Club History

After a nightmare start to 2003 in which the Giants crashed out of the Challenge Cup at Hunslet, they slowly but surely began to establish themselves as Super League calibre by winning at home to reigning champions St Helens, and by the end of the season Leeds, Wigan, Hull and Widnes had also been beaten as Smith watched his side secure a club record eleven Super League wins for the season, plus a draw against Widnes.

Smith had succeeded where other coaches had failed in keeping the Giants in Super League, but that attracted the attention of Leeds Rhinos who recognised Smith’s huge talent, moving on to take control at Headingley.

St Helens assistant coach and former Hull forward Jon Sharp was appointed head coach for 2004 and the team improved again, finishing seventh in the League and reaching the Challenge Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1971.

The Giants continued to recruit - the talismanic Brad Drew joined the club from Canberra Raiders in June 2004, and was an ever-present during 2005.

The following month high-profile signing Michael De Vere, the Australian Test centre from Brisbane Broncos, was signed in readiness for the 2005 season.

In the home game with Leigh Centurions on 21st August 2005, the Giants recorded a 68-16 win, Chris Thorman scoring 36 points comprising 4 tries and 10 goals to set Huddersfield Super League match records of most tries, goals and points.

For the kick-off of the 2006 season the club unveiled a host of new signings to strengthen the squad, including the iconic New Zealand international scrum-half Robbie Paul from Bradford Bulls.

After a convincing 44-14 victory over Salford in the quarter-final of the Challenge Cup, the Giants faced Leeds Rhinos (coached by Tony Smith) in the semi-final at Odsal Stadium on 30 July, and against all the odds Huddersfield pulled off a magnificent 30-12 win, with Stuart Donlan and Chris Nero scoring two tries apiece, Michael De Vere adding a try and five goals.

In their first Challenge Cup Final for 44 years, the Giants threatened to pull off one of the greatest upsets in Cup Final history when they led 6-0 after twenty minutes, however, it was not to be as Huddersfield were eventually beaten 42-12 by red-hot favourites St Helens at Twickenham on 26 August 2006.

Saints turned the screw and, though the Giants rallied in the final quarter, the contest was over.

The team that represented Huddersfield was:

Paul Reilly: Martin Aspinwall, Michael De Vere, Chris Nero, Stuart Donlan: Chris Thorman, Robbie Paul: Paul Jackson, Brad Drew, Jim Gannon, Eorl Crabtree, Andy Raleigh, Stephen Wild

Subs: Steve Snitch, Stuart Jones, Paul Smith, Wayne McDonald

The start of the 2007 season saw the Giants add Wests Tigers trio Jamahl Lolesi, John Skandalis and Shane Elford to the playing staff, but the season started horrendously for the Giants, losing their first seven games.

By April, finally it all came good as they hammered table-topping Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 56-12 at the Galpharm Stadium on Good Friday.

By the end of May the picture was totally different.

The Giants had a Challenge Cup quarter-final to look forward to and had successfully been on their longest-ever winning streak since joining Super League (nine games, including two in the Challenge Cup) - in addition, Sharp was named consecutively as Coach of the Month for April and May.

The Huddersfield revival continued and by the end of the season had finished fifth in Super League and reached the Play-Offs for the first time after a nail-biting 24-22 home win over Wakefield, however, on 22nd September a 22-16 defeat at Hull ended the campaign, with end-of-season departures Paul Reilly, Brad Drew and Chris Nero confirmed.

It was also a good year for the ever-consistent Stephen Wild.

Picture: Twickenham, 26 August 2006. Huddersfield's Brad Drew moves in to tackle Jayson Cayless of St Helens in the Powergen Challenge Cup Final

Huddersfield took a share in the new McAlpine Stadium (now known as the John Smith's Stadium), with the first game against Barrow on 21st August 1994 resulting in a 50-12 win.

Just when supporters thought the season was over, marvellous performances in the Play-Offs against Rochdale Hornets (36-10) and Batley (13-6) swept Huddersfield to the Second Division Premiership Final at Old Trafford, Manchester, on 21st May 1995 - their first major final for 33 years, however, the day ended in disappointment as Keighley Cougars emerged victors 26-6.

