adopted and finally that the Yorkshire Senior Competition would accept promotion between the Yorkshire Senior Competition and the Northern Rugby Football League save that the club eligible for promotion could decline it if they so wished.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000747/19020419/249/0009 Northern Union. The serious estrangement Leeds Mercury 19 April 1902 9 ((19,982)) British Newspaper Archive subscription The Northern Rugby Football League representatives met with the Lancashire Senior Competition a few days later. The Lancashire Senior Competition were concerned that if the Yorkshire proposals were accepted the Lancashire Senior Competition would be untenable due to a lack of clubs for a representative fixture list. The Lancashire Senior Competition and the Northern Rugby Football League therefore came up with a counter-proposal; that a second division of the Northern Rugby Football League be created, that all eligible teams be invited to join the second division and that promotion to the Northern Rugby Football League first division would only be from the second division.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000711/19020423/121/0005 The Northern League Lancashire Evening Post 23 April 1902 5 ((4,830)) British Newspaper Archive subscription A further meeting between the Northern Rugby Football League and the Yorkshire Senior Competition took place on 28 April at which the parties agreed that the Yorkshire Senior Competition boycott of the Northern Rugby Football League would be ended and an independent panel was established who would rule of transfer fees between clubs. The two sides were unable to agree on the establishment of a second division to the Northern Rugby Football League. The Northern Rugby Football League reiterated that they would establish a second division but noted the position of the Yorkshire Senior Competition that a second division was not in the best interests of the Yorkshire teams.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000206/19020429/080/0009 Proposed Second Division of the Northern League Manchester Courier 29 April 1902 9 ((14,187)) LXXVIII British Newspaper Archive subscription Three weeks later, splits started to appear in the Yorkshire Senior Competition. On 20 May it was announced that Leeds had applied to join the Northern Rugby Football League having been informed that an application at this stage was likely to be accepted;https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000687/19020520/179/0008 The Leeds F.C. and the Northern League Yorkshire Evening Post 20 May 1902 8 ((17,130)) British Newspaper Archive subscription and before the end of the month similar applications had been made by York and Wakefield Trinity.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000687/19020531/149/0011 The York's Club Affairs Yorkshire Post 31 May 1902 11 ((17,140)) British Newspaper Archive subscription At the Northern Rugby Football League meeting on 17 June 1902 no fewer than 11 Yorkshire clubs applied to join the Northern Rugby Football League and all 11 applications were agreed.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19020618/231/0012 Northern Rugby League. Brighouse readmitted. Eleven Yorkshire Clubs in the Second Division Yorkshire Post 18 June 1902 12 ((17,155)) British Newspaper Archive subscription Ten Lancashire clubs also applied to join the Northern Rugby Football League and nine were accepted (Radcliffe's application was refused); also accepted was the first club from the north-east, South Shields. These additions to the Northern Rugby Football League made the number of competing clubs 36. Brighouse, who finished bottom of the Northern Rugby Football League were re-elected to the league and Wigan, winners of the Lancashire Senior Competition were elected to the league making 15 teams in the first division. It was proposed that all 36 clubs vote on which three teams to promote immediately from the second division with the remaining 18 making up the second division for the next season. The ballot was conducted on 1 July 1902 with Hull Kingston Rovers, St Helens and Widnes being elected.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000629/19020702/120/0005 The Northern League. Important meeting at Manchester Bradford Daily Telegraph 2 July 1902 5 ((10,303)) LXIX British Newspaper Archive subscription With most of the senior clubs from both county competitions now being in the Northern Rugby Football League the committees in both counties took stock; on 29 July the Lancashire Senior Competition committee voted to wind up the competition with the trophy being donated to the Northern Rugby Football League as a trophy for the second division.