Chapter 15. BARLA and The Pennine League

Big changes were afoot by 1974. Many amateur clubs were unhappy with the way the game was being handled by its rulers the Rugby Football League, especially boss Bill Fallowfield. And it was a locally-connnected group who took action to do something about it. Maurice Oldroyd, Bob Keaveney and Jack Clayton were all officials with the Huddersfield Amateur League, Halifax’s partners in the Joint League. They called a meeting on 4 March 1973 at Greenside Working Men’s Club on Wakefield Road, near Moldgreen and the Tolson memorial Museum, for delegates of all district leagues, knowing they were likely to have widespread support for a new Association of amateur clubs which would be run by themselves, independently from the RFL.

Maurice Oldroyd in particular was to become a popular and familiar figure in the area, later moving to live in Halifax and regularly seen around the local amateur clubs that he staunchly supported. He also became a regular visitor to The Shay for professional games, though Huddersfield Giants remained his first love.

The Rugby Football League were strongly opposed to any rebel organisation and warned they would not have the support of them or the professional clubs. The Halifax delegate at the meeting was worried about this, as Halifax RLFC had always been supportive. They had always been there with a donation or grant in tough times, had helped new clubs with kit and ground rent, had always made Thrum Hall freely available for local cup finals, and had regularly allowed curtain-raisers at which collections could be made.

But Maurice Oldroyd knew that a new amateur organisation would be in a good position to gain grants from the recently-formed Sports Council, who had been previously unwilling to help clubs controlled by the professional RFL. The meeting ultimately voted unanimously to set up the British Amateur Rugby League Association.

The Halifax-Huddersfield Joint League continued in 1973-4. By now it had three open-age divisions, with Halifax champions Ovenden , who were to finish third behind Mayfield and Waterhead, joined by Siddal and Illingworth in the first. Siddal had been promoted as 1972-3 Division Two champions. Greetland, St Mary’s (now often referred to as Halifax St Mary’s to avoid confusion with Oldham St Mary’s) and Illingworth “A” were in the second, and Ovenden “A”, Siddal “A” and Queensbury (at this time merged with Queensbury Cricket Club and playing on the outfield) in the third. An Under 18 section of sixteen had Illingworth, Queensbury, Siddal and Greetland – Illingworth won the Cup and Queensbury the League.

In the Yorkshire Cup that season, Illingworth reached the Final, where they met West Hull Recs. Played at Thrum Hall on 12 January 1974, they missed out by 13 points to 10.

By 1974-5 BARLA had set up new regional leagues, clubs in Halifax, Huddersfield, Oldham, Rochdale and Bradford merging to join the new Pennine League, one of seven major regions, though as in the Joint League days, the Halifax Amateur Rugby League continued to operate as a District League. For the Halifax clubs things were not significantly different. Mayfield became the first Division One champions, just as they had been the last champions in the Joint League, and Ovenden were third again, with Siddal and Illingworth still present. In Division Two were St Mary’s and Greetland, and in Division Three the reserve sides of Illingworth, Siddal, Ovenden, Greetland and Queensbury, along with Mixenden and Todmorden. The Under 18 section had just Siddal from Halifax, while the Under 16s included Illingworth, Greetland and Ovenden.

Problems with the RFL had been resolved too. A new regime led by David Oxley and David Howes had paved the way for proper co-operation and the amateur game boomed. The National Cup attracted an entry of 114 clubs, Ovenden being Halifax’s best performers in reaching the third round. Press coverage and sponsorship grew, and development officers were employed. By 1976 there were almost 80,000 young men and schoolboys playing amateur Rugby League every weekend. Clubs became keener to improve their social facilities and increase their playing membership now that a better pathway was in place. Ovenden in 1976 became the first Halifax side to reach the BARLA National Cup Final, though beaten 20-12 by Ace Amateurs at Craven Park, Hull. Ovenden had also made it to the semi-final of the Yorkshire Cup that season.

The only other Halifax team to reach the National Cup Final in the following few years were to be Elland in 1988, when they were beaten by Wigan St Patrick’s. They had also won the Yorkshire Cup in 1986-7. Illingworth (1973-4), Siddal (1980-1 and 1997-8) and Park Amateurs (1991-2) were others to reach the Yorkshire Cup Final in the twentieth century. Ovenden were Yorkshire Youth Cup final runners-up in 1980-1 and 1995-6.

These teams battled out the top division of the Pennine League for years to come. Ovenden won the Pennine Cup in 1978-9, but no Halifax team actually won the league until 1983-4, when Elland were crowned champions of what was by then known as the Premier Division. That season Elland also won the Halifax Cup and Championship and progressed to the Yorkshire Cup semi-final. They went on to win the Pennine league several more times in the 1980s, dominating until losing several star players to the professional game.