The Oldham Rugby League Heritage Trust has, over the years, built up an impressive collection of match videos.
However, there are a few that would be a welcome addition to the collection if anyone out there has a copy.
The match against Blackpool Borough on September 16th 1984 when a certain Hugh Waddell ran in a hat-trick against his future team-mates in a shock Lancashire Cup victory for the seasiders, is one that people have enquired about from time to time, but is one of the few home matches from the 1984-85 season that we don’t have in the collection.
For the 1991-92 season there are just two matches required. Away at Sheffield on September 1st 1991 and the home match against Leigh the following week on September 8th.
Also from the first super League season in 1996 only the away match at Paris on April 8th is missing from the archive.
Any help in acquiring these matches for the collection of the Heritage Trust would be much appreciated.
It is with great sadness that the Heritage Trust heard the news that one of our former coaches, Mick Coates, has died suddenly at the age of 61 after being taken ill while out riding his bike in Mossley.
He was assistant coach to Paddy Kirwan for the Roughyeds in 1998 and became head coach the following season and as such was heavily involved in the early days of the reformed club.
A massive loss to the whole of the Oldham Rugby League community it will of course be felt mostly at Saddleworth Rangers where Mick played and coached with distinction and served loyally for many years. Mick devoted much of his life to Rangers and his passing will be felt deeply at Shaw Hall Bank Road.
The sincere condolences of the Oldham Rugby League Heritage Trust are sent to all of Mick’s family and friends.
The Infirmary Cup (Law Cup) was first contested between Oldham and Rochdale Hornets in May 1921. The trophy was donated by the Rochdale MP, the Right Hon A. J. Law with the proceeds of the match being given over to the infirmaries in the two towns.
After a 0 – 0 draw at the Athletic Grounds on May 7th, Oldham became the first recipients by winning the replay 12 – 2 at Watersheddings on May 13th with Joe Ferguson the first winning captain to hold the cup aloft.The competition would subsequently become a pre or early season event and when, as in 1954 and 1976, the match ended in a draw the cup was retained by the current holders.
Watch this space for further updates and Law Cup facts.
The above article was posted on the Heritage Trusts’ news page back in August 2020 with a further piece being added on January 17th of this year in anticipation of the match going ahead.
Alas, just three weeks later the news broke that, understandably in the current conditions, the match had been put on hold for twelve months.
However, with the centenary date now with us here are a few more Law Cup facts to add to the information posted in January.
Tommy Rees
The biggest winning margin was forty points when Oldham triumphed 53 – 13 at Watersheddings in 1961 with the Hornets best effort resulting in a 42 – 8 victory at Spotland in 2006.
Tommy Rees and Jack Read hold the Oldham record for the number of appearances with eleven each. Over more or less the same time period, Tommy was the full back in consecutive Law Cup games from 1928 until 1938 inclusive, while Jack was in the front row on eleven occasions between 1926 and 1938.
Jack Read
Bernard Ganley
In those matches Tommy knocked over 33 goals but that’s not the record. Needless to say that honour goes to the “Great Ganley”. Bernard sent 37 efforts between the post in eight consecutive Law Cup games between 1952 and 1959 which also gives him the most points with 74.
Two more Oldham players got into double figures for goals; John Noon 15 and John Blair 10.
The honour for most goals in one match goes to Frank Dyson with nine successes in the 39 – 7 victory in 1964.
This also represents the best ‘points in a match’ haul.
John Blair
John Noon
Frank Dyson
Five Oldham players have scored five tries in Law Cup games: Ernie Large, Alan Davies, Frank Pitchford, Len McIntyre and Geoff Robinson, with Frank’s four in 1961 the most in a single match.
Ernie Large
Alan Davies
Len McIntyre
Geoff Robinson
Frank Pitchford scoring one of his four tries on August 12th 1961.
Jim Fiddler
Since the value of the score was devalued to one point in 1974, only two Oldham players have scored a drop goal in the Law Cup. Jim Fiddler in 1979 and Lewis Palfrey in 2016.
Lewis Palfrey
Since 1999 the Karl Marriott Memorial Trophy has been awarded to the Rochdale ‘player of the match’ in memory of Karl, a popular Hornets’ player who died tragically in October 1998 aged just 28.
The Heritage Trust Trophy was introduced in 2004 with the award going to the Oldham ‘player of the match’.
Ian Watson
The first recipient was Ian Watson with Danny Langtree the most recent winner in 2020.
The Heritage Trust and all of the Oldham RL fraternity were saddened to learn of the death of former Roughyed, Cliff Hill who recently died in a Wigan hospital, aged 78.
Cliff , was a clever ‘old school’ stand-off who joined Oldham from Wigan towards the end of his career and, with prop Frank Foster and coach Graham Starkey, helped to transform Oldham’s fortunes in the early 1970s.
A master tactician he dictated tactics, used to the full his great vision and sense of anticipation, and generally brought out the best in those around him.
Hill captained a side which played a brand of touchline-to-touchline rugby that wasn’t only pleasing on the eye, but brought out the best in outside backs and wingers. Hill, as playmaker-in-chief, and Foster, as the side’s enforcer, were the perfect fit for Starkey’s advanced thinking.
In seven years at Wigan earlier in his career, Cliff scored 57 tries in 192 games and then at Oldham, between 1971 and 1973, he played 59 times, scored nine tries… and made scores of more for others.
