1929-1930

The campaign provided a ?mixed bag? with small success in the Cup Competitions and only consolation Runners-up awards in the Northern League and Yorkshire League Championships.

Close season activity had been remarkably quiet so that the management could only report the signing of J. Fairhurst from Batley, and within a few months he had left Headingley to join Wigan Highfield. But during the season several important captures were made: Stanley Smith, Test winger, of Wakefield Trinity; Arthur ?Candy? Evans, the Halifax and Welsh International forward. Stan Smith stayed with Leeds until his retirement at the end of the 1938-39 season, making 261 appearances and scoring 187 tries, and yet he was unfortunate enough to miss selection for either of the R.L. Cup winning teams in 1932 and 1936. It is easy to recall that long, graceful stride which enabled him to score so many  thrillers? not only in the ?Blue and Amber? jersey but also for his country in the Test matches played here and overseas during the period 1929-33.

The League programme opened rather shakily once again and only three matches were won out of the first six. A partial recovery through four consecutive victories enabled us to maintain some interest in the League Championship, but ?in and out? form then continued right up to the end of the year, so that on New Year?s Day we were placed eleventh. Nine successive victories naturally led to a rapid climb up the table, and although the advantage gained was almost thrown away in early April, we managed to squeeze into fourth place. This inconsistent form might well have been due to constant team changes, in many cases owing to injury and illness, but in some cases to the fickleness of the selection committee so that Brough, Rosser, Williams, Askin, O?Rourke rarely had a settled position. Teamwork was consequently bound to suffer.

The League Semi-Final took us to St. Helens, and in view of the disgusting clash between these teams at Headingtey in the R.L. Cup there was bound to be some anxiety, not merely about the result but also about the nature of the game. As it turned out a sadly weakened Leeds team (without Moores, who incidentally was Captain, O?Rourke, Andrews, Smith, Brough, Thomas and Swift) gave a glorious display of teamwork and won through by ten points to six. Jenkins, the second row forward, played on the wing opposite Ellaby and thus retains a special corner in the hearts and memories of Leeds supporters, and those of St. Helens too. The Leeds team was: Goldie; H. Jones, Askin, Rosser, Jenkins; Williams, Adams; Davis, Demaine, Pascoe, Thompson, Douglas, Gill.

For the first time in the history of the tournament the League Final resulted in a draw when Leeds met Huddersfield at Wakefield. It was a very scrappy game. Huddersfield are to be congratulated on holding out for so long after Banks had been dismissed from the field in the first half. The replay took place at Thrum Hall two days later and on that occasion Huddersfield were worthy winners by 10 points to nil although Leeds were unfortunate in that Moores and Gill were unfit, and Williams was severely injured during the match. Once again Leeds made several positional switches and the combination apparently suffered.

A home defeat at the hands of Hunslet in the 1st Round soon put paid to any hopes Leeds may have had of retaining the Yorkshire Cup.

Our interest in the R.L. Cup went in the 2nd Round game with St. Helens at Headingley ? a game which had been awaited by all with great enthusiasm and which was a disgrace to the code. Pascoe, Moores and Halfpenny were dismissed from the field, Stan Smith had to retire with a damaged hip, and, as the final whistle sounded, Groves, the St. Helens scrum half, was being carried off in a more or less unconscious state.

Leeds succeeded in defeating an Australian Touring Team for the first time though the margin was only one point.

During the season ?Juicy? Adams gained vastly in experience and was obviously a star of the future. Other young locals who were called upon from time to time included E. Atkinson, R. Eastwood, H. Thomas and J. Gill. Wally Desmond was transferred to Batley in January before the Cup Register closed.