In the play-off game against Rochdale Hornets at Fartown, Huddersfield’s Australian centre Greg Austin registered a 52nd try to equal the record for a centre in a season set by Paul Newlove in 1992-93.

Super League and its ramifications hit Britain early in April 1996, causing the biggest upheaval and controversy in the game’s history, but it had started months earlier in Australia with the power struggle between media moguls Kerry Packer and Rupert Murdoch as they battled for television rights for the Winfield Cup.

Rarely can two eras of sport have been so dramatically linked as those which saw Rugby League’s Centenary Season being followed by the first Super League and summer rugby campaign, but it would be another two years before Huddersfield rose again to the top level of the game.

In 1996, Ken Davy took over as Chairman of Huddersfield and ‘Giants’ was added to the team name.

Davy was initially involved with the club when his independent finance company DBS Management began to sponsor the club.

Huddersfield, on low gates and high match costs, were like many other rugby clubs of the pre-Murdoch era.

Within two years of this sponsorship deal, clearly the Giants were in financial trouble.

Davy decided to get more involved and took control of the Huddersfield club, and with him at the helm top-name coaches were acquired and high-profile signings were made, resulting in a winning formula and dramatic increase in the Giants supporter base.

In 1997, Huddersfield Giants upset the form book when they defeated Division One champions Hull Sharks 18-0 in the Stones Divisional Championship Premiership Final at Old Trafford on 27th September - led by Phil Veivers and the class of Craig Weston who took the man-of-the-match award, plus a superb all-round defensive performance from the whole squad.

The Huddersfield team that day was:

Team: Phil Veivers (capt): Paul Cook, James Bunyan, Dean Hanger, Andy Cheetham: Craig Weston, Ali Davys: Neil Harmon, Danny Russell, Nick Fozzard, Tony Bowes, Dave King, Matt Sturm.

Interchange: Basil Richards, Joe Berry, Steve Booth, Paul Dixon.

Season 1984-85 was a further year of struggle for the club - Brian Lockwood was replaced as coach by Chris Forster, though crowds rose to 905.

At end of the season all sports fans were shocked by the tragic fire on 11th May 1985 at Bradford City’s Valley Parade ground when 56 lives were lost.

There were resounding repercussions for rugby league grounds whose facilities came under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act, as many were in advanced states of decay, none more so than the crumbling Fartown complex.

Its impact on rugby league was financially devastating, as it forced clubs to confront the legacy of neglect of their grounds, however, it was a ‘catch 22’ situation as insurers raised fire and storm premiums paid by the clubs to astronomical levels.

Further depression set in at Huddersfield in 1985-86 as only 303 spectators (Huddersfield’s lowest-ever crowd)) turned up at Fartown on 17 April 1986 to see an amazing 32-32 draw with Keighley - to complete a thoroughly miserable year the club’s average attendance plummeted to 678.

On 11th May 1986, Trevor Leathley played his final game for Huddersfield against Blackpool Borough - a master of the interception try, showing extraordinary anticipation and a remarkable turn of speed in setting up tries, Leathley had shown a wonderful record of consistency in his thirteen years with Huddersfield (320 + 23 sub games, 110 tries).

Season 1986-87 started with a new ray of hope, much was promised with the expensive signings of ball-playing forward Tony Kinsey from Fulham and record-breaking goal kicker Steve Hesford from Warrington, sadly neither investment was to pay off.

Problems continued off the field, or rather round it, safety regulations threatened to cause the ground to be ‘standing room only’, both stands being barred to paying spectators.

A short-term reprieve was granted, limiting 300 in the Main Stand until storm damage caused that too to be closed for a considerable period.

Christmas saw the departure of coach Chris Forster, with chairman John Bailey offering to surrender control of rugby at Fartown whilst appointing Jack Addy as coach, the season ending with a double defeat against Dewsbury - the Huddersfield Examiner declaring ‘ This was one of the worst, a shameful end to the Arena season’.

The Fartown faithful were once again condemned to ‘standing room only’ in 1987-88, no work having been done to bring the stand up to the required safety regulations.

A council loan was proposed, but then local businessman Jim Collins made his first takeover bid for the club, however, the proposed loan of £25,000 from the local authorities to assist with refurbishment was blocked by a council sub-committee.

