WITH Featherstone Rovers set to host Leigh Centurions at the Millennium Stadium tonight in front of the Premier Sports cameras, MARTYN SADLER looks back to an earlier clash between the two clubs.
Featherstone will play Leigh three times in the regular season, including in the Summer Bash and, in all likelihood, in the play-offs at the end of the season, with the two clubs being the strong favourites to meet in the Million Pound Game with the winner sealing promotion to Super League.
So I think we can count on seeing some epic battles between the two clubs this season, starting with tonight’s game.
And if you look at the advert placed by Featherstone in today’s issue of League Express, you can probably assume that Rovers coach Brian McDermott will give a debut tonight to Joey Leilua (above), his star signing from the NRL.
Last week’s Premier game between York and Featherstone drew an excellent audience of 51,000 viewers and it’s fair to assume that tonight’s clash should draw even more to watch a game between two teams bursting with talent and ambition.
Thank goodness the days when Sky Sports would warehouse Championship games like this with no intention of screening them are now finally over.
Instead we have Premier Sports’ vibrant coverage that was so clearly demonstrated last Monday night.
Over the years there have been many matches at various levels between Featherstone and Leigh, with some of them being more important than others.
One that clearly stands out was a game I still remember attending almost 50 year ago, when the two clubs squared off against each other in the Challenge semi-final at Headingley.
The date was Saturday 30 March 1974 and Featherstone, who had won the Challenge Cup in 1973, would defeat Leigh 21-14 in front of a modest crowd of only 7,971 spectators, which was the lowest semi-final crowd for many years.
Warrington had beaten Dewsbury 17-7 a week earlier in the other semi-final at Central Park in front of 11,789 spectators and they would go on to beat Featherstone 24-9 at Wembley on 11 May 1974.
The teams and scorers for the semi-final at Headingley on that day were as follows.
Featherstone: Cyril Kellett, Mike Smith, John Newlove, Dave Hartley, Graham Bray, Mel Mason, Steve Nash, Les Tonks, Keith Bridges, Billy Harris, Dave Busfield, Charlie Stone, Keith Bell; Subs: David Dyas, Peter Smith.
Tries: M Smith, Bridges, Dyas; Goals: Kellett, 3, Nash 2, Mason.
Leigh: Mick Hogan, Mick Stacey, Stan Dorrington, Mick Collins, Joe Walsh, Tommy Davies, Mick Sayer, Jim Fiddler, Derek Clarke, Dennis Carden, Tommy Martyn, Dave Macko, Denis Boyd; Subs: John McAtee, Keith Clarke (not used)
Tries: Davies, Boyd; Goals: Fiddler 4.
Those teams bring back some great memories, with players I remember well from both sides, notably the great Steve Nash, who would later move to Salford from Featherstone and Leigh’s long-haired winger Joe Walsh.
To say it was a controversial game at Headingley, particularly from Leigh’s point of view, would be an understatement.
The referee Alex Givvons called back Leigh winger Mick Stacey for a forward pass when he looked certain to score and later in the game the referee lost count of the tackles and allowed Featherstone hooker Keith Bridges to score in the seventh tackle.
But one thing I had forgotten about was the fact that, believe it or not, the two clubs played each other again the following day at Featherstone in a league match, which Featherstone won 46-7, with Paul Coventry, who was returning from injury, coming into their side and scoring four tries.
The Leigh players had been badly scarred, both physically and mentally, by their defeat at Headingley and they could raise only eleven players for the league game, with only Stacey, Collins, Davies, Sayer and Keith Clarke from the 15 on duty the previous day.
Leigh Journal reporter Brian Gomm, who had gone to report on the game on his motorbike, was called upon to be a substitute and came on for Cliff Sayer. Les Pearce, the Leigh coach, then aged 51, named himself as an unused substitute.
Keith Bell, the Rovers loose forward, went out of his way to find two players to complete the Leigh squad. He left the ground and rounded up two amateur players who were in a local working men’s club. Their names were Duncan Broome and Paul Harrison, but both played as AN Other.
The Leigh team on March 31st was: Dennis Brown; John Randall, Mick Stacey, Mick Collins, Maurice Platt; Tommy Davies, Cliff Sayer (sub Brian Gomm); Alf Wilkinson, Tony Byrne, Keith Clarke, Duncan Broome, Roy Lester, Paul Harrison. Non playing substitute: Les Pearce.
Featherstone had an amazing schedule to end the season, with 15 matches in 57 days prior to the Challenge Cup Final.
One other thing to note was that the then secretary of the RFL, Bill Fallowfield, would retire at the end of the 1973/4 season. And I think we can say with some justification that his retirement was overdue.
In writing this piece I would like to thank Leigh Centurions Chairman Mike Latham and Featherstone Rovers supporter Chris Heinitz for the considerable help both have given me in recalling the events from those far-off days.
I wish both teams the best of luck for tonight’s match.
