Clubs > Ovenden > Post War Years

Post War Years

This was a very successful period for the Ovenden club.

Early stalwarts of the club were players like Ivor Frowen, Cess Greenwood, Harry Hamer and Jimmy Spruce who once kicked 100 goals in 19 games prior to Christmas!

As the fifties began, the Open Age team was also having a successful period, with players such as Bob and Jack Midgley, Alec Nicholls and Ernie Hanson.

Cliff Ainley was captain of the side and the 1950-51 season saw the team win 30 out of 32 games and score 1064 points whilst conceding only 145. The team won every game except one Yorkshire Cup tie and in the penultimate preliminary round of the Rugby League Challenge Cup.

The team had already won their first Halifax Championship in 1948-49 defeating Greetland All Rounders, taking the Nichol Cup, and winning the Halifax Cup that same season. A further Halifax Championship Final win in 1950-51, was followed by five more Finals before the end of the decade winning on 4 occasions. To this success, the team added Halifax Cup wins in 1950-51, 1953-54 and 1956-57. Ovenden’s success was not limited to Halifax as they also won the Huddersfield Holiday Cup in 1958-59.

1957 was a real highlight for the club as the team won the double of Halifax Cup and Halifax Championship for the first and only time.

This amazing on-going success led to professional clubs being attracted to Ovenden to sign players. One of the first was Harry Greenwood (whose son Lee would later coach the club and grandsons, Brandon and Guy would play for the club) and Joe Mageen. The second half of the decade saw numerous players signing professional contracts including Alan Kellet, Jack Scroby, Graham Oddy, John Mitchell, Doug Langhorn, Peter Shearn, Derek Davies (a Powder Hall sprinter) and Tony Beevers.

Despite all this success, one newspaper report from 1957 described a loss to Keighley side, Victoria Park, putting this down to an unusual reason for an Ovenden side, a “lack of weight in the forwards”.

However, over all the Ovenden Rugby League club was thriving under the chairmanship of Jim Cawthra and later Ted Glanfield.