1914-1915

The season opened on September 5th in an atmosphere of tension and anxiety, for August had suddenly precipitated a world conflict that few had anticipated and none relished, a conflict which was to reveal latent resources in our national characteristics. And so it was with unpredictable Leeds!! The team rose to great heights in the League programme and even gained the right to challenge Huddersfield in the Championship Final. Unfortunately this task was well beyond their capabilities.

The team was strengthened through the addition of Billy Lynch, centre, from York; George Rees, forward, from Ammanford; Albert Jenkinson, winger, from Hunslet; Jack Chilcott, forward, from Huddersfield; and Fred Carter, forward, from Castleford. George Rees was to serve the club as a player for nine seasons, to tour Australasia in 1920, and to return to Headingley as a member of the permanent staff after service at Dewsbury and York. Albert Jenkinson had made Test appearances against Australia at Edinburgh and Birmingham, whilst Jack Chilcott had just returned from the Australasian Tour with Willie Davies, with whom he had played in that famous Rorke?s Drift game.

There was great satisfaction when it was learned that ?Dinny? Campbell had agreed to extend his contract for a further period of four years.

There were, however, absentees: Bernard Gould was not to turn out again until 1919, Tommy Harkness was ?loaned? to York, and Billy Jarman, who had also just completed the Australasian tour was required for military service and was never to wear the Leeds Jersey again.

Interest in the Cup Competitions was short lived. We did not proceed beyond the first round: Hunslet won at Headingley by 13 points to 11 in the Yorkshire Cup, and Warrington won at Wilderspool by the odd point.

The League programme opened in excellent fashion with four victories off the reel, but Bramley then gained a shock victory at Barley Mow-their first win over Leeds since 1900. Only one game was won out of the next four, but the team then settled down to give some consistently fine displays and by Good Friday were holding fourth place in the table.

A great deal obviously depended on the Easter Matches. A splendid Good Friday victory over Hull K.R. at Craven Street, was followed on the Saturday by a home victory over Oldham, but the visit to Central Park on Easter Monday resulted in a heavy defeat by 34 points to 12. Everything depended on the last match, but the players rose to the occasion and gained a comfortable win over Bradford Northern at Headingley.

Huddersfield, Wigan, Leeds and Rochdale Hornets held the first four places and few could have relished the visit to Central Park in the Semi-Final, particularly so in view of that crushing defeat on Easter Monday. But Wigan, on this occasion, were inferior in every department of play and Leeds were through to their first Championship Final appearance. The teams at Central Park were as follows: Leeds-Haycox; W. H. Davies, W. A. Davies, Campbell, Lewis; Jones, Sanders; Godward, Rees, Carter, Chilcott, Ward, Webster. Wigan-Seddon; Bradley, Curran, Price, Miller; Thomas, Owens; Seeling, Francis, Cold rick, Whitaker, Hayward, Haigh.

The Final took place at Belle Vue, Wakefield and there was a great deal of interest in the game as a result of the unexpected Leeds victory at Central Park. In winning by 35 points to 2, Huddersfield set up a record score for the League Final, the previous record being that of 29 points to 2 by which Huddersfield beat Wigan on the same ground in 1913. The foundation of Huddersfield?s success was laid in the first ten minutes. Leeds were defending desperately in their own ?25?, and in watching for a move on the part of the opposing backs they were taken unawares by the unexpected wheeling of a scrummage twenty yards from their line. Sanders and Jones failed to stop the rush of the oncoming forwards, and when Clark smartly picked up the ball he had an easy run for a try near the posts. Gronow added the goal. Immediately upon the resumption Leeds made an incursion into the Huddersfield quarters, where Jenkinson was well held by Rosenfeld in an attempt to break through. A bout of passing by the Huddersfield backs ended in Moorhouse punting over the head of Lewis, and Campbell had to carry the ball over his line to prevent a score. From the resultant scrummage Huddersfield scored exactly as they had done before, Gronow, on this occasion, picking up to score a try which he converted. Following this early lead Huddersfield played with all their natural brilliance and attained that wonderful degree of cohesion, which had made them the talk of the Rugby world. The teams were: Leeds-Lewis; W. H. Davies, W. A. Davies, Campbell, Jenkinson; Jones, Sanders; Chilcott, Carter, Rees, Ward, Webster, Godward. Huddersfield-Holland; Rosenfeld, Gleeson, Wagstaff, Moorhouse; Ganley, Rogers; Banks, Clarke, Gronow, Higson, Lee, Longstaffe.

A week later Huddersfield won the Northern Union Cup at Oldham, and thus gained the coveted ?Four Cups?, a distinction which their brilliant play fully merited.