1965-1966

An end-of-term report, in respect of 1965-66, could justifiably have read: ?Making very good progress. Given reasonable luck and consistent effort, Leeds now have the potential to attain the highest honours in the immediate future.?

There were two close-season acquisitions on parade in the Lazenby Cup match: Ken Rollin, the former Wakefield Trinity scrum-half, who had been out of rugby for more than a year and was not yet fully fit; and substitute Ken Owens, a hooker, from Australia.

Three wins in August, including a 37-7 battering of Hunslet to atone for an inept display at Hull, represented an encouraging start to the season: September, however: put the damper on immediate aspirations, with a solitary league win over Keighley providing poor consolation for elimination from the Yorkshire Cup Competition. Whereas Bramley were easily disposed of, in the 1st Round at Headingley, with Dewhurst linking up brilliantly to add two tries to his eight goals, prodigal Leeds frittered away possession with reckless abandon and were never in the hunt in the 2nd Round at Fartown. Three days later, after trailing 2-14 against the New Zealand Tourists, we rallied to within a point with fifteen minutes to go, only to fall from grace when the non-stop-tackling Neumann withdrew with an injury; and a thoroughly unsatisfactory month ended with a fruitless visit to York.

A fourth consecutive defeat, at Bramley, would normally have aroused deep mis?givings and recriminations, but criticism was muted by two notable signings: Harry Poole. the vastly-experienced loose-forward, from Hull K.R.; and Ken Thornett, who was to do a three-month stint at Headingley during the Australian close season. Popular and talented, as Thornett undoubtedly was, the merits of a short-term signing were debatable as Dew?hurst, despite a suspect knee, had kicked 49 goals in the opening ten games. Be that as it may, with Thornett to provide his own special brand of zest and adventure, and Poole to marshal the forwards, Leeds were immediately ?on song?, winning six successive league matches, with Gemmell, Cowan and Ratcliffe, the chief try-scorers, and Shoebottom far more impressive as an enterprising stand-off than an emergency goal-kicker. Meanwhile, following a drawn game at Castleford and a defeat at St. Helens, we had failed to qualify for the Floodlit Competition play-off; and November ended on a sad note with news of the retirement of Alan Rees, who had made only 27 appearances since that brutal assault in 1962.

December brought us down to size! Whereas the Leeds line had been crossed only twice in the previous six league matches, we now conceded half a dozen tries in losing to Leigh and Oldham. Nevertheless, we made amends with a splendid one-point victory at Thrum Hall, and then staged a thrilling finale to the old year to the thunderous applause of Headingley?s 21,000 spectators. Down 8-9 against Wakefield Trinity, with just ten minutes to go, Thornett fielded Fox?s abortive long-range goal-kick and lunged up-field to the Leeds ?25? … a long pass to Gemmell … a dummy and acceleration another pass … and there was Wriglesworth, dragging himself out of Metcalfe?s tackle, to end a 50-yard burst with a superb match-winning try.

A New Year?s Day defeat at Hull K.R. was disappointing, but of little moment compared with the vacuum created a week later by the departure of Ken Thornett. With Dewhurst unfit, and Michael Broom failing to impress, Leeds had neither a full-back nor a goal-kicker. To their eternal credit, the management promptly found both, in Bev Risman, of Leigh. A former England R.U. stand-off and centre, and son of the famous Gus, Risman readily applied his wealth of natural ability, expertise and experience, to his new role, and Leeds went into the R.L. Cup Competition with another six consecutive wins under their belt. For all that, York were miserly 1st Round visitors to Headingley, offer?ing little in attack and giving away nothing at all in defence, until Leeds clinched victory with three tries in the last twenty minutes.

Throughout March, the Headingley band-wagon rolled on. With gathering momentum we put paid to Hull in a 2nd Round rehearsal; committed daylight robbery with an incredible 12-point rally in the last ten minutes at Wilderspool; showed resolution and courage in the cup-tie against Hull, with Clark playing a storming game and Poole?s leadership always in evidence; and then rounded off the month with three more league victories, with winger John Atkinson, ex-Roundhay R.U., running in two tries against York to start a long and distinguished career.

Alas, it was a bumpy ride in April to Well as we played at Wilderspool in the 3rd Round, we only managed a 2-2 draw by courtesy of Melling, the Warrington centre who threw away a certain try by neglecting to pass to an unmarked colleague. Our Easter egg was addled too, three defeats in four days virtually ruling out any possibility of winning the Yorkshire League Championship. Even so, urged on by a Headingley crowd of almost 14,000, we triumphed over Warrington in the 3rd Round replay, despite losing Shoebottom with a severe rib injury, and thus qualified for our first R.L. Cup Semi-Final since 1957, only to find the road to Wembley barred at Fartown. All credit to Wigan! Taking the field without a recognised hooker, and beaten 12 to 1 in the second-half scrums, they lost goal-kicker Gilfedder and scrum-half Parr, both injured, yet still clung to the lead Boston created with a first-half try.. The Leeds team was: Risman; Cowan, Hynes, Gemmell, Wriglesworth; Broatch, Rollin; Clark, Lockwood, Firth, J. Davies (Neumann), Chamberlain, H. Poole.

A. fortnight later, Wigan rubbed it in at Central Park, in the quarter-final of the Championship play-off, the crucial try coming midway through the second half, with Leeds 5-9 down and attacking strongly, when the ball was knocked out of Clark?s grasp, for second-row forward Stephens to snap it up and race seventy-five yards to the posts. Thus a season of infinite promise ended, yet again, in disappointment. Patience!

During the season, Leeds also introduced Peter Moscatt, a hooker, from Australia and Bernard Watson, stand-off, of Thornhill B.C. Players transferred included: George Simpson to Bramley; and Trevor Oldroyd, to Batley.

Harry Poole was honoured with the captaincy of the Australasian Touring party which included Geoff Wriglesworth.