Clubs > Brighouse Rangers > The 1990’s
The 1990’s
The team had a good start to the decade enjoying their second consecutive promotion year in 1990-91.
The team included former junior, Damien Clayton, who had joined the RAF in 1987. Damien drove up north from RAF Uxbridge at the weekend to play for Rangers.. and to visit then girlfriend now wife, Lorraine. There were also Saturdays when he caught the train and used a day return from London to play! This continued for several years until 1997 when he was posted to Germany. Even then, he played a few times when back from Germany!
Looking back at his time playing at Brighouse Rangers, one memory
“sticks in my mind. Keighley Albion. Travelling across, the little club house and the nails in the walls as clothes hooks!”
“Others would be going to Calder Valley and their pitch at Brearley completely waterlogged. And our home pitch at Wellholme Park was a mud bath…but it was ours!!
And who could forget..
“a certain Brighouse player making a full-length break and then spiking the ball over the goal line!!”.
And finally, Damien’s final game was in the Pennine League against St. Joseph’s (Huddersfield). He takes up the story:
“ it was a very close game and after we scored a try and a goal with a couple of minutes to go we were one point behind. St. Joseph’s kick off went directly into touch. Rangers captain, Darren Williams, threw the ball to me to kick at goal. This was the last kick of my last game. Win!!”
The next couple of years the team were competitive in the next couple of seasons
Brighouse stayed in Division 2 for a couple of seasons before being relegated to Division 3 in 1992/3 where they continued throughout the 1990’s.
Another trophy finally came Brighouse Ranger’s way in the 1993-94 season. Rangers won through to the final of the Halifax Handicap Cup. The competition’s attraction was well demonstrated when Rangers were well beaten by Premier Division Elland 50-18 on the field but due to the handicap system which had award Rangers a 60-point start it was Brighouse Rangers who lifted the trophy winning the Cup Final 78-50. This welcome success came at the end of a league season when, after winning only 2 of their 18 games, they finished in 10th place.
Rangers often had forays into the Yorkshire and National Cups. They had little success in most years but got through the first round the 1995-96 Yorkshire Cup only to lose narrowly in the second round away to Thornhill A-Team by 18 points to 16.