14 replies to this topic

[class of 63]

Great performance last night - deserved to win and as previously posted by others left the ground proud to be a Swinton supporter - so when archiving last nights programme with all my others I got in my reminiscing mode and came across this - 49 years to the date, May 25th 1963 we travelled to Warrington - a win would clinch the First Division title for us - as history will tell us we won 6-4 - this result was during our remarkable 17 winning game run to end the season, what memories:-

March 23rd Featherstone home won
March 27th Huddersfield home won
March 30th Hull away won
April 8th Warrington home won
April 12th Oldham home won
April 13th St Helens home won
April 15th St Helens away won
April 20th Halifax away won
April 23rd Oldham away won
April 27th Bramley away won
May 1st Workington away won
May 4th Featherstone away won
May 16th Workington home won
May 18th Widnes away won
May 22nd Halifax home won
May 25th Warrington away won
May 29th Widnes home won

For all us who can remember (Blue Monkey etc etc) the team against Warrington (from the programme)
Gowers,Speed,Fleet,Buckley,Parkinson,Williams,Bate,Clarke,Morgan,Norburn,Cummings,Blan.


seems like just yesterday - but as I started (different team,different level) but felt just as proud last night

[mark richardson]

That is brilliant.

[Blue Monkey]

For all us who can remember (Blue Monkey etc etc) the team against Warrington (from the programme)
Gowers,Speed,Fleet,Buckley,Parkinson,Williams,Bate,Clarke,Morgan,Norburn,Cummings,Blan.

Yes, great days they indeed were. But, haven't you missed out the above team's left winger, No. 5, who I assume was the great Johnny Stopford?

[class of 63]

Apologies Blue Monkey - what a name to miss out, yes indeed it was the great Johnny Stopford

[class of 63]

That is brilliant.

Thanks for that Mark - its great to reminisce, but again to reiterate - no matter what memories,we may have, when our lads perform as they did on Friday against the league leaders, we all should feel proud.

[mark richardson]

Thanks for that Mark - its great to reminisce, but again to reiterate - no matter what memories,we may have, when our lads perform as they did on Friday against the league leaders, we all should feel proud.

You are so lucky to have seen those days and hearing these memories is tremendous. My dad tells me about the sixties better than he can remember the match we`ve just been too and I was always used to love my grandads stories of Hodgson, Butters and the like.
Who would you say was the best player of the lot? I think my dad would say Albert Blan. For me Danny(with Dale Cunniffe a close second ha ha.)

[greengrass]

Yeah I agree Class of 63, I feel like good things are around the corner for Swinton if we keep our current side and management and also if possible make some of the DR players permament.

All we need now is some kind update on Agecroft something is better than nothing.

[class of 63]

You are so lucky to have seen those days and hearing these memories is tremendous. My dad tells me about the sixties better than he can remember the match we`ve just been too and I was always used to love my grandads stories of Hodgson, Butters and the like.
Who would you say was the best player of the lot? I think my dad would say Albert Blan. For me Danny(with Dale Cunniffe a close second ha ha.)

yes we were so lucky, us swinton fans during the 60s, but as your grandad probably told you I was told by my dad how truly great the team of 1927/28 were and in his opinion Martin Hodgson the greatest player he saw, he did eventually acknowledge what a great team the 60s lads were - his personal favourite was Alan Buckley a truly great classy centre, for me I can't really decide but would be between Buckley/Gowers/Stopford for their flair Albert was brilliant what a rugby league brain and yes later on Danny Wilson what a class player, but if I had to pick a Swinton clubman player in my lifetime it would be Ken Gowers and what a servant to our club.

[mark richardson]

yes we were so lucky, us swinton fans during the 60s, but as your grandad probably told you I was told by my dad how truly great the team of 1927/28 were and in his opinion Martin Hodgson the greatest player he saw, he did eventually acknowledge what a great team the 60s lads were - his personal favourite was Alan Buckley a truly great classy centre, for me I can't really decide but would be between Buckley/Gowers/Stopford for their flair Albert was brilliant what a rugby league brain and yes later on Danny Wilson what a class player, but if I had to pick a Swinton clubman player in my lifetime it would be Ken Gowers and what a servant to our club.

So many to choose from in the team of the sixties. Think gowers is a very wise choice.

[Blue Monkey]

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All we need now is some kind update on Agecroft, something is better than nothing.

We'll ALL echo that sentiment I think! Hear! hear!

[lionsfanusa]

Yes, great days they indeed were. But, haven't you missed out the above team's left winger, No. 5, who I assume was the great Johnny Stopford?

The eagle eye of Blue Monkey, who appears to have started a second career as an article writer, witness his piece in Summer's RL Journal! Read it, it's good and very relevant to this post.

As someone who can only attend one or two matches a year, it seems like I always picked the wrong time to be over... and then Steve M arrived on the scene. Things changed. Halifax, NR Cup, 2011, a very close loss. Scorpions, promotion clinched. Featherstone in April, a superb effort. Proud is an understatement!

There's a letter to the editor in that same issue of RLJ with the following statement included "The game that thrilled me was an attritional one based on competitive scrums, with the roles of the loose-forward, scrum half and stand-off being pivotal".

Will we ever see that again?

[Blue Monkey]

The eagle eye of Blue Monkey, who appears to have started a second career as an article writer, witness his piece in Summer's RL Journal! Read it, it's good and very relevant to this post.

Thanks for the compliment (?), I only went to Crommie boys' '57-'62.

[Blue Monkey]

.
There's a letter to the editor in that same issue of RLJ with the following statement included "The game that thrilled me was an attritional one based on competitive scrums, with the roles of the loose-forward, scrum half and stand-off being pivotal".

Will we ever see that again?

Yes Geoff, how very true indeed. The "Good Old Days" were truly just that, they don't know what they're missing today.

[lionsfanusa]

We shouldn't forget Cliff Evans either should we?

[class of 63]

We shouldn't forget Cliff Evans either should we?

Well said - a great coach who allowed the team to play with flair