Politics took over as the council’s loan was re-offered under ‘certain terms’, with John Bailey blocking Jim Collins’ attempt to buy shares.

After a further slump in the team’s fortunes, Jack Addy resigned as coach with Neil Whittaker and St Helens-based Allan Jones appointed to finish the season out.

A glimmer of hope occurred in 1988-89, the universally disliked ‘Barracudas’ tag was abandoned, with John Bailey offering to ‘give the club away’ to anyone who would take on the responsibility of running the team, improving the ground and being responsible for the necessary work to retain a safety certificate.

Enquiries were made by a number of interested parties, among them Mick Murphy, Jim Collins and lifelong Fartown supporter Neil Shuttleworth.

The three-man consortium finally took over rugby activities in November 1988, with Nigel Stephenson as coach.

A portion of the Main Stand was re-opened and refurbishment made to floodlighting, with Rugby League officials visiting the ground to ensure there were genuine plans for the future.

One player to leave the club was prop forward Jimmy Johnson - signed in December 1977, Johnson had remained loyal to Huddersfield in view of the lean times experienced by the club.

He played 264 +21 sub games, scoring 48 tries and a drop goal, his last game was against Batley on 12 March 1989.

In readiness for the 1989-90 season, a tremendous amount of work was carried out on the ground during the summer months, including a fully-refurbished scoreboard, repairs to the famous terrace-side, new goal posts and extended seating in the Main Stand - the club was beginning to show pride once again.

In August 1989, a previously unknown twenty-two year old Australian named Wally Gibson burst onto the scene, making his debut at Whitehaven and scoring an incredible hat-trick of tries, however, the economics of Second Division rugby kicked in with Anthony Farrell sold to Sheffield Eagles in a record deal of £55,000, which supported the clubs’ finances for the remainder of the season.

Pictured: Huddersfield 1988-89

From left: Back Row: Mick Blacker (Asst Coach), Huck, Diskin, Simpson, Brooke, Kenworthy, Boothroyd, Subritzky, Power, Nigel Stephenson (Coach)

Front Row: Cocker, Senior, Thomas, Gibson, Farrell, Lee St Hilaire, Shuttleworth, McIntosh, Phil Johnson (‘A’ Team Coach)

Another change involved the value of a drop goal from two points to one in 1974 - this and the introduction of the differential penalty at the scrum in 1976 led to a drastic reduction in the number of goals kicked.

The days of the Top Sixteen Play-Off were also numbered, and in 1973-74 clubs decided for the third time to give two divisions a whirl - unlike the previous two short-lived experiments, the two division set up this time endured.

Huddersfield found themselves in the Second Division after finishing in 24th position in 1972-73.

After finishing the 1973-74 Second Division season in tenth place, 1974-75 was a good one for the Fartowners as they finished the season as Second Division Champions, robbing the title from under the noses of Hull KR.

Brian Smith, the coach, together with the signings of Castleford pair Glen Knight and Tony Miller, transformed Huddersfield into a powerful Second Division outfit, helped by John Hartley who kicked 110 goals.

What the side lacked in polish they made up for in endeavour and a great team spirit, however, after just one season in the First Division they found themselves relegated after languishing at the foot of the table for most of the season.

An astute signing, albeit for one season only, was that of Neil Fox as player/coach in 1977-78.

Under Fox’s guidance, Huddersfield finished the season in fourth place achieving promotion to the First Division, and whilst with the club Fox overtook Jim Sullivan’s all-time points scoring record which had stood since 1946 on 2nd January 1978 with the third of his four goals for Huddersfield in a win over Oldham.

Again in 1978-79, Huddersfield found the going tough in the First Division and were relegated after finishing bottom of the league.

One consolation was that the club celebrated 100 years of football at Fartown when Hubert Pogson turned the clock back sixty years and kicked off the First Division game between Huddersfield and Wakefield Trinity on 29th October 1978.

The 1967-68 season saw Huddersfield taking another step to once again becoming a leading figure in rugby league with the installation of floodlights.

The floodlights were officially switched on by the President of Huddersfield C & AC, Mr Robert Hanson, before the game against Hull on 18th October 1967.