Brought up in Ashton-in-Makerfield, he was spotted by the great Eric Ashton while playing for Newton-Le-Willows RU club, the club. In replacing full-back Colin Tyrer, who was injured in the 1970 Cup Final, Cliff made Rugby League and Challenge Cup history by becoming the first substitute in a Challenge Cup final.
The following year Cliff signed for Oldham for £2,250. He made his debut for the Roughyeds at Halifax on February 7th 1971 in a team including Martin Murphy, Mike Elliott, Phil Larder, Kevin Taylor, Ken Wilson and Bob Irving.
He made one appearance for Great Britain against the French in January 1966.
The sincere condolences of the Oldham Rugby League Heritage Trust are offered to Cliff’s family and friends.
The members of the Heritage Trust were saddened to learn of the death of former Roughyed, John Rae.
‘Johnny’, as he was often known, was signed from the Cumbrian amateur club Wath Brow. A native of Pica, which is more or less half way between Workington and Whitehaven, John was signed by Gus Risman for the Roughyeds making his debut at Salford on March 4th 1961.
A second row or loose forwad, John played 41 matches for Oldham scoring 12 tries.
He left Watersheddings to join the newly reformed Bradford Northern club in 1964 which turned out to be an astute signing for ‘Northern’ as John went on to play for Great Britain in the second test against the Kiwis in 1965 and helped Bradford win the Yorkshire cup in the same year. He made 132 appearances for the Yorkshire club scoring 40 tries and nine goals in four seasons before persistent knee injuries forced his early retirement at the young age of 27.
The sincere condolences of the Oldham Rugby League Heritage Trust are offered to all of John’s family and friends.
It is with great regret that the Heritage Trust have learned of the death of former Roughyed, Brian Lord.
A noted local swimmer and swim instructor, Brian signed from local amateur rugby in 1959 and made his senior debut at Widnes on January 30th 1960 where the Roughyeds recorded a ten nil victory against the ‘Chemics’. That day Brian played at left centre and his 88 matches for Oldham were split almost equally between the centre and wing positions. A robust player with a good turn of pace he scored 40 tries for Oldham before moving on to the newly reformed Bradford Northern club at the end of the 1963-64 season along with team-mate, John Rae.
The sincere condolences of the Oldham Rugby League Heritage Trust are offered to all of Brian’s family and friends.
The Oldham Rugby League Heritage Trust was sad to learn of the death of ex-Roughyed Dave Nicholson on the Isle of Man.
Fans will remember Dave as a hard-working second-row forward in two of Oldham’s most successful seasons for many years.
Dave, who played originally for Blackbrook ARLFC and toured Australia, New Zealand and PNG with the pioneering BARLA open-age international squad before turning pro for Swinton in 1979. He played a total of 31 games for the Lions making a lot of friends at Station Road along the way.
He impressed Swinton coach Frank Myler in his two seasons with the Lions, so much so that when Myler took charge at Watersheddings ahead of the 1981-2 season and wanted to tighten the defence, he went back to his former club and signed Nicholson and utility back Alan Taylor in a joint deal worth £20,000.
It was the start of a brilliant season in which Dave played 25 times as Oldham won 30 of their 32 league games to finish top of Division Two, to carry off the Slalom Lager Rose Bowl, to pick up £6,000 in prize money and to lift their first trophy since 1964.
They also reached their first cup semi-final in 17 years, beating Doncaster, Huddersfield and Leeds, all at home, to take on Hull at Headingley, losing 22-6 in the last four of the John Player Trophy with Dave playing at prop
Dave played in 35 matches for Oldham scoring 7 tries.
The Myler years will be long remembered . . . as will the part played by Dave Nicholson in Frank’s first two seasons.
Rest in peace Dave, the condolences of the Oldham Rugby League Heritage Trust and all the Oldham RL fraternity go out to all of Dave’s family and friends.
It is perhaps appropriate that on August 29th 2020, exactly 125 years since the formation of the Northern Union / Rugby League at the George Hotel in Huddersfield, Joseph Platt the first secretary of the then new sporting body was inducted into the Rugby League – Roll of Honour. He is the first person to be posthumously so honoured.
Joe served as secretary of the league for 25 years and was an official / vice president at Oldham for over forty years having first being elected to the committee in 1885
The Oldham Chairman Chris Hamilton was there to receive the award from the CEO of the Rugby Football League, Ralph Rimmer at the special 125th anniversary event at the George Hotel.
Chris Hamilton with RFL CEO Ralph Rimmer at the George Hotel in Huddersfield.
History tells us that Joseph Platt was a tireless worker on behalf of Oldham F.C. and all things Rugby League and the award is long overdue.
The Infirmary Cup (Law Cup) was first contested between Oldham and Rochdale Hornets in May 1921. The trophy was donated by the Rochdale MP, the Right Hon A. J. Law with the proceeds of the match being given over to the infirmaries in the two towns.
After a 0 – 0 draw at the Athletic Grounds on May 7th, Oldham became the first recipients by winning the replay 12 – 2 at Watersheddings on May 13th with Joe Ferguson the first winning captain to hold the cup aloft.
The competition would subsequently become a pre or early season event and when, as in 1954 and 1976, the match ended in a draw the cup was retained by the current holders.
Watch this space for further updates and Law Cup facts.
