1908–09 Northern Rugby Football Union season

none 1908–09 Northern Rugby Football Union season Championship 31 1908–09 Season wigan 16 Wigan (1st title) Champions wigan 16 Wigan League Leaders oldham 16 Oldham Aberdare Barry Mid-Rhondda Treherbert Joined League ENG James Lomas (salford city 16 Salford) (272) ENG Joe Miller (wigan 16 Wigan)WAL William Williams (halifax 16 Halifax) (44) 1907–08 Northern Rugby Football Union season 1907–09 1909–10 Northern Rugby Football Union season 1909–10 The 1908–09 Northern Rugby Football Union season was the 14th season of rugby league football in the United Kingdom. The governing body, the Northern Union (NU) decided to admit four extra clubs, all from Wales; Aberdare, Barry, Mid-Rhondda and Treherbert, to expand the Northern Rugby League to 31 clubs. With six Welsh clubs in the league the NU also established a Welsh League along the same lines as the existing Lancashire and Yorkshire leagues.Saxton Irvin History of Rugby League. No 14 1908-09 League Publications 1981 1 Wigan won their first Championship this season beating Oldham 7–3 in the play-off final. Wigan also ended the regular season as the league leaders. Oldham's appearance in the Championship final was the first time that a team from outside the top two in the league had reached the final.May 2022 Wigan won the Lancashire League. Halifax won the Yorkshire League. The Welsh League was won by Ebbw Vale. Northern Rugby League The organisation of the Northern Rugby League, the senior competition for the clubs of the Northern Union, did not involve all the clubs playing all the others. The requirement was that clubs would play all the others from their own league (Yorkshire, Lancashire or Wales) home and away.Vamplew Wray Pay up and play the game : professional sport in Britain, 1875-1914 1988 Cambridge University Press 978-0521355971 150 In addition, at least four fixtures against clubs from other leagues also had to be played, any over this minimum were voluntary. This system meant that clubs played differing numbers of games and therefore the league table was based on win percentage (Win percentage was calculated by adding twice the number of wins to the number of draws and dividing this total by the number of games played to give a percentage between 0 and 100%). This fixture system meant a minimum of 28 games for the Yorkshire clubs and 26 for the Lancashire clubs. The Welsh clubs undertook to play eight games against the other Welsh teams and then an equal number of additional matches against English clubs, a minimum of 16 games.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000051/19080801/046/0002 Northern Rugby Football Union The Daily News 1 August 1908 2 19464 subscription British Newspaper Archive The Welsh clubs had mixed fortunes, Merthyr Tydfil and Ebbw Vale, for whom this was the second season in the league, finished 8th (18 matches) and 14th (24 matches) respectively. The four new teams, Mid-Rhondda, Treherbert, Barry and Aberdare all finished in the bottom eight finishing 24th (18 matches), 28th (18 matches), 29th (18 matches) and 31st (17 matches) respectively. Aberdare failed to fulfil their last Northern league fixture, away at Wakefield.Saxton Irvin History of Rugby League. No 14 1908-09 League Publications 1981 3 The disappointing results and the attendant lack of income and support made 1908–09 the only season in the Northern Union for three of thee Welsh teams, as Mid-Rhondda, Aberdare and Barry either left or were expelled from the Northern Union at the end of the season.Fletcher Raymond Howes David Rothman's Rugby League 1982-83 Yearbook 1982 Rothmans Publications 0907574157 387–388 amp The joint top try-scorers were Joe Miller of Wigan and William Williams of Halifax with 49 each.Saxton Irvin History of Rugby League. No 14 1908-09 League Publications 1981 23 James Lomas of Salford was the season's top scorer with 272 points (88 goals and 32 tries), Lomas's 88 goals also made him the leading goal scorer.Saxton Irvin History of Rugby League. No 14 1908-09 League Publications 1981 23 + Northern Rugby League final tablePosTeamPldWDLPFPAPtsPctQualification1Wigan3228047062075687.50Play-off semi-finals2Halifax3428155261745783.823Oldham3226064881765281.254Batley3223364121764976.565Huddersfield34213105042924566.176Wakefield Trinity31201104713184166.127Salford32201114553094164.068Merthyr Tydfil1811161841562363.889Broughton Rangers32191124203303960.9310Warrington32182124732663859.3711Runcorn28161112711913358.9212Hunslet32181133612993757.8113Hull34191144873663957.3514Ebbw