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The 1954 Challenge Cup Replay


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I see that there is talk of the crowd figure being re-calculated to what many people believe it should be.

120,000+

;)

The reason many people today still say the actual crowd figure was around 120,000 is that many fences were found flat after the match giving the appearance many had found their way into the ground without paying. Due to the nature of the old stadium there were also many places young children could sneak through and men could climb over.

It would be great if we could take back the record from Stadium Australia (ANZ as it is now known).

Dare I ask if anyone on here was at the game ???? :ph34r::ph34r:

** Fun Fact ** Laurel & Hardy were playing at the Alhambra on the same night

Edited by Tommy The C5t
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Grandparents were at the game. My Grandad told me that Warrington was like a ghost town that night (before live Tv coverage) na that he was near the front and could see back miles and miles. Traffic into Bradford was at a standstill the roads could not cope.

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To be honest, I'm glad I wasn't there. Claustrophobic or what?

Picture%20048.jpg

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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To be honest, I'm glad I wasn't there. Claustrophobic or what?

Picture%20048.jpg

When you look at that photo, and see the size of the space all these people were squashed into it

"it is a well known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it."

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I think that would set a dangerous precedent, estimating how many sneaked in. Nobody will ever know how many were there, and as it's over 50 years ago, I don't think anything would be gained anyway, except depriving Australia of something.

If we did want the record back we can have it. The Australian record was for two matches, so at anybodys guess probably some of the spectators for the first game went home before the 2nd, and some of the second games speccy, probably didn't turn up for the first, so in effect their record means that there wasn't that number in the stadium at any one go, Halifax v Warrington means there was only 1 game, therefore the recored for a single matchs attendance is still the UK's

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Talk about the traffic being at a standstill in Bradford that day, it was also even at a standstill back in Oldham!

I heard a tale of a group of men who worked at Ferrantis in Hollinwood who knocked off at lunch time and went up to the house of one whose Dad had allowed them to use his car. They all got into the car, the driver switched the engine on and drove forward about ten yards off his drive and then had to wait about ten minutes until he could get onto the main road into Yorkshire.

www.geofflee.net for news of my novels, One Winter, One Spring, One Summer, One Autumn and Two Seasons. All are written against a strong Rugby League background, set in South Lancashire and inspired by the old saying about work: "They could write a book about this place. It would be a best seller".

 

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I see that there is talk of the crowd figure being re-calculated to what many people believe it should be.

120,000+

;)

The reason many people today still say the actual crowd figure was around 120,000 is that many fences were found flat after the match giving the appearance many had found their way into the ground without paying. Due to the nature of the old stadium there were also many places young children could sneak through and men could climb over.

It would be great if we could take back the record from Stadium Australia (ANZ as it is now known).

Dare I ask if anyone on here was at the game ???? :ph34r::ph34r:

** Fun Fact ** Laurel & Hardy were playing at the Alhambra on the same night

Just out of interest, how are they going to recalculate? From the photos that exist?

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I think that would set a dangerous precedent, estimating how many sneaked in. Nobody will ever know how many were there, and as it's over 50 years ago, I don't think anything would be gained anyway, except depriving Australia of something.

If we did want the record back we can have it. The Australian record was for two matches, so at anybodys guess probably some of the spectators for the first game went home before the 2nd, and some of the second games speccy, probably didn't turn up for the first, so in effect their record means that there wasn't that number in the stadium at any one go, Halifax v Warrington means there was only 1 game, therefore the recored for a single matchs attendance is still the UK's

I think you are spot on.

Estimating attendances! Whatever next? Borrowing the RFU's crowd calculator? :D

Rethymno Rugby League Appreciation Society

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Mum and Dad were there, and my Dad's two brothers. My brother and I were considered too little (I was four and he was seven) but I can't remember who babysat us.

Mum always used to say there was loads of room where they were standing, and it's certainly true that fences were knocked down and many hundreds climbed them or got through the holes.

I think Mum and Dad went for a drink in the Truncliffe Gate pub afterwards, they used to go there quite regularly. It used to stand in Manchester Road a few yards up from the Woodman, and I've seen a photo of them taken in there (not on the same night) with Harry Corbett and Sooty. Corbett went to school with one of my uncles.

There's absolutely no way of knowing how many got into the old stadium that night, and it would be ridiculous to try and recalculate the figure at this distance in time. Anyway, the uncertainty for me is all part of the mythology of the event. All we can agree on is, as the saying goes, 'there were a lot more there than that'.

And when they found our shadows

Grouped around the TV sets

They ran down every lead

They repeated every test

They checked out all the data on their lists

And then the alien anthropologists

Admitted they were still perplexed

But on eliminating every other reason

For our sad demise

They logged the only explanation left

This species has amused itself to death

No tears to cry no feelings left

This species has amused itself to death

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I

If we did want the record back we can have it. The Australian record was for two matches, so at anybodys guess probably some of the spectators for the first game went home before the 2nd, and some of the second games speccy, probably didn't turn up for the first, so in effect their record means that there wasn't that number in the stadium at any one go, Halifax v Warrington means there was only 1 game, therefore the recored for a single matchs attendance is still the UK's

These figures originally posted by Diabolical Liberty, 30th May last year, in response to the " World record crowd" claim by the rfu.

107999 Melbourne Storm 20-18 St George Illawarra Dragons NRL Grand Final, 1999

104583 Newcastle Knights v Manly, Parramatta v St George NRL, 1999

102569 Warrington 8-4 Halifax CC Final Replay, 1953-54

Take out the double header, we're second....

Wires record breaking 10 match run: L 16-17 ; L 34-36 ; L 24-44 ; L 20-38 ; L 8-46; L 14-26 ; L 20-40 ; L 22-48 ; L 14-20 ; L 8-60. Thanks Jimmy.The Glamour Club. Apparently.

Captain Morgan Trophy Holders.(I still think we have the British Coal 9's trophy hidden somewhere, too...)

Ooooh, the Challenge Cup!!! Thank you Tony.....

And again!!!smith_morley_small.jpg

Tipping Competiton Challenged Shield Winner 2010

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  • 1 year later...

I remember my Grandad teling me who was at the game that the roads were gridlocked from Bradford to Rochdale for this game.

Amazing really when you think about it.

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What's the point in resurrecting a 17 month old thread? :dry:

This thread necromancy is getting tiresome now.

"When in deadly danger, when beset by doubt; run in little circles, wave your arms and shout"

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