Clubs > Greetland All Rounders > The 1980’s
The 1980’s
This was a decade of building and consolidation for the Greetland All Rounders.
They started the decade in Pennine Division 2 for the 1979-80 season. The season was not to go well with the first team winning only 4 games, finishing in last place and being relegated. The “A” team fared somewhat better as they managed to finish 6th in Division 5.
Recognition of his work with the club came to Barry Dyson in 1980, he was awarded the Pennine League Clubman of the Year Award for Division 5.
Life in Division 3 did not start well for the All Rounders. They ended up in last but one place although they did avoid relegation. The “A” team also finished second to bottom in 9th place in Division 5.
However, things started to look up at least for the first team in the 1981-82 season. They won 10 of their 18 games – which was more than they had won in the previous two seasons added together – and finished in third place just missing out on promotion. In the same year, Arthur Riley took home the Halifax & District Rugby League Clubman of the Year Award.
Also, in 1981the club saw the debut of one its best and most consistent players over the next decade and more, that was Dave Rawnsley. A late comer to the game at 19, he was encouraged to go up to Greetland by Steve Mawer with who he worked. Barry Dyson was running the “A” team and took Dave across to Spotland for his first game, starting on the bench. Dave ran on to the pitch with 20 minutes to go. With his first touch, he ran from acting half back, beat three Spotland defenders and scored under the posts to draw the game! Dave continues his first season memories.
“I played a few games in the “A” team. Our goal kicker was Philip “Shariff” Hamer. One game I said, ‘Give me the ball, I’ll kick it.’ He was not happy but I kicked that one from the touchline and became the goal kicker.”
And the good form was carried into the 1982-83 season. Dave Parkinson and his team won 14 games to finish as Division 3 Champions. Dave’s efforts at the All Rounders were recognised and he won the Pennine League Division 3 Clubman of the Year Award at the end of season celebration.
Dave Rawnsley recalled playing with Dave Parkinson,
“Dave was towards the end of his career, in his late thirties or early forties, but he was a very good player, a very fair player.”
The All Rounders juniors started to make their presence known. Their U13’s and u 11’s played in the West Riding Youth Amateur Rugby League. The U13’s finished 7th in their A League and the U11’s finished 9th in theirs.
Consolidation was the order of the day as Greetland entered Division 2 for the 1983-84 season and they achieved their goal finishing in mid-table. Dave Knight and Bob Johnson led the way on the pitch for the team.
Away from the field of play, two Greetland All Rounders players received Pennine League Clubman Awards: Andy Rylands for Division 2 and Arthur Riley for Division 6 in 1984 and Barry Dyson won another Clubman Award, this time for Pennine Division 3 in 1985.
The 1984-85 season was also the debut season at Greetland for Colin Smith, who’s father Jim had previously played for the club. Colin had already played several seasons as a teenager for Stainland Stags and had a couple of years in the colts and “A” team at Halifax. He came to the team as tackling and raking hooker – in the days when a good hooker in the scrums was essential – who was a real worker in the middle of the park.
“I soon found that enjoying a beer made me into a prop!” he admitted.
His debut game for the All Rounders was against his former club Stainland Stags in a pre-season “friendly”. Colin explained that Henry Mason was the referee and in good old style refereeing manner saw “someone stamped on my ankle in the scrum. ‘You’ve got one chance to get him back’ said Henry”
Colin made sure he mentioned Chris Longbottom who was the team’s ball handler!
Another player to join the Greetland ranks was prop forward Gary Ellis. Gary had played for BARLA Great Britain and had played at Stainland Stags as well as having a stint at Huddersfield. Gary joined as player coach.
“Barry Dyson came knocking at my door asking me to go the Greetland as player/coach. So, I signed for Greetland”
As a player Gary stood tall. He enjoyed his time in the Pennine League and enthused,
“Every game was a tough game in Calderdale. I always ran at refs ‘cos they got out of the way. Never at halfbacks!”
Although it has to be said that Gary had regular conversations with referees!
Gary not only coached and played for Greetland, eventually becoming club Chairman.
The All Rounders continued in Division 2 for the next four seasons finishing campaign in midtable positions. The arrival of several of their U 19 players to open age boosted the playing strength and this was to be seen clearly in the All Rounders’ performances in the 1989-90 season. Youngsters such as Dom and Andy Fox together with Steve Dyson, son of club stalwart, Barry, made their mark in the club’s first team. The arrival of these players and others from that successful U 19 team gave the first team a boost but also meant the “A” was also strengthened.
The first team had a great season, playing some good Rugby League and responding well to the coaching of Dylwyn Lewis. They finished in 3rd place in Pennine Division 1 just missing out on promotion to the Premier Division after winning 12 of their games league games.
The “A” team had continued to struggle in Division 5 for most of the 1980’s. They won just 1 game in 1981-82 and were finally relegated after the 1982-83 season when they won just 3 games. They remain in Division 6 for the rest of the decade spent mainly in mid-table positions. They, like the first team, improved significantly in the 1989-90 season. They won 12 of their 16 games and gained promotion to start the 1990’s back in Division 5.
There were a couple of highlights for the juniors when the 1984-85 Under 9’s won the Halifax Allan Maskill Memorial Trophy defeating Siddal U9’s by 13-0 in the Final. The Under 9’s the following season drew the final 0-0 so they got to keep the trophy for 6 months! The Under 11’s made their Halifax Final but were well beaten by Siddal U11’s by 34-0.
A cup victory against Siddal was later in the decade when the upcoming All Rounders Under 19’s won the U19 Halifax Cup. Many of the Greetland U 19’s had been at Halifax Colts, playing friendlies for Greetland the previous season before moving up to play in the registered U19 the next season. Steve Dyson, Dom Fox and Chris Mitchell were amongst that group. The core of this U 19 team including Wayne Graham and Chris Senior, who had come from Brighouse Rangers, were to a key part of the success of the All Rounders in the next couple of seasons.