Vale24121112492692552.0815Leeds32151163983553148.4316Hull Kingston Rovers32141174294232945.3117St. Helens28113143124212544.6418York32131183945102742.1819Dewsbury30121173503242541.6620Keighley30121173383552541.6621Leigh28110172143082239.2822Swinton32111202584402335.9323Bradford Northern32110213244512234.3724Mid-Rhondda1851121112141130.5525Rochdale Hornets3082201953841830.0026Barrow3291222455071929.6927Widnes2863191973591526.7828Treherbert18411381212925.0029Barry18301576445616.6630Bramley263023162582611.5331Aberdare17101613440625.88 Source:https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002610/19090508/028/0003 The Northern Union. League Championship Settled St Helens Examiner 8 May 1909 3 1673 subscription British Newspaper Archive Play-offs Semi-finals Championship final 1 Wigan 18 4 Batley 2 2 Halifax 3(2) 3 Oldham 3(8) Wigan 7 Oldham 3 Semi-finals The semi-finals were played on 17 April 1909, Wigan beat Batley 18–2 while Halifax and Oldham drew 3–3.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003364/19090418/184/0011 Nearing The End Empire News 18 April 1909 11 1312 subscription British Newspaper Archive Oldham replayed Halifax on 21 April winning 8–2.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002148/19090422/119/0006 Replayed Semi-Final Leicester Daily Post 22 April 1909 6 6936 subscription British Newspaper Archive Final Northern Rugby League Championship Final 1 May 1909 Wigan Ramsdale Leytham (2) 7 – 3 Report Oldham Jardine The Willows 12,000 J. C. Lumley (Leeds) The Championship final was played on a rainy afternoon of 1 May 1909 before a crowd of around 12,000 at The Willows in Salford. In the third minute, Wigan took the lead through a penalty goal by Jim Leytham. Oldham however scored the first try when Bill Jardine crossed in the fifteenth minute. Wigan's Dick Ramsdale took his side back into the lead with a try in the thirtieth minute. Leytham converted to give Wigan a 7–3 lead at half time. No further points were scored during the match.1908-1909 Championship Final http://wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/index.php?page_id=414 wigan.rlfans.com Cherryandwhite.co.uk 3 January 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20131202224626/http://wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/index.php?page_id=414 2 December 2013 dead Contemporary observers considered the match to have been a disappointing spectacle.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003364/19090502/362/0010 Oldham Fail Again Empire News 2 May 1909 10 1314 subscription British Newspaper Archivehttps://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000986/19090503/009/0002 Northern Union League Athletic News 3 May 1909 2 1753 subscription British Newspaper Archive + Championship Final teamsWiganNumberOldham Fullback Jim Sharrock 1 Alf Wood Threequarter backs Jim Leytham 2 George Tyson Bert Jenkins 3 Sid Deane Lance Todd 4 Tom Llewellyn Joe Miller 5 George Smith Halfbacks Johnny Thomas 6 Billy Dixon Ned Jones 7 Arthur Anlezark Forwards Jack Barton 8 Bert Avery Walter Cheetham 9 Joe Ferguson Howell de Francis 10 Bill Jardine Dick Ramsdale 11 Joe Owens Dick Silcock 12 Arthur Smith Tom Whittaker 13 Harry Topham Source: County leagues The Yorkshire and Lancashire county leagues had been re-established the previous season. Team results from championship games played against clubs from the same county counted towards the county league. Halifax won the Yorkshire league and Wigan the Lancashire league.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000748/19090421/238/0006 Championship final Leeds Mercury 21 April 1909 6 21690 subscription British Newspaper Archive 40vw + Yorkshire LeaguePosTeamPldWDLPFPAPts1Halifax242112373112432Batley241734275132373Wakefield Trinity241617396236334Hunslet241518291213315Huddersfield241428328211306Hull2412111353270257Hull Kingston Rovers2410113321348218Leeds2410113264295219Keighley2491142493001910Dewsbury2481152472691711York2481152463841712Bradford Northern2460181803591213Bramley2430211475416Source:Saxton Irvin History of Rugby League. No 14 1908-09 League Publications 1981 5 + Lancashire LeaguePosTeamPldWDLPFPAPts1Wigan221903424145382Oldham221804310130363Salford221417297206284Broughton Rangers221318319233275Warrington221219345190256Runcorn2211110189167237Swinton228113164255178St Helens227312173321179Leigh2280141682531610Rochdale Hornets2262141452571411Widnes2243151232551112Barrow22511611736211Source:Saxton