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The modern Brighouse Rangers
In 1977, ex-Bradford Northern player John Chase made a suggestion during a conversation with Rugby League journalist, Dave Parker, about reviving Brighouse Rangers Rugby League club. This led Dave to put a couple of snippets about this in the Halifax Courier and the Green Final.
There followed an advertisement in the Brighouse Echo which resulted in a meeting being held on a rainy May evening at Rydings Hall, home of the world-famous Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band. . Those present on stage at the meeting that evening included not only John Chase and Dave Parker but also former Luddenden and Ovenden player, Jeff Greenwood, Tom Keaveney (BARLA) and Peter Bradley, who became secretary.
The decision was taken Rangers would now be playing out of Brighouse Cricket club with their home games on a pitch in Wellholme Park.
Through contacts at Bradford Northern, the recently formed Brighouse Rangers were given the opportunity to play Cumbrian side Distington at Thrum Hall – Distington were travelling down for the 1977 Premiership Final at Station Road, Swinton. By this stage of their history, Brighouse Rangers did not even have a playing kit. Frantic phone calls led to a kit being borrowed from professional club, Dewsbury, on the condition it was returned clean and laundered to Crown Flatt by the following Thursday. Not only did they not have a kit, but they also struggled to raise a full team being helped out by a few players from other local teams.
After this initial game, there followed a hectic summer pre-season of recruitment and training and fund raising.
Brighouse Rangers were to make their Pennine League debut in Division 5 on 3rd September 1977. This was to be a home game against Todmorden. The team photograph shows the lads ready for their very first home game at Wellholme Park, They are
Back row: John Chase, unknown, F, Parkinson, R, Hodgkinson, unknown. John Armstrong, N. Atha, M Thornton, S, Mottershead
Front Row: M. Greenwood, Jeff Greenwood, D. Williams, G. Asquith, M. Dowey, P.Cox
Preparation were not without issue as they “had forgotten that they would need to provide after-match food for both teams and the referee”. On the Tuesday before the game, Jeff Greenwood and the lads were running around trying to get four dozen pies ordered. Jeff had a conversation with local pork butcher, Ray Goddard, who sorted out the pies and the 2 giant cans of mushy peas for the Saturday game. And how was Brighouse Ranges first game? The result was a 1-1 draw!
The first season concluded with an away game against Lindley Swifts for which Jeff Greenwood remembers getting the Man of Match award! Jeff recalls:
“ in the same match a deaf player made a long distance break down field only to be brought back by the referee for a forward pass. Walking back up the pitch the player was clearly not happy and signed something. As captain, I was called with the player by the referee who then accused the player of swearing at him. Unfortunately for the player, the referee could understand sign language!!
In their first season in Pennine Division 5, Brighouse Rangers finished in 8th position, winning 6 of their 18 games, a creditable performance for a new team who had trained on concrete carparks as well as a council yard and had to buy portable generator for their basic training lights!
Jeff Greenwood has fond memories of the opening season:
“ of the lads who played that first season as they were a group who win or lose just wanted to have a great day out with the club.”
At the end of the season Pennine League Awards night, club founder, John Chase, won the Division Five Clubman of the Year Award.
The team continued to make progress in the 1978-79 season winning 19 of their 28 Division 5 finishing in 5th position.