Stockport RFC

For the rugby union club, see Stockport R.U.F.C.

Stockport RFC was a (semi) professional rugby league club.

The club was based in Stockport (population approximately 140,000), a large town in Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Mersey at the confluence with the rivers Goyt and Tame.

Historically Stockport was a part of Cheshire.

The club was involved in the momentous meeting at the George Hotel, Huddersfield in 1895.

And after the schism, the club became founder members of the Northern Rugby Football Union (now Rugby Football League) and played for eight seasons from 1895–96 to 1902–03.

Although they were from Cheshire, they, like several other Cheshire clubs and some Cumberland clubs, participated in the Lancashire Competitions.

Only limited County League information is available for this season (1901–02).

History

Early days

There is little evidence about the formation of the club except that it was before 1895.

Northern Union

Prior to the Schism, Stockport, like many other clubs from Lancashire (and Yorkshire), had suffered punishment by the RFU for "broken time" payments.

When the 22 clubs met at The George Hotel, Huddersfield, the representative of Stockport had been unable to attend the meeting personally and so had telegraphed the meeting requesting the club's admission to the new organisation. This was duly accepted.

After the Great Schism[1] in 1895, Stockport were one of the founder members of the new league. In the first season 1895–96 the league consisted of 22 clubs and Stockport finished in 17th position.

In the second season 1896–97 the league was divided into Yorkshire and Lancashire, Stockport playing in the latter section, where they would stay for all but one of the remainder of their (semi) professional existence. They finished in 5th position out of 14 teams.

In the two following seasons, still in the Lancashire section, season 1897–98 and 1898–99 they finished in 11th position (out of 14 teams).

In the fifth season, 1899–00 they improved slightly finishing 9th out of 14 teams.

In season 1900–01, still in the Lancashire Senior League, Stockport dropped to 12th place out the 14 teams.

In season, 1901–02 14 clubs broke away to form the Northern Rugby League. Stockport were not among these and so, together with the remaining clubs and several additions from the lower county leagues, continued in the Lancashire Senior league, which became in effect division 2 (West). A slightly better season saw a mid-table finish in 6th place out of the 13 clubs. Only limited County League information is available for this season (1901–02).

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.[2] This meant that teams were excluded from the senior competitions leaving them with several options :-

a) Join the new Lancashire League or the Lancashire Combination (reserve grade)

b) Join a new Yorkshire Senior League

c) reverting to amateur status within the Northern Union

d) revert to rugby union

e) turn to Association Football, which many clubs did

f) fold

In season 1902–03 Stockport joined the new 2nd Division. In this, their eighth and last season among the (semi) professional clubs, Stockport finished 18th out of 18 clubs, bottom of the league with only 11 points, whereas Morecambe, the second bottom, had 20 points.

Details of the club from this point on are sketchy, but according to the information provided in an article on the Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council website :-[3]

"(Stockport) County gained admission to the Second Division of the Football League in 1900, and following this elevation - and consequent requirement for a larger ground - the club moved to its current home of Edgeley Park in 1902, which was then the home of Stockport Rugby League Club. The rugby club folded a few years later, leaving County as sole tenants."[3]

Although this is not confirmed elsewhere, if the dates are correct, it can be assumed that Stockport Rugby (League) Club played in the lower Lancashire League until finally folding in 1904 or 1905.

Stadium

Stockport Rugby (League) Club, played, for at least part of their existence, at Edgeley Park.

And, according to the Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council website :-[3]

"The stadium was built in 1901 for the (Stockport) rugby league club, before Stockport County moved there in 1902, after needing to find a bigger stadium to play in following their entrance into the Football League two years earlier"

Stockport County Association Football Club started life in Stockport, when the Wycliffe Congressional Church team merged with Heaton Norris FC to form Heaton Norris Rovers FC. In 1890 they were renamed Stockport County to reflect Stockport's status as a County Borough. They originally played at the Heaton Norris Recreation Ground, then various locations until settling at a park on Green Lane, Heaton Norris in 1889. Stockport County were elected to the Second Division of the Football League in 1900, and this elevation led to a requirement for a larger ground. For the start of the 1902–03 season they moved into their current home of Edgeley Park. At the time this was the home of Stockport Rugby (League) Club.[3][4]

In 1905 (or 1906) Stockport Rugby Club appears to have folded, leaving Stockport County the sole user of the sole tenants of the ground. Edgeley Park has been County's home ever since, and the centenary of the ground was celebrated in 2002.