Irvin History of Rugby League. No 14 1908-09 League Publications 1981 6 Bribery case In November 1908, Edward Crofton, a Wigan coal dealer, was jailed for two months with hard labour for attempting to bribe two Wigan players, Lance Todd and Massa Johnston, to throw the club's game against Hunslet. The prosecution case was that, in September, Crofton had waited in a Wigan pub for the two players to come in and when they did arrive, he offered them £5 each and a share of the winnings from betting on Hunslet to beat Wigan the following Saturday. The two players did not take the suggestion seriously, thinking it was a joke, and left the pub. The following evening, the players were again in the pub and Crofton repeated the offer, increasing the amount offered to each player to £20. Again the players thought it was a joke but reported the matter to the club. The defendant maintained that the first meeting never took place and that the second occasion was simply a joke remark on his part and that he had never actually offered either player any money. As another Wigan player had testified that Crofton had been in the pub on the first occasion, the magistrates did not believe Crofton and unanimously convicted him of the offence.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003159/19081112/099/0004 Wigan Sensation. Charge Of Attempted Bribery Sporting Chronicle 12 November 1908 4 11,852 subscription British Newspaper Archivehttps://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003358/19081115/052/0002 Prison For Trying To Bribe Footballers Weekly Dispatch 15 November 1908 2 5588 subscription British Newspaper Archive Welsh league Welsh League The Welsh league was new for this season and worked on different principles from the county leagues. Instead of games between Welsh teams scoring for both the Northern league and the Welsh league, separate fixtures were played for each league resulting in each club's fixture list including four fixtures against each of the other Welsh clubs (two in the Northern league and two in the Welsh league).https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000986/19080907/070/0004 Northern Union Notes. The Welsh League Athletic News 7 September 1908 4 1718 subscription British Newspaper Archive Not all the Welsh league matches were played as some of the clubs got into financial difficulties. Ebbw Vale won the Welsh league when they won their game against Mid-Rhondda at the beginning of April.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000986/19090405/016/0002 Welsh League Champions Athletic News 5 April 1909 2 1749 subscription British Newspaper Archive Ebbw Vale beat a Rest of Welsh League side 20–0 in a season finale.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002970/19090508/061/0003 The Northern Union Game. Champions v. Rest of Welsh League Merthyr Express 3 May 1909 3 2212 subscription British Newspaper Archive + Welsh LeaguePosTeamPldWDLPFPAPct1Ebbw Vale87011352187.50%2Treherbert84136410556.25%3Mid-Rhondda9504704855.55%4Merthyr Tydfil105051017350.00%5Barry61142010225.00%6Aberdare71066410814.28% Challenge Cup 1909 Challenge Cup Wakefield Trinity beat Hull F.C. 17–0 in the final at Headingley, Leeds on 24 April 1909 to win their first Cup in their first final. This was Hull's second successive defeat in a Challenge Cup final, having failed to score a point in either final.http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/complete-history-hull-fc-s-challenge-cup-finals/story-19692285-detail/story.html A complete history of Hull FC's Challenge Cup finals Hull Daily Mail 22 August 2013 1 January 2014 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140203223748/http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/complete-history-Hull-FC-s-Challenge-Cup-finals/story-19692285-detail/story.html 3 February 2014 County Cups 1908–09 Yorkshire Cup 1908–09 Lancashire Cup Halifax won the Yorkshire Cup beating Hunslet 9–5 in the final. Wigan won the Lancashire Cup beating Oldham 10–9 in the final. International tour 1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain The Australia national rugby league team toured the United Kingdom and during the tour played all the Northern Union clubs except Bramley and Barry. References Notes Category:1908 in English rugby league Category:1909 in English rugby league Category:Northern Rugby Football Union seasons Category:1908 in Welsh rugby league Category:1909 in Welsh rugby league