In a classic Challenge Cup first round tie at Knowsley Road on 3rd February 1968, Huddersfield upset the form book by defeating St Helens 5-0, going on to beat Halifax and Featherstone Rovers and progress to the semi-finals, however, in a scoreless game against Wakefield Trinity at Odsal Stadium on 30th March, Trinity went on to win the replay 15-10 the following Wednesday.

For the first time in 1969-70, two substitutes were allowed at any time, instead of only up to half-time as previously.

As Huddersfield moved into the Seventies, Hubert Lockwood was elected Vice-Chairman of the Rugby League Council, becoming Chairman between 1970 and 1972, uniquely emulating his father Richard who held the position in 1945-46, the game’s fiftieth anniversary.

It was the first time a father and son had held the highest office in the game.

Hubert served for twenty-six years on the committee at Huddersfield, becoming Chairman of the club in 1955, and in 1962 was elected Chairman of the Yorkshire Senior Competition.

In 1975 he was made a Life Member of the Rugby Football League.

After sixty-two years, 1970 saw the last of the Lancashire and Yorkshire League Championships, clubs soon had a replacement at which to aim for in 1971-72 when the John Player Trophy was instigated.

On 3rd April 1971, Huddersfield reached the semi-final of the Challenge Cup against Leigh at Wigan, again fate taking a hand as the Fartowners were defeated 10-4 in a try-less game.

Another stalwart of the club retired in April 1971: Don Close was one of the outstanding hookers in the rugby league game during the post-war era.

A player who gave 100% for the Fartowners, he was a fair striker for the ball, quick and had the true virtue of all the best hookers - possessing the knack of getting the ball, not from every scrum, but getting it when it was wanted.

Close joined Huddersfield from Allerton Bywater ARL in 1957 and played 408 times (7 tries), he played once for Great Britain against France in 1967, and won seven Yorkshire caps.

In the early Seventies, Huddersfield created a record by signing four brothers - Jim, Trevor, Brian and Ronnie Doyle - and also brought Greg Veivers and Wayne Bennett over from Australia to play for most of the 1972-73 season, after which Veivers returned to Australia and captained their national side, Bennett going on to earn world-wide fame as coach to Premiership winners Brisbane Broncos, Queensland and Australia.

For many years kicking in loose play had bordered on criminal and the drop goal had become something remembered but not practiced.

Limited tackles allowed teams to devise completely new strategies within the four-tackle format.

Suddenly kicking once again became essential - to be caught in possession on the fourth tackle resulted in a scrum, more scrums were something nobody needed, consequently by 1972 the rule was extended to six tackles.

Picture From left: Irving, Heppleston, Tomlinson, Naylor, Weavill, Davies, Pickup, Leek Front: Hooson, Wallace, Close, Senior, Bedford, Loxton, Calvert

A splendid start was made in the Eastern Region Championship at the start of 1962-63, Huddersfield topping the table with a 100% record.

Halifax were beaten in the semi-final play-off, but in a close-fought final at Headingley on 10th October 1962, Hull KR proved worthy winners by 13-10.

Huddersfield opened their First Division programme with a good win against Swinton at Fartown, but their away record would prevent them from being Championship challengers, in fact after the Easter games they were among the relegation candidates, but a good win at Workington followed by four successive home wins took them to safety and a mid-table position.

Hawick RU Club was once a happy hunting ground for Huddersfield in the past, the club returning to capture Robert Angus Valentine (the younger brother of Dave) in December 1963.

Rob played seven years at Fartown and won a Great Britain cap in 1967 against the Australians in the First Test at Swinton.

On 12th July 1963, Frank Dyson left Huddersfield to take up a position as player/coach at Oldham.

A great clubman, in 367 appearances he established Huddersfield records in goal kicking (958) and points (2072) from 1950 to 1963 that will take some surpassing.

Another long-serving player to leave was prop forward Ted Slevin, who asked for and was granted a free transfer, signing for Rochdale Hornets - he played 441 times for Huddersfield scoring eight tries.

After Tommy Smales and Peter Ramsden left the club in 1964-65, Huddersfield slipped to eighteenth in the League, however, some ‘consolation’ was on the horizon.

