1937-1938

This was another remarkably successful year with the team performing most creditably in all four competitions. Once again the Yorkshire Challenge Cup and the Yorkshire League Cup came to Headingley, we gained honour as runners-up for the League Championship, and made a very gallant showing in the R.L. Cup.

Close season activity resulted in the signing of two more talented players: VIC Hey, the Australian Test stand-off, and Woods, the former Liverpool Stanley and England front row forward. The latter never settled in Leeds and only had a very short career in our colours, but Hey soon became established and would undoubtedly have had a long and extremely valuable spell with the Club had it not been for the outbreak of hostilities in 1939. His powerful cut through and twinkling sidestep will long be remembered. With the signing of Hey came the transfer of Dicky Ralph to Batley. Ralph had served Leeds exceptionally well, but had not always been given full credit for his extremely sound constructive work, and for his ability to draw the best from the three-quarters who played behind him.

During the season further additions to the playing staff included Alf Watson, loose forward, from Wakefield Trinity, who signed Johnny Jones in part exchange; Frank Lingard, centre from Bramley and Cliff Carter, hooker.

York, the Cup holders, were entertained at Headingley in the 1st Round of the Yorkshire Cup Competition, but a powerful display by the home team carried us through comfortably to the 2nd Round. This was played at Odsal where more than 30,000 spectators assembled to establish a round record. Another comfortable victory took us through to the Semi-Final which brought Batley to Headingley. Although we carried the day by 10 points to 5 our backs gave a very disappointing display, and there was some trepidation at the thought of meeting Huddersfield in the Final at Belle Vue. But the fears were soon dispelled as the Leeds halves and three-quarters unleashed a series of brilliant attacking moves which thrilled the crowd and bewildered the opposition. Huddersfield were unfortunate in that they had to play young Swallow at stand-off half, as Hey was in his most scintillating form, making the youngster?s defensive task tremendously heavy. Thus the Yorkshire Cup was won by Leeds for the sixth time in ten seasons.

With only three League matches lost, and two drawn, we proudly held first place in the table at the turn of the year, but then came the tragic month of January with five successive defeats. Following a splendid victory over Halifax at Thrum Hall on New Year?s Day we went down to Batley, Liverpool Stanley, Halifax, Bradford Northern and Wakefield Trinity. It is fair to point out that only the Halifax match was at home. On the other hand we scored but two tries and two goals in those five games together. The records reveal that only at Wakefield did we field a weakened side, so it was evidently one of those extraordinary lapses which unaccountably strike a team. The first game in February brought the turn of the tide, with a narrow victory over Bradford Northern, at Headingley, by 12 points to 11. Strange to relate, only one more League match was lost to the end of the season and we finished in second place. Leeds has rarely known such enthusiasm and such partisanship, as Hunslet finished at the head of the table, and fans on both sides trusted that their favourites would win through to the Final. Then, and only then, would there be an opportunity to settle those arguments which could be heard at street corners, in workshops, in pubs, and wherever Rugby League supporters gather.

Twenty-nine thousand spectators congregated at Headingley on Monday evening, April 25th for the Semi-Final with Swinton, and excitement was intense as Hunslet had already won through to the Final by beating Barrow at Parkside two days earlier. Leeds were compelled to field a weakened team owing to various injuries: Eaton; E. Harris, Lingard, Brogden, Smith; Williams, Jenkins; Satterthwaite, Murphy, Prosser, Dyer, Tattersfield, Duffy. Compared with the full strength side the following were unavailable: Hey, Whitehead, Brough, Fred Harris, Evans, in addition to Jubb and Watson who were under suspension. The game was in the balance until the last quarter with Swinton holding a lead of 2 points to nil. They could reasonably have had a greater lead as the mighty Hodgson, who played a tremendous game, had missed three kicks at goal with which he would normally have scored. Then Eric Harris, whom Swinton must surely remember as the dreaded Toowoomba ghost, intercepted a pass between the Leeds 25 and the halfway line. His devastating pace took him clear of all but Barnes the full back. Harris turned inside across him and the crowd cheered his every stride as he went relentlessly to the Swinton posts to make Evan Williams? conversion a mere formality. Harris, who put paid to Swinton?s hope of a Cup Final triumph in 1932, had snatched this game too out of the fire, and the Leeds supporters mobbed him joyfully from the field.

Now the battle royal was really on!! Originally the R.L. Management Committee had fixed the Belle Vue ground at Wakefield for the League Final but, following representations from the Leeds and Hunslet officials. the decision was reversed and Elland Road was made the venue for the long awaited meeting.

Before the biggest crowd then seen at a Rugby League game in England ? over 54,000-Hunslet gained merited win over Leeds and thus carried the Championship Trophy proudly to Parkside. Whilst it?s true to say that injuries to Smith and Hey hampered the Leeds attack, it is equally true to maintain that Hunslet had fully deserved their lead of 6 points to 2 at half-time, and that the real damage had been done while Leeds were at full strength. The powerful and clever running of Morrell was the chief factor in Hunslet?s successful attacking thrusts. What the outcome would have been had Leeds been able to field a fully representative side can never be determined, but about this there can be no argument; three out of the four Cups rested at Headingley and at Parkside, and players of both sides could sit back, proudly lick their wounds, and prepare for yet another season.

The teams which took part in this Final were:

Leeds: Eaton; Harris E., Williams, Brogden, Smith; Hey, Jenkins; Satterthwaite, Murphy, Prosser. Tattersfield, Dyer, Duffy.

Hunslet: Walkington; Batten, Morrell, .Winter, O?Sullivan; Morris, Thornton; White, Tolson, Bennett. Newbound, Stansfield, Plenderleith. Referee: Mr. F. Fairhurst (Wigan).