King Cross Juniors

A club who were very successful in bring new young players into the game of Rugby League. Formed by parents of the young players, the club rose on the crest of the wave of success at the Halifax professional club in the 1980’s.

The junior Rugby League club at King Cross was, like a number of open age teams, formed in 1986 on the crest of Rugby League’s popularity in the town due to the success of Halifax RLFC. This was the Chris Anderson era when Halifax RLFC were flying high in RFL Division1. It was a conversation between a few parents on the old Heath pitch which led to the formation of the club.

It was the professional club which led to several young lads joining the initial team. Halifax RLFC had informed schools that there would be a coaching session at Thurm Hall. One of these players was Scott Jowett who heard about the session at Warley Road School. His dad, Mike, took him along and during the after session socialising in the Taverners’ Bar, he was approached by Alan Brakes who asked if Scott would be interested in going along to King Cross.

Mike explained:

“the first night on Saville Park outside Crossley School there were 6 players!”

The sons of Thrum Hall stars, Graeme Eadie and Chris Anderson, joined the team and King Cross had its first team, Under 9’s. They played a friendly against Siddal U9 B team. Mike added “I bought a set of shirts for £40, so we had a kit.”

King Cross remained at Heath School playing on the Heath School pitch below the old Halifax Infirmary for a few seasons and then moved into Old Crossleyans after a mate of Mike’s who came to watch a King Cross game, mentioned he could sort something at Old Crossleyans. It was agreed that King Cross would train on a Wednesday and play on the first team pitch on a Sunday. There was an agreement that King Cross would run age groups up to under 14.

A real highlight was the appearance at Wembley as the curtain raiser to the Challenge Cup Final when seven King Cross players were part of the Halifax Schoolboys team. (see below)

King Cross played mainly local games but occasionally played over in Leeds at Stanningley and Pudsey.

The club grew as the lads grew older and new players fed into the system at the younger age groups. By the early years of the 2000’s, they were running teams at age groups from U8 to U18 in the West Riding and Yorkshire Youth Combination Leagues.

King Cross celebrated their 20th Anniversary with a dinner in September 2006.

There are several Super League players who have come from King Cross and these include England international Gareth Widdop who played in Australian and return for a season at Halifax RLFC at the end of his career in 2024. Gareth was born into Rugby League. He recounted:
“as a 4-5 year old been taken to watch my Dad play for Perk at the Barracks along with my Uncles, Dave and Lea Roberts! I used to play up and down the sideline”

So, when Gareth went to play at King Cross he was usually playing at a higher age group. He continued,

“I loved playing at King Cross. We had some good teams and we could compete with anything”.

Parents and players wanted to progress further than the U 14’s which had been the original plan. By 1993-94, King Cross had started a U 16 team. Gareth explained that a lot of lads drifted away from the club as they got older as there was no open age team at King Cross.

There were good performances by the U10 who finished runners up to Pudsey in the West Riding Youth Supplementary Cup and the U8’s went one better and won their Supplementary Cup in 1993-34.

The 1996-97 season was a highlight season as their teams went well that year.
U 15’s Finish 8th in West Riding Youth League
U 13’s Finished 3rd in Division 1
U 12’s Finished runners up on West Riding Youth League
(behind Siddal)
U 8’s Supplementary Cup Winners

There was an appearance in 2004 in the BARLA National U 14 Cup Final against Widnes West Bank at Leigh Miners. A great Park.

And the U 12’s made the Yorkshire Cup Final in 2007.

It was then in summer 2007 that the King Cross club and the Park Amateur club, who were also tenants at Old Crosseyans, decided to merge and King Cross Park came into being.