1897-1898

5th April, 2017 By Phil Daly

1897-1898

This season saw the introduction of far reaching alterations to the laws of the Game, which further widened the breach between the Northern Union and the Rugby Union.

At the Annual Meeting of the Northern Union, which was held at Huddersfield on July 20th, it was decided to amend the scoring rule and to abolish the line-out. Under the new scoring system two points were awarded for every type of goal, and three points for every try irrespective of conversions. The abolition of the line-out obviously called for some new means of bringing the ball back into play from touch, and it was decided that a player of the side who hade been entitled to the? throwin? under the old rule should now be allowed to kick the ball in from touch in any direction, providing only that the ball did not alight behind his own goal line. The effect of this amendment was to reduce the number of loose mauls and scrummages, but it did at the same time, reduce the amount of running and handling, thereby detracting from the game as a spectacle.

At this same Annual Meeting it was suggested that two referees, without the assistance of touch judges, would be able to control the game more efficiently. This system of control was put to the test in the Lancashire County Trial Match and found to be impracticable, although improvements In the scrummaging were apparent.

Leeds opened the season in splendid style, losing only one of their first five matches. Indeed, the convincing and totally unexpected victory over the traditionally strong Liversedge team on October 2nd, suggested that Leeds were going to become a real power in the game. From that date, however, wins and losses alternated to the end of the season, so that once again we had to settle for a place in the middle of the table.

Called upon to visit Oldham in the 1st Round of the Northern Union Cup Competition, Leeds had apparently little chance of success as the Lancashire team had a splendid record. Our players were, nevertheless, undismayed and only just went down by 8 points to 3 after a gallant display. The playing record must have been extremely disappointing to the Committee who had made strenuous efforts to improve the team, introducing no less than twelve new players: W. Allison, H. Emmerson, W. J. Fothergill, J. Hayton, J. Hugginson, W. Jackson, J. Major, T. Mardy, T. Myland, S. Richardson, A. Sowden and G. H. West. The Committee had endeavoured to strengthen the back division, but the noticeable improvement in this department was nullified by a degeneracy in the work of the pack which had been the strongest section of the team during the previous two or three years.

Headingley was again chosen as the venue for the Cup Final. A record crowd of 28,000 witnessed a thrilling match in which Batley retained the Cup for a further year, defeating Bradford by seven points to nil.

The Association Football section, which had again shared in the use of the football ground; was discontinued at the end of the season owing to lack of support. As it became increasingly apparent that the laws relating to professionalism were being evaded in certain circles, a special sub-committee was appointed to study the problem. The recommendations of that committee were approved at a Special General Meeting held in February 1898, and adopted at the Annual General Meeting some five months later.

Professionalism was now legalised, but there were certain provisos; all professional players had to be registered, they had to follow legitimate full-time employment, and were to be paid on a match basis, receiving no retaining fee during the close season. The adoption of professionalism completely severed the last remaining link with the Rugby Union game, whose players. however, were now to ?turn? to the Northern Union game in increasing numbers.

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