Records

Club scoring record

In a Season
Details Season Competition Notes Ref
Highest League Position51896–97Lancs Sen CompOut of 14 clubs
Lowest League Position181902–032nd DivOut of 18 clubs
Most League Points321895–96RLOut of possible 84 = 38%
or301896–97Lancs Sen CompOut of possible 52 = 58%
Least League Points111902–032nd DivOut of possible 68 = 16%
Most Points Scored (PF)1711895–96RLIn 42 games = 4.07/game
or1571896–97Lancs Sen CompIn 26 games = 6.04/game
Most Points Conceded (PA)3171898–99Lancs Sen CompIn 26 games = 12.2/game
Least Points Scored (PF)691902–032nd DivIn 34 games = 2.03/game
Least Points Conceded (PA)1361899–00Lancs Sen CompIn 26 games = 5.23/game
Best Points Difference201896–97Lancs Sen CompIn 26 games
Worst Points Difference-2761902–032nd DivIn 26 games

Club league record

Season Competition Pos Team Name Pl W D L PF PA Diff Pts % Pts No of teams in league Notes Ref
1895–96RL17Stockport4212822171315-144 3222
1896–97Lancs Sen5Stockport261421015713720 3014
1897–98Lancs Sen11Stockport268216154253–99 1814
1898–99Lancs Sen11Stockport265120102317-215 1114
1899–00Lancs Sen9Stockport2610214126136-10 2214
1900–01Lancs Sen12Stockport266317102184-82 1514
1901–02Lancs Sen6Stockport 2713
Stockport had 2 points deducted.
Only limited County League information is available for this season.
1902–032nd Div18Stockport34512869348-279 1118

Heading Abbreviations
Pl = Games Played: W = Win; D = Draw; L = Lose; PF = Points For; PA = Points Against; Diff = Points Difference (+ or -); Pts = League Points
League points: for win = 2; for draw = 1; for loss = 0.