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001975/19020802/057/0002 Lancashire Senior Competition. Winding Up Northwich Guardian 2 August 1902 2 British Newspaper Archive subscription In Yorkshire it was decided to continue the competition but as a junior league only.Yorkshire Senior Competition Shield http://heritagequay.org/archives/RFL/CM/1/17/3/1892/ Heritage Quay 7 February 2020 Season summary Broughton Rangers were the first winners of the Northern Rugby Football League; the Lancashire Senior Competition was won by Wigan and the Yorkshire Senior Competition by Leeds.Saxton Irvin History of Rugby League: Volume 7: 1901–02 4 James Lomas was the league's top scorer scoring 172 points (22 tries and 53 goals), a new record points total; Robert Wilson of Broughton Rangers was the leading try-scorer scoring 38 tries.Saxton Irvin History of Rugby League: Volume 7: 1901–02 19 W James also of Broughton Rangers set a new goal kicking record scoring 75 during the season. Salford moved to their new ground, The Willows during the season; their first game at the new venue was a 2–0 win against Swinton in front of a crowd of 16,981 on 21 December 1901.http://www.reds.co.uk/history https://web.archive.org/web/20110307194753/http://www.reds.co.uk/history dead 7 March 2011 Salford first game Salford Red Devils Official Web Site, History page 12 November 2011 In all three competitions clubs suffered points deductions for various breaches of the rules, Hunslet and Swinton each being penalised twice. Rochdale Hornets fell into financial difficulties due to falling gates which the club, as members of the Lancashire Senior Competition, blamed on the formation of the NRFL. The players agreed to play some games without pay and the club members paid further subscriptions to resolve the difficulties.Saxton Irvin History of Rugby League: Volume 7: 1901–02 2 Standings Championship TeamPldWDLPFPAPts1cronulla 16 Broughton Rangers262114285112432salford city 16 Salford26153823512531"2 point" Club deducted two points for breaches of the competition rules3runcorn 16 Runcorn26152918510130"2 point" 4swinton 16 Swinton2616010226121284 point Club deducted four points for breaches of the operational rules5halifax 16 Halifax2612410142165286bradford 16 Bradford261411120115727"2 point" 7warrington 16 Warrington261401216215026"2 point" 8hull 16 Hull2611213166193249oldham 16 Oldham26102141901692210leigh 16 Leigh26110151581622211hunslet 16 Hunslet261301316420722"4 point" 12batley 16 Batley2684141361982013huddersfield 16 Huddersfield2682161222621814dewsbury 16 Brighouse Rangers263122743247Source:Rothmans Rugby League 1982-83 Yearbook Fletcher Raymond Howes David amp 1982 0-907574-15-7 190 Notes Lancashire Senior Competition Although participating in the Lancashire Senior Competition, Altrincham, Birkenhead Wanderers, and Stockport were from Cheshire; Hull Kingston Rovers were from Yorkshire; and Millom were from Cumberland. main WDL WIG WID STH BAR HKR STO MIL ROC BIR LAN MOR ALT RAD PRO PRO PRO SEC PRO SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC RES RES 15 1 8 218 92 8 3 13 127 178 8 1 15 144 152 14 4 6 274 79 13 3 8 151 106 11 2 11 209 124 11 2 11 165 98 5 1 18 103 181 2 1 21 20 428 16 1 7 208 114 23 0 7 628 430 9 1 20 458 708 20 0 4 254 67 21 0 3 288 66 2 1 21 58 534 C Barrow 16 Barrow swinton 16 Birkenhead Wanderers hull kr 16 Altrincham western suburbs 16 Morecambe st george 16 Lancaster manly 16 Stockport rochdale 16 Rochdale Hornets hull kr 16 Hull Kingston Rovers Castleford Tigers 16 Radcliffe St helens 16 St Helens queensland 16 Millom Widnes 16 Widnes wigan 16 Wigan -2 -2 -2 -2 Two points deducted due to a breach of the professional rules HKR HKR HKR 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored; points yes complete Saxton Irvin History of Rugby League: No.7 1901–1902 League Publications 7 2 1 0 Q green1 Joined the NRFU First Division green3 Joined the NRFU Second Division lightgrey Resigned from league Yorkshire Senior Competition main WDL LEE MAN KEI WAK HOL DEW YOR NOR BRM CAS HEC GOO SBR LIV PRO PRO PRO PRO PRO PRO PRO PRO PRO PRO RES RES RES RES 22 0 12 230 140 9 3 14 115 163 10 1 15 131 162 14 6 14 125 140 14 1 11 161 94 13 6 7 138 75 22 2 2 317 63 7 3 16 83 227 19 1 6 212 85 9 2 23 88 220 15 6 5 192 117 3 0 23 67 415 5 3 18 94 228 13 2 11 148 140 7 0 19 65 179 15 1 10 258 90 15 1 10 187 130 10 2 22 158 264 C crusaders 16 Bramley castleford 16 Castleford dewsbury 16 Dewsbury LEEDS 16 Leeds brisbane 16 Manningham north Sydney 16 Normanton doncaster 16 Holbeck manly 16 Goole swinton 16 Liversedge keighley 16 Keighley toronto wolfpack 16 Heckmondwike Castleford Tigers 16 Sowerby Bridge wakefield 16 Wakefield Trinity York rlfc 16 York 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored; -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 Two points deducted due to a breach of the professional rules MAN MAN MAN MAN points yes complete Saxton Irvin History of Rugby League: No.7 1901–1902 League Publications 9 2 1 0 Q green1 Joined the NRFU Second Division lightgrey Resigned from league Challenge Cup 1902 Challenge Cup Broughton Rangers beat Salford 25-0 in the final at Rochdale before a crowd of 15,006. http://www.therfl.co.uk/challengecup/page.php?areaid=65 RFL Challenge Cup Roll of Honour 2009-08-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20090403144113/http://www.therfl.co.uk/challengecup/page.php?areaid=65 2009-04-03 dead Sources 1901–02 Rugby Football League season at wigan.rlfans.com The Challenge Cup at The Rugby Football League website References Category:Northern Rugby Football Union seasons Northern Rugby Football Union season Northern Rugby Football Union season