Anita Bath

Great find Arthur. Hull KR had beaten Hornets in a replay on the way to wembley. HKR played a record 8 games in the cup that season. They drew with the biffs in the semi final. The replay went to extra time and with the biffs in front the game was abandoned for bad light! The days when many grounds had no floodlights. HKR won at the third time of asking. The closest the Biffos have ever been to Wembley. They played in four consecutive cup finals in the 1920s, two of them played at the Athletic Grounds, the last being 2 years before the cup final moved to Wembley. Widnes’ Jim Measures, prominent in the newsreel, also played at Hornets at the end of his career Good to see the old straight line kicking style. I think it was David Watkins at Salford in the early 1970s who popularised the round the corner kick. Interesting to see the photographers running into the in goal area as the HKR try is scored. There is an accident waiting to happen.

Rochdale Hornets Website reporting ex player and coach Frank Myler has passed away at age 81. He achieved almost everything in the game as player and coach including leading the last GB team to win the Ashes. Although most people will remember him for his times at Widnes and St Helens and with england and Great Britain, he transformed Rochdale Hornets from a club struggling to to keep their head above water to a team competing with the best in the top half of the first division playing attractive rugby. He will never be forgotten in Rochdale

The tweets and websites at Widnes and Hornets failed to mention he also coached England as well as Great Britain on the Ashes tour in the 1980s.

The maestro ...the rugby league world has lost a legend.

Yes I still have an old photo of him in the scoreboard, sticking his head out ofthe hornets try ‘window’ and those names ring many bells. I think he used to get a shilling for carrying that half time draw board around the dog track off ‘half time’ Jimmy. And there was the other Jimmy...jimmy cotton, who passed away a few years ago...he could recite the fixture list from memory...even if he did get some of the team names slightly wrong ( “going to goosbry’). Jimmy worked at Turners at the same time as our dad. Our mother knitted that jumper ...as much her pride and joy as it was his. He later had a motor cycle leather jacket made up in the same colours and design. And yes, now you mention it, you have jogged the memory, first and last and ###### what happened in between them two tries. Keep the memories of great games coming everyone.

It wasnt his first early bath either! Our season sort of petered out after the John Player Cup Final so this really was a win out of the blue. That was without doubt my favourite season...absolute top quality players playing under a maestro coach. Also memorable was the game against the aussies on the 1967 tour....played in a november blizzard. Any other game would have been postponed in those conditions. Looking at the names in the australian team it was an honour to have seen them play in Rochdale. And of course Hornets Malcolm Price played centre for GB in the tests.

Spot on collector......our posts coincided and you got the date right.

with nothing else to pass the time I thought i would find the details of these games and tidy up a few matters. Always difficult identifying wins at oldham . . .there have been so many? Two different oldham games there, both Xmas time The one where whitehead got the try was 26 Dec 1973 (won 15-11) There one with Chamberlain kicking was 27 Dec 1971 (won 8-2) As I said...so many to choose from! The fev game I selected ended 17-17. Fogarty, brophy and halmshaw scored the tries...what glorious players they were. 13 Jan 1974. We had won our previous 8 games, including the JP QF v Leeds with the Holliday drop goal (30 Dec 73) and the Bramley SF 14-2 6 jan 74, but Starkey wasnt at the club. he left around 1970 I think) We then went on to win the next 3 games to make it 12 games unbeaten but then lost the John Player Cup final to Wire. The leigh cup game - 25 Jan 69 It was 13-4 (they didnt cross our line) and yes starkey scored all 13 points. We then played Bramley away in second round and drew 7-7 winning the replay 7-4 and going on to the Wakefield tie in the QF. 10-10 away and lost 15-2 in the replay. That was Dale’s promotion season and I missed the away game to watch Dale. My brother was there (puggy) and we were both at the replay. Hull KR cup game in1960s...8 feb 1964 drew 12-12 away and lost 22-7 in replay. The other HKR cup game was 29 Jan 1989 we lost 24-28. Now to saints games The earlier saints game mentioned was (i think) 23 march 1970 lost 0-10. Not many teams kept that saints team down to 10 points. Earlier in the season at their place we scored 10...but they scored 63 (sixty three). The remarkable win over saints was 30 oct 1969 13-2 at athletic grounds. the post strike game was 5 sep 1976, despite Hodkystwo tries we lost 21-24. The dewsbury game was 17 april 1974 won 13-11 with 10 changes to the starting line up from the previous game. Dewsbury were champions the previous season with two stevos....mick and Nigel. That took us into the end of season play off which as mentioned was a disaster with the first ream players back in...lost at Widnes 31-5 The Hull FC game was 14 March 1976 we won 6-5 with three John Maloney goals Finally the famous wigan cup semi final was 29 March 1958....what a day. Closest to wembley we have been in the 62 years since was the Wakefield QF in 1969. I havent mentioned the play off final win (against who else but ...Oldham) submitted by the collector since its probably reasonably fresh in our memories. I do remember the smile on Puggies face that day. When the collector was kind enough to join me in seeing Puggy in his coffin the night before his funeral he was wearing his Hornets shirt and the smile was still there. Whats remarkable about these submissions are many games that we actually lost...but each one was testament to the fighting hornets spirit. I am glad nobody mentioned that 63-10 loss at saints! I hope some of you enjoy these memories as much as I have tracing the records. Who knows what lies ahead in these difficult times but what we all have is our cherished Hornets memories and wherever we may end up they will always be with us. Keep em coming and keep well

