1919-1920

Although no major honours came to Headingley this was a remarkably good season for those who wore the ?blue and amber? jersey: Yorkshire Cup runners-up, Yorkshire League runners-up, and semi-finalists in the League Championship.

The league programme opened at Fartown where, although Leeds met with defeat, there was much in their display to give encouragement for the future. J. H. Roberts, making his debut at full back, was obviously lacking in confidence but he improved tremendously through the season. Six consecutive league victories followed and, in spite of a subsequent defeat at Craven Street at the hands of Hull K.R., the team went into the Yorkshire Cup competition brimful of confidence.

Dewsbury were 1st Round visitors to Headingley, and a crowd of fully 20,000 assembled to see a stirring struggle. There were many unseemly incidents, one of which resulted in the dismissal of Moran, the Leeds forward, early in the game. Leading by 5 points to 2 at the interval, Leeds soon yielded an unconverted try to Sharples, the centre, to make the scores level. Dewsbury now put on the pressure and appeared certain to win, but twelve minutes from the end Campbell broke through and handed on to Stockwell whose speed was too much for Billy Rhodes, the Dewsbury full-back.

Bramley could not cope with the speed of the Leeds back division in the 2nd Round and Bacon?s three tries saw Leeds through comfortably to the Semi-Final.

The luck of the draw favoured Leeds yet again against Batley, but a very heavy early morning snowfall, which necessitated the employment of a large gang of workers at short notice, created conditions all against the Leeds backs. In spite of this an extremely fine match resulted. The interval came with Leeds leading by 8 points to nil, but the ?Gallant Youths? stormed into the attack in the second half and quickly reduced the lead by five points, through a try scored by Ellis which Murphy converted. Then thrills followed in quick succession: Campbell saved an almost certain try when he raced back to cover a kick-through by Jackson; Bacon strode through the middle, kicked over the full back?s head, and then knocked on with the line at his mercy; Davies put Bacon in for an unconverted try; Batley, now six points in arrears, stormed back, and Jackson knocked on with a try there for the asking; and then, Bacon, with two minutes to go, used his speed magnificently to run round under the posts to give Davies an easy conversion, which sealed the game.

The Cup Final match was played at Halifax against the redoubtable Huddersfield, on a ?bony? ground covered with white frost. A fast open game developed but Leeds sadly disappointed their supporters by a weak display in the department in which their greatest strength lay-the backs failed dismally to produce their true form, whilst their pack, which had previously caused some concern, rose to the occasion magnificently. Leeds were never in the game with a chance and Huddersfield fully deserved their victory by 24 points to 5. The teams were: Leeds-Roberts; Bacon, Campbell, W. A. Davies, Stockwell; Jenkinson, Brittain; Mirfield, Webster, Godward, Ward, Whiting, Carter. Huddersfield-Holland, Rosenfeld, Gleeson, Wagstaff, Moorhouse; Habron, Rogers; Lee, Clark, Gronow, Swinden, Sherwood, Naylor.

The players now set about the task of consolidating their position in the League, and the victory over Wakefield Trinity at Headingley, in Fred Webster?s benefit match, gave them a place on the fringe of the ?First Four?. Webster had given yeoman service to the Leeds club, commencing his career in 1902, and putting in 543 appearances before his retirement. His benefit match was marked, too, through the debut of Bill Davis, forward, from Gloucester, who was to give similar loyal service as Webster over a period of ten seasons.

The period up to the commencement of the Northern Union Cup Competition brought little satisfaction to either players or supporters: apart from a refreshing victory over Wigan at Headingley, there was little to enthuse about with five defeats and several unconvincing victories.

Additions to the playing strength before the Cup register closed included: G. S. Reynolds, forward, from Stroud, who had played at Headingley the previous season as a member of the Devonport Naval team; R. J. Ward, half-back from Bramley, who had turned out for Leeds as a ?guest? player during the war; and S. Short, centre.

Millom, who visited Headingley in the 1st Round of the N.U. Cup, were well beaten by 44 points to 5, but it is worthy of note that S. O. Walmsley, playing at centre for Millom, scored the first try of the match. Four weeks later he was to make his debut for Leeds against Wakefield Trinity, and thus commence a distinguished career in the Leeds jersey.

Leeds gained a sensational victory in the closing minutes of the 2nd Round match at Rochdale. With four minutes to go there was no score, and none seemed likely until John Corsi endeavoured to give his brother Joe a running chance. Stockwell stole the pass, and set off for the line with half the length of the field to go. Hesketh, the Rochdale full back came across to intercept his man, but Stockwell checked his pace, swerved, and skipped inside to score a glorious try, which Bacon converted with a magnificent kick from a mud patch.

The 3rd Round took us into Lancashire yet again, this time to Oldham. Conditions were atrocious, with snow, fog and mud. Leeds were unfortunate in that they had to face a severe snowstorm in the first half, and then lost George Rees through an ankle injury for fully three parts of the game. Oldham won by 9 points to nil, but Leeds were gallant losers in conditions which made the game almost farcical.

The last opportunity to bring a trophy to Headingley came in the League semi-final at Hull, but Leeds, well beaten in a very scrappy game, were handicapped through the absence of their three tourists: Rees, Bacon and Stockwell whose sterling work had fully merited their selection.