Created as an equivalent to the Top Sixteen Championship Play-Off, a Bottom 14 Competition was designed to give the Rugby League’s bottom fourteen clubs their own end of season finale.

There was little enthusiasm for the new competition, maybe not surprising given it’s title, and four clubs - Bramley, Dewsbury, Liverpool City and Salford - conceded walkovers in the first round.

Not surprisingly, the competition was scrapped after one season, but not until after Huddersfield had beaten Doncaster 13-3 in the final at Tattersfield on 18 May 1965.

The transfer of Smales to newly re-formed Bradford Northern in the November ended a lengthy association with the club (295 appearances, 111 tries, 1 goal).

In his time at Huddersfield it was fitting he should gain the game’s highest honours, including the captaincy of the Great Britain team against Australia.

Peter Ramsden had an even longer spell with the Fartowners, playing his first match in 1951, a career spanning fourteen years (246 appearances, 54 tries, 2 goals).

He was granted a free transfer in September 1964 and subsequently signed for York.

1958-59 found the team finishing in a much lower League position (19th) than anticipated and saw further signings materialise in the form of Ernie Ashcroft from Wigan as player/coach, Ken Noble, a second row forward from Featherstone Rovers, local centre-threequarter Raymond Haywood and Mike Wicks, a wingman from Torquay RU.

Ashcroft was able to check the decline in playing standards, his classical style proved to be an inspiration on several occasions, indeed, there were times when Huddersfield looked a far better side than their League position indicated.

Thanks to two successful runs of victories, the Fartowners improved their League standing in 1959-60 finishing in twelfth position.

By the end of February they were challenging for Top Four honours, unfortunately the challenge was not maintained.

Three defeats in March saw hard-earned ground lost, and of the season’s last ten matches only two were won.

Ernie Ashcroft made the most appearances, missing only one game, and Frank Dyson too had a stand-out season.

He reached a century of goals (for the fourth time) and was selected at full back for Great Britain against Australia at Headingley, Leeds, on 21st November 1959, also captaining Yorkshire in all their three County Championship games.

Brian Curry did much sound work as Ashcroft’s centre partner and proved a useful deputy goal-kicker.

Mike Wicks made an outstanding entry into rugby league football with nine tries in his first three games, although a neck injury kept him out for five months, but he returned to finish the season with 20 tries from 20 games and the promise of more to come.

Nineteen forwards were called upon, with consistent work from Ted Slevin, David Flint, Peter Ramsden and George Killen as the club moved into the Sixties.

Huddersfield lost forward Ken Gronow and former scrum half Les ‘Juicy’ Adams, killed when the plane in which he was a gunner was shot down in the Far East in April 1945.

With an eye to the future requirements of the team, the committee signed several new players during the 1943-44 season, including Jeffrey Bawden, a wing-threequarter, Albert James Pepperell, a scrum half and youngest of the three Pepperell brothers, and half back John (Jack) Burrow, all from the Cumberland area.

Bill Leake, a full back from Featherstone Rovers, joined on 18th December.

Relevant to military calls and team-building, the season was devoid of cup honours, but Stan Pepperell and WT (Bill) Davies played in the England v Wales international at Wigan on 26th February 1944.

In the last season of wartime football (1944-45) Alex Fiddes led his side to victory in the ‘forgotten final’ of the Challenge Cup in a two-legged affair against Bradford Northern.

Huddersfield had accounted for Leeds, Barrow and Halifax.

In the final the first leg was at Fartown on 28th April 1945 with the game contested in blizzard conditions keeping the attendance down to 9,041, it also affected the quality of play.

Huddersfield emerged 7-4 winners, Ossie Peake scoring a try plus two goals from Jeff Bawden, Ernest Ward replying with two penalty goals for Northern.

The Huddersfield team was:

W Leake: O Peake, AE Fiddes, RD Lewis J Bawden: TL Grahame, AJ Pepperell: J Bradbury, H Whitehead, J Miller, K Mallinson, L Baxter, A Givvons.

In the return at Odsal one week later, a crowd of 17,500 gathered despite a torrential downpour just before kick-off and a constant drizzle throughout the game.