In these troubled times with no games being played might be worth trying to lift spirits by sharing your greatest hornets memories. What game sticks in your memory? Mine, I think it was 1973-4. We were going great guns under Frank Myler in the top half of the first division. Away game at a then mighty Featherstone Rovers, their team full of internationals on a long winning home streak and Post Office Road a real graveyard for all clubs. Hornets trailing for most of the game and then put together a monumental comeback behind the loudest ‘ooooooor....neeeeeeets’ chant I can ever remember. Got the tying points in the dying minutes...30-30 I think the final score. What a day. Anyone else remember that game?

Ive not kept up with the north american expansion topic but wonder, if Ottawa is to be more 'organic' that TWP have been, given that the Ottawa climate, and in particular winter, is usually far harsher and longer than the toronto climate, where will this team be based and when will they play games in Ottawa?

dont hold out to much hope for the effect of warmer weather...I am in Brisbane where the temp hardly falls below 20 celsius and its spreading rapidly here.

To be fair I am not sure anyone had their head in the right place for this game. That does Not explain the score, same for both teams etc...but I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on this particular game being an indicator of where we are. If in any doubt listen to the consummate professional cam smiths comments after the manly v Melbourne storm game.

No reason given...it couldnt be the posts blew over could it?

No, its a bad scrabble hand

GWS treaded water all the way to the Grand Final last season

If no one is interested in the past, as YOU claim, then why would the web site/club bother with any of this. I think you are arguing against yourself here.

What is your evidence for saying no one is interested in the past? You dont have to go to a dinner to be interested intne past. Is an explyaers association dinner open to non ex players and if so at what cost? Is it promoted among the clubs supporters by the ex players association? I dont live locally so do not know.

Fantastic what Batley has done. great management and leadership in the face of a RL management more interested in europe and N America.

When will we stop blaming RU for our problems....did RU run down the Challenge Cup competition...the greatest club competition in any form of rugby. Where RU responsible for deciding the reigning cup holders would have to sign a guarantee of ticket sales before they could defend the trophy. How many professional sports have expanded so often to so many places that failed...southend, carlisle, maidstone,mansfield, gloucester, cardiff, trafford, chorley, scarborough.........

And 125 years of throwing money at this has achieved exactly what?

Is that tongue in cheek....we have been told that since early in the last century. The league has accepted new teams without any clear or at least accurate business plan in there desperation to claim the professional game has a national spread. Look at the third tier table for the last 10 years....the northern clubs in the top half the southern in the bottom half with the few wins they have coming from beating each other. Gloucester, Oxford, bristol, hemel, northampton (didnt makeit to the starting line). They have spread what talent is available more thinly leaving a poorer product to watch. The result, reduced crowds for all. We are not football, and we are not rugby union and we should stop trying to be them. Played at its best we have a great product but lets stop watering it down.

Great attempt to boost attendence and change thedemographic. Hope it works but will probably need a sustained long term approach. I have my doubts...biggest problem for third tier is the product...how many people are attracted by barrow (or Hornets) versus the latest configuration of southern teams. But good luck to them and hope it works.

Former player Adam Maher passed away after suffering from motorneurone disease Very sad and at a young age

Looking at the website - its a brand new club that doesn't play in a league but appears to have plans to apply for joining league 1! They have played one friendly at home to Fev in January. No harm in a friendly I suppose - apart from the risk of injuries of course

And should we win....we will be invaded by the Army.