Clubs > Elland > The New Century
The New Century
Elland were on a roll as the new century opened. They had a quality team with players such as Adam Olroyd, Junaid Malik, Terry and Syd Manning and Andy and Mark Shickell leading the way.
A sure sign of Elland’s ability to produce and attract top amateur players was clearly shown when in 2001 four Elland players gained international honours.
Club captain, Junaid Malik, played for BARLA GB Open Age in the Emerging Nations World Cup making his debut against Morocco, Dave Stead was a member of the GB Police squad which toured South Africa, Neil Walton played both home and away against France for the GB U19’s and finally, Ian Gilmore represented GB Students on their tour to New Zealand and Australia as well as playing in France and Russia.
With the continuing success in the Pennine League Premier Division, the club had two almost perfect seasons in 1999-2000 and in 2001-2002.
The club then embarked on a run of five seasons in the RFL Challenge Cup. Elland qualified for all the seasons 2001-2005. Their best run was in the 2003-04 season when they beat Kells (Cumbria) and Eastmoor (Wakefield) to reach a third-round tie against professional side, Leigh over at their ground. Elland took the lead in the game with speed merchant Olly Fairbank went over for try. Another Fairbank, James, came on as a second half substitute. James recalls the game well
“Paul Rowley stood out for Leigh as a quality player. So difficult to know which way he was going to move.”
Leigh who would be in Super League the following season dominated the game after Elland’s try and run out comfortable winners 64-4 in front of a crowd of 1365 spectators.
The highlight for many players and supporters at Elland of this early 2000’s is most definitely the 2001-02 season’s Yorkshire Cup campaign which resulted in Elland captain, Junaid Malik, lifting the trophy. (see section below)
This was feat achieved again in the 2003-04 season with a 23-11 victory over Queens (Leeds).
Elland continued their success in the Pennine League Premier Division and socially thrived at the Elland Supporters Club at West Vale. The club headquarters moved for a year to the Shears public house until a longer term move for the 2007-08 season and beyond to the Greetland Community Centre.
Halifax Cup Final wins in 2002 and 2004 were other Elland high points of the period. Although falling at the last hurdle in each one Elland reached the Halifax Championship Finals in 4 years: they were runners up in 2000, 2002 and 2003 defeated on each occasion by Siddal.
In 2004, there was an attempt to join the National Conference League but their bid was unsuccessful (local rivals Ovenden were elected to the NCL) which was reportedly seen as a “real kick in the teeth” for the ambitious club. Karl Fairbank left Elland to take up a role with the Halifax professional club.
In the Pennine League Premier Division, it was business as usual although by 2009-2010 season they finished in 8th place winning only 6 of their 18 games.
It was in 2010 that Elland fulfilled a long-time ambition and were elected to the National Conference League and joined Division 2. This was to be the last winter season for the NCL. Elland acclimatised well finishing in a creditable 6th place just behind Halifax rivals. Ovenden. There was then the 2011 transitional season running from August to December 2011 where clubs were grouped by geography. Once again Elland were playing in the same competition as Ovenden with both clubs finishing join bottom of Group C.
Elland continued their progress and improvement in the NCL Division 2 over the next two summer seasons finishing 11th and 4th.
Summer 2014, under the coaching of Karl Fairbank, was very successful for Elland as they were promoted from Division 2.
Elland gained promotion to Division 1 by winning last game 82-6 v Stanningley to finish division runners up, in game where all seven Elland backs got on the score sheet that day with centre Richard Crawshaw bagging a hat-trick and full back Joe Nicholson and winger James Marshall getting two each. To that was added a brace for prop Jorge Fairbank and other touchdowns coming from Oliver Fairbank, Chris Dyson, Junaid Malik, Phil Taylor, Ben Bottomley and replacements Joe Fradgley and Ben Fairbank. Elland’s star man, second rower Cayci Pearson, slotted eight goals and Nicholson kicked one.
Another highlight of 2014 was the away 20-6 victory at Woolston in RFL Challenge Cup. Junaid Malik, by that time a black and amber veteran of 20 years, was the man to cross for a matching winning try after some crisp attacking down the Elland right.
However, the club was reportedly struggling for players and more importantly committed players. The second team was sadly disbanded and Elland played on with a single team for the first time in 30 years,
James Fairbank, yet another generation of the Fairbank dynasty, was playing in the team and remembers the adversity the club was experiencing.
“ Olly (Oliver Fairbank) was a real game changer. He had been the speedy, youngster in an ageing , but quality team and was now a senior player!”
2015 was a season of consolidation in Division 1 with players like Shickell taking the team forward. However, the following year they were demoted from Division 1 down to Division 3 for the 2017 season for not fulfilling all their 2016 fixtures.
The 2016 season had been a difficult one for the club. The chair at the time, former Elland player, Mark Cahill, was open about the issues in his chairman’s note at the start of 2017.
“ I am glad that the new season is now upon us and Elland can start to rebuild after what has been a very difficult twelve months for our open age section of the club. The amount of injuries that we sustained last year was simply outrageous and I have never known anything like it in all my time involved in Rugby League. Last season started with a win against Huddersfield Underbank RLFC in a very competitive game but after that , we did not win another game all season. Fair play to the lads who stuck out the season and helped us avoid folding our open age section, which at one point was a very realistic possibility.”
Sadly, Elland who had Jode Sherrife as coach were finding it difficult in the NCL during summer of 2017 with travel, finance and player availability reported as the reasons their mid-season resignation from the NCL.
The Yorkshire Mens League became Elland’s home which they joined in Division 3 for the summer season in 2018. Considering the difficulties in the proceeding seasons, the league form was good and Elland finished in second place winning 8 of their 10 games.
They took this form into YML Division 1 for 2019 and had a brilliant season topping the division as champions after winning every one of their 14 games. The club was going upwards.
The Covid pandemic in 2020 closed not only Rugby League down but the country for many months. There was no YML Rugby League in 2020. The club was not, however, stood still as chair James Redford and his team off the field were working on acquiring the Goldfields playing fields and the changing room block under a community lease which they acquired in 2021.Elland together with then local Greetland association football club formed the entity to have the facilities as their own and to be able to develop those facilities.
After the covid enforced break, Elland did not field a side in 2021 or in 2022. They returned in 2023 to play in YML Division 3 with Jamie Bloem as coach finishing in mid table with eight wins from their18 games. Grelland was the short lived 2024 open age team as neither Elland nor Greetland All Rounders could field a side on their own.
Each club retained their own junior teams which playing in their own club’s colours. The open age team, “Grelland” played in YML Division 3 with home games staged, alternately, at Elland’s Goldfields (at Greetland) and Allrounders’ Spring Rock (at Upper Greetland) The first ever game for ‘Grelland’ ended in a 4-16 home defeat by Dodworth Miners. Grelland has finished in mid table in each of the seasons to date. The team played games at both home grounds but the team did not reappear for 2025.
Perhaps importantly, there is still an open age team for the all the youngsters at each club to aspire to and perhaps one day Elland will again have their very own Open Age team. And who knows, it may even reach the heights of the previous generations.