It was a dour game with no scoring in the first half due to the respective defences being on top and a host of mistakes.

Just as they had done in the first leg, Huddersfield adapted far faster than Northern, however, a try by Batten converted by Ernest Ward put Northern in front 5-0.

Jeff Bawden became the Huddersfield hero with two tries in the last quarter to sew the game up at 6-5 and bring the trophy back to Fartown with an aggregate score of 13-9.

Huddersfield played the same team except that Aspinall replaced Bradbury in the forwards.

Peake and Miller were guest players from Warrington, Lewis from Swinton and Bradbury from Salford.

There was to be no glamorous parade for the victors and surprisingly none of the players received a medal, but there was great jubilation two days later when in the early hours of 7th May 1945, Germany surrended and there was peace in Europe.

The Rugby Football League celebrated its Jubilee by arranging the 1945-46 season’s fixtures on a pre-war basis, both the ‘Emergency League’ and the system of guest players being terminated.

The tremendous success of the immediate post-war years appeared to all in the game to indicate that a bright future was opening up for it.

In the first full season after the war the sports’ affluence was highlighted by a rising spiral of transfer fees.

A new record transfer fee of £1650 was set when Dewsbury bought full back WT (Bill) Davies from Huddersfield, however, this was broken no fewer than five times in the next two seasons.

Bob Nicholson, the Cumberland forward who signed for the Fartowners on 21st March 1939, but had few opportunities of playing football on account of RAF duties, was selected to play for his county after only seven club games.

On 24th November 1945, Nicholson played for England against Wales at Swansea and was destined for further international honours - he was the only Huddersfield player selected as a member of the 1946 Rugby League ‘Indomitables’ to tour Australia and New Zealand.

At Fartown, plans for a successful future were put into practice as quickly as possible, with an agenda for the recruitment of high calibre players a priority.

John ‘Jock’ Anderson was the first big name to arrive in Huddersfield.

He was a Scottish Rugby Union international winger who was signed after playing against the All Blacks at Murrayfield in which he scored two tries.

He played his first game in January 1946 and soon became a crowd favourite and stayed at Fartown seven years (114 appearances, 74 tries, 21 goals) before returning to his native Hawick, taking with him ten rugby league medals won whilst with Huddersfield.

The season at Fartown was one of ups and downs, however, after finishing second in the league Huddersfield went on to meet Wigan at Maine Road, Manchester, on 18th May 1946 in the League Championship Final.

The Fartowners finished as runners-up as a touch of half-time inspiration from coach Jim Sullivan set Wigan on the road to winning the first peacetime Championship Final 13-4.

The next three Australians to arrive at Fartown would not have predicted the fame they were going to enjoy.

Lionel Cooper, Johnny Hunter and Pat Devery became household names and were worshipped by Huddersfield fans.

Winger Cooper and full back Hunter arrived in the dreadful winter of 1947 from the Eastern Suburbs club in Sydney, with stand-off half Devery joining them in September of the same year from Balmain.

In the meantime, Alex Fiddes was awarded a testimonial with Huddersfield in 1946-47 and played his final game for the club on 26th May 1947 in a 41-11 win against Hull KR at Fartown. In a glittering career at Huddersfield he made a total of 467 appearances, scoring 200 tries and kicking 166 goals, and in retirement coached Huddersfield in the League Championship-winning side of 1949. In April of 1949, after a few games in the ‘A’ team, a local-born player Frank ‘Spanky’ Dyson made his debut for Huddersfield at what was to be the start of a distinguished career with the club. Crowds were flocking in to Fartown, and on 4th March 1950 Huddersfield beat Wigan 27-8 in front of 32,912 - the highest attendance at the ground for a Huddersfield game. Huddersfield were fast becoming a formidable combination under the guidance of Russ Pepperell. During this golden post-war period Huddersfield won the League Championship and Yorkshire League in 1948-49, and in 1949-50 were League Championship Runners-up, took the Yorkshire League title and were beaten finalists in the Yorkshire Cup, and in 1950-51 the Fartowners won the Yorkshire Cup.

The prospects at Fartown for the 1939-40 season looked distinctly good.