Several fixtures and results

The following are just a few of Stockport's fixtures from the eight seasons in which they played (semi) professional Rugby League :- [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Season Date Competition Opponent Venue H/A Result Score Attendance Notes Ref
1895–96Sat 28 Sep 1895RLSt HelensKnowsley RdAWon3–0 [7]
1895–96 26 Oct 1895RLWarringtonEdgeley ParkHDraw 3–3 [9]
1895–96Sat 9 Nov 1895RLHullEdgeley ParkHWon3–0 [8]
1895–96 30 Nov 1895RLWidnesEdgeley ParkHLost0–5 [6]
1895–96Wed 25 Dec 1895RLWiganFolly Fields ALost0–16 1 [5]
1895–96 -1-–0-1896RLWidnesLowerhouse LaneALost10–14 2 [6]
1895–96Sat 18 Jan 1896RLSt HelensEdgeley ParkHWon18–3 [7]
1895–96Sat 7 Mar 1896RLHullBoulevardALost5–15 [8]
1895–96 6 Apr 1896RLWarringtonWilderspoolALost 3–14 [9]
1895–96Sun 26 Apr 1896RLWiganEdgeley ParkHWon8–3 [5]
1896–97Sat 12 Sep 1896Lancs Sen CompWiganEdgeley ParkHWon12–0 [5]
1896–97 19 Sep 1896Lancs Sen CompWarringtonEdgeley ParkHWon15–5 [9]
1896–97Mon 12 Oct 1896FriendlyHullBoulevardAWon5–0 [8]
1896–97 5 Dec 1896Lancs Sen CompWidnesEdgeley ParkHWon12–3 [6]
1896–97Sat 19 Dec 1896Lancs Sen CompSt HelensEdgeley ParkHWon13–6 [7]
1896–97 9 Jan 1897Lancs Sen CompWidnesLowerhouse LaneALost0–9 2 [6]
1896–97 13 Feb 1897Lancs Sen CompWarringtonWilderspoolALost 5–9 [9]
1896–97Sat 13 Mar 1897Lancs Sen CompSt HelensKnowsley RdALost0–9 [7]
1896–97Wed 17 Mar 1897Lancs Sen CompWiganFolly Fields ADraw0–0 1 [5]
1897–98 25 Sep 1897Lancs Sen CompWarringtonWilderspoolALost 7–10 [9]
1897–98 27 Nov 1897Lancs Sen CompWidnesLowerhouse LaneALost0–6 [6]
1897–98Sat 11 Dec 1897Lancs Sen CompSt HelensEdgeley ParkHWon14–7 [7]
1897–98Sat 8 Jan 1898Lancs Sen CompWiganEdgeley ParkHLost4–6 [5]
1897–98 29 Jan 1898Lancs Sen CompWarringtonEdgeley ParkHWon13–3 [9]
1897–98 12 Feb 1898Lancs Sen CompWidnesEdgeley ParkHLost5–9 [6]
1897–98Sat 19 Feb 1898Lancs Sen CompSt HelensKnowsley RdALost0–27 [7]
1897–98Fri 8 Apr 1898Lancs Sen CompWiganFolly Fields ADraw5–5 1 [5]
1898–99Sat 8 Oct 1898Lancs Sen CompWiganFolly Fields ALost8–19 1 [5]
1898–99 17 Dec 1898Lancs Sen CompWarringtonWilderspoolALost 6–8 [9]
1898–99 7 Jan 1899Lancs Sen CompWidnesEdgeley ParkHLost0–10 [6]
1898–99 14 Jan 1899Lancs Sen CompWidnesLowerhouse LaneALost10–26 2 [6]
1898–99Sat 25 Feb 1899Lancs Sen CompWiganEdgeley ParkHWon3–0 [5]
1898–99Sat 4 Mar 1899Lancs Sen CompSt HelensEdgeley ParkHLost3–13 [7]
1898–99 1 Apr 1899Lancs Sen CompWarringtonEdgeley ParkHWon12–2 [9]
1898–99Thu 20 Apr 1899Lancs Sen CompSt HelensKnowsley RdALost10–13 [7]
1899–00 9 Sep 1899Lancs Sen CompWiganEdgeley ParkHWon18–5 [5]
1899–00 16 Sep 1899Lancs Sen CompWarringtonWilderspoolALost 0–15 [9]
1899–00Sat 21 Oct 1899Lancs Sen CompSt HelensKnowsley RdALost3–17 [7]
1899–00 4 Nov 1899Lancs Sen CompWarringtonEdgeley ParkHLost 0–3 [9]
1899–00Sat 25 Nov 1899Lancs Sen CompSt HelensEdgeley ParkHLost3–6 [7]
1899–00 30 Dec 1899Lancs Sen CompWidnesEdgeley ParkHWon21–3 [6]
1899–00 24 Feb 1900Lancs Sen CompWidnesLowerhouse LaneALost0–2 2 [6]
1899–00 10 Mar 1900Lancs Sen CompWiganFolly Fields ALost0–2 [5]
1899–00 7 Apr 1900CC R4WidnesEdgeley ParkHLost0–3 [6]
1900–01 22 Sep 1900Lancs Sen CompWarringtonEdgeley ParkHWon 8–3 [9]
1900–01Sat 6 Oct 1900Lancs Sen CompSt HelensKnowsley RdALost0–3 [7]
1900–01 24 Nov 1900Lancs Sen CompWidnesLowerhouse LaneALost0–5 2 [6]
1900–01Sat 1 Dec 1900Lancs Sen CompSt HelensEdgeley ParkHWon5–0 [7]
1900–01 23 Feb 1901Lancs Sen CompWarringtonWilderspoolALost 3–10 [9]
1900–01Sat 9 Mar 1901CC R2St HelensKnowsley RdADraw0–0 [7]
1900–01Wed 13 Mar 1901CC R2 ReplaySt HelensEdgeley ParkHLost5–11 [7]
1900–01 16 Mar 1901Lancs Sen CompWidnesEdgeley ParkHWon13–0 [6]
1900–01 6 Apr 1901Lancs Sen CompWiganFolly Fields ALost2–9 1 [5]
1900–01 13 Apr 1901Lancs Sen CompWiganEdgeley ParkHWon13–0 [5]
1901–02Sat 12 Oct 1901Lancs Sen CompSt HelensEdgeley ParkHWon3–0 [7]
1901–02 2 Nov 1901Lancs Sen CompWidnesEdgeley ParkHLost0–2 [6]
1901–02 25 Dec 1901Lancs Sen CompWiganEdgeley ParkHWon6–5 [5]
1901–02 1 Jan 1902Lancs Sen CompWiganSpringfield ParkALost3–10 3 [5]
1901–02Sat 18 Jan 1902Lancs Sen CompSt HelensKnowsley RdALost7–13 [7]
1901–02 25 Jan 1902Lancs Sen CompWidnesLowerhouse LaneALost0–12 2 [6]
1902–03 14 Feb 1903CC R1WiganSpringfield ParkALost0–8 3 [5]

Heading Abbreviations
CC Rx = Challenge Cup Round x; LC Rx = Lancahire Cup Competition; JPT Rx = John Player Trophy; REGAL Rx = Regal Trophy.

Notes and comments

1 - Folly Fields is the stadium used by Wigan at the time until 1901. They then became sub-tenants of Springfield Park See below - Note 3.

2 - Lowerhouse Lane is the original site of the current ground used by Widnes. It was renamed Naughton Park in 1932 in honour of club secretary, Tom Naughton - and later renamed Halton Stadium after being completely rebuilt in 1997.

3 - Wigan became sub-tenants of Springfield Park, which they shared with Wigan United AFC, playing their first game there on 14 September 1901 at which a crowd of 4,000 saw them beat Morecambe 12–0, and the last game on 28 April 1902 when Wigan beat the Rest of Lancashire Senior Competition. A temporary ground was necessary to span the period between moving from Folly Fields and the new ground at Central Park being constructed.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 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. 34 and 35.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "About Stockport County".
  4. ↑ "Stockport County History".
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 324 "Cherry and White" Check |url= value (help).
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Widnes History".
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Saints Heritage Society".
  8. 1 2 3 4 aspx "Hull&Proud" Check |url= value (help).
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Warington History".

External links

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