The league fixtures opened with a close 14-12 win at Swinton on 26th August, but mid-week Huddersfield lost 13-9 at Hull.

Atonement for this lapse was made when Featherstone Rovers came to Fartown on 2 September 1939 and were soundly beaten 56-10.

The next day the country was at war with Germany, and by order of the Home Office all places of entertainment and sports grounds were closed, no large crowds being allowed in congested areas for fear of enemy air attack.

The outbreak of war necessarily meant a severe curtailment of normal sporting activities.

A number of grounds were requisitioned for anti-aircraft guns or the billeting of troops, non-essential travel was restricted to fifty miles and a black-out imposed after dark, which effectively ruled out short journeys during the winter months.

As they had done at the time of the First World War, the Rugby Football League again demanded that all players, regardless of contractual or other previous agreements, should receive just ten shillings per match and that the only other payments they could receive were third-class rail or bus fares.

The Rugby Football League resolved to continue competitive football, and a Lancashire and Yorkshire Emergency League was formed, the season extended to June to enable the county cup competition to be played.

Huddersfield finished second in the league table, but lost 23-9 to Dewsbury in the Yorkshire Cup at Fartown.

Four days before the Yorkshire and Lancashire two league competition were to commence, Huddersfield players led by captain Alex Fiddes said they would not play for ten shillings - they were joined by Halifax and Bradford players, although two days later both Huddersfield and Halifax players backed down and agreed to play under protest, but the Bradford players held firm and, faced with a solid front of players and dwindling support from its own members, the RFL Council relented and increased the allowable payment to £1 per player with an additional five shillings for players involved in away games at Hull or Barrow.

Once again war-time was to interrupt the sport that had seen some remarkable crowds in the late 1930’s as the game began to enjoy another boom.

The great Douglas Clark was unable to commence playing until after the start of the 1919-20 season due to have been gassed twice at Ypres and severely wounded at Passchendale.

Aaron Lee played just part of the new season before emigrating to America, with Jim Davies back in Wales.

At the outbreak of the war the average age of the team was twenty-five, in 1920 most were around the thirty mark, however, if this was a disadvantage it did not show as they won the Yorkshire Cup in the only official senior games to be played this side of the Pennines after the Armistice.

It was in April and May 1919 that Huddersfield beat Hunslet, Hull KR and Hull before conquering Dewsbury 14-8 in the final at Headingley, Leeds, to retain the trophy last won in November 1914. Despite the increase in ages they only just missed winning all four cups once again. The Yorkshire League was won comfortably, the Yorkshire Cup came back to Fartown at the cost of Leeds in the final at Thrum Hall by 24-5, with Huddersfield making no mistake in the Challenge Cup Final beating Wigan 21-10 at Headingley, Leeds.

During the previous ten years, three of which came be discounted because of war, Huddersfield won sixteen trophies, twelve between 1911 and 1915 - wonderful records set by a wonderful team.

Albert Rosenfeld to this day still holds the Rugby League record of eighty tries in a season (1913-14).

Ben Gronow kicked 147 goals for Huddersfield in 1919-20.

Douglas Clark still holds the club record of most appearances for Huddersfield in a career: 485 (1909-1929)

1919-1920
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Cups were re-instated from January 1919, the final attracting 18,617 and 21,500 spectators, respectively, bringing a timely boost to the coffers. Indeed the code was in the position to double the pay of ref and linesmen in 1920 which also saw the retirement of long serving Chairman JH Smith.

More telling was the first £1000 transfer when Harold Buck went from Hunslet to Leeds. In the same year Huddersfield defeated Leeds 24-5 in the Yorkshire Cup in front of 24,935 people producing the first ever £2000 plus gate receipts.

In 1906 Huddersfield had high aspirations and a ground at Fartown prestigious enough to host county matches and major finals. The potential at Huddersfield was enormous and crowd support would boom if a successful attractive team could be assembled.

On 10th November 1906 Harold Wagstaff, a fifteen year-old youngster from Underbank played his first game for Huddersfield against Bramley and the first seeds of success had been planted, but it would take a few years for the fruits to appear.

Wagstaff, the ‘Prince of Centres’, made his county debut the following year in 1907 and played his first Test at the age of seventeen. In 1911 he was appointed club captain and went on to skipper two touring teams to Australia in 1914 and 1920.

On Wagstaff’s arrival at Fartown, the club possessed some real talent.

During September 1908 Huddersfield recruited Major Holland and Edgar Wrigley, a member of the New Zealand ‘All Golds’ brought over by Albert Baskerville - the first of many colonial players to sign for Huddersfield. Albert Aaron Rosenfeld joined Huddersfield in 1909, signing immediately after he played in the Australian side beaten by the Fartowners 5-3 on 20th February. Another of the Kangaroos, Paddy Walsh, signed at the same time.

In April of the same year an eighteen year-old Cumbrian named Douglas Clark was registered. Clark’s arrival at Huddersfield coincided with the club’s first cup success when they won the Yorkshire Cup on 27th November 1909, defeating Batley 21-0 in the final at Headingley, Leeds.

The team was certainly developing on the right lines and another local player, Stanley Moorhouse made his first appearance in December 1909 and ultimately formed a wing partnership with Wagstaff which became feared throughout the Northern Union.

In 1896-97, Huddersfield finished tenth out of sixteen, but exited the Challenge Cup in the first round at Swinton losing 21-4.

Milford Sutcliffe replaced Harry Lodge as captain of the side, with all the matches this season against Yorkshire clubs except the Swinton cup-tie and friendly games with Oldham, Salford and a team from Barton (Eccles).

Huddersfield’s competition record was: played 30, won 10, lost 13, and drawn 7. The Annual meeting of the Northern Union on 20 July 1897 was noteworthy for the alteration in the scoring rule - a try was now made to count 3 points, a goal 2 points, and if a goal was kicked as result of a try, the try was also to count in addition to the goal - this is still the method of scoring in the Rugby Football League to this day, albeit a try is now worth 4 points.

1897-1898.
Season 1897-98 saw Huddersfield finish in tenth position again, but they had a good cup run beating Manningham and Leeds Parish Church before going down to Broughton Rangers 6-0 at Fartown.

1898-99.
Their League position improved in 1898-99 moving up to sixth, together with another good run in the cup - the Fartowners were drawn at home in the first three rounds comfortably beating Saddleworth Rangers 43-2, Heckmondwike 17-0 and Normanton 23-2 before travelling to Salford where their cups hopes ended, losing 8-0.

In season 1899-1900, Huddersfield’s improvement in the League continued, finishing in a healthy fifth position through 17 wins, 4 draws, and 9 defeats in 30 games. Once again it was Salford who knocked the Fartowners out of the cup 6-5 after Idle (22-0) and Workington (13-0) had fallen at Fartown in the earlier rounds.

When Castleford was visited on 27 January 1900 play took place before ‘ a hooting, yelling, and cursing crowd of rowdies’ and the referee had to be guarded by police, whilst in the match at Hunslet on 27 February, Huddersfield pressed into service its star of the old Rugby Union days - Jack Dyson.

1900.
The years between the ‘split’ and 1900 was a hectic period for the Northern Union as they strived to improve the game - the line out disappeared, the scoring system was changed, the fixture formulae amended, and the players awarded with open professionalism in 1898, although a clause was that they all had to be in legitimate employment.

Huddersfield finished with a financial loss in the first two seasons, but had pulled themselves around by the turn of the 19th century.

In the 1880's the game progressed and the excitement of the cup competitions brought in the crowds at Fartown.

Huddersfield had some near misses before bringing the Yorkshire Cup - T'owd Tin Pot as it was affectionately known - home to Fartown in season 1889-90.

The final was played at the Hanson Lane Ground, Halifax, against Wakefield Trinity on Saturday 5th April 1890 - Huddersfield winning by 1 goal, 1 minor to Wakefield's 3 minors in front of a crowd numbering 20,000.

The week following, an Easter pantomime was produced at the Theatre Royal, and in honour of the Fartowners a spirited song entitled 'Hurrah for The Claret and Gold' written by composer Robert Field was sung for the first time.

The cup success of the Fartown team brought the club many supporters from the general public and as such it was decided to improve the ground at a cost of £5000 - an issue of 5,000 shares of £1 each to prospective members quickly over-subscribed.