London Amateur Rugby League - Clubs of yesteryear

[League of the South]

Does anyone else have recollections of the London Amateur League from the late 1980's to the mid 90's ?

I played in the final 2 seasons of Hornsey Lams existence. We used to play our home games at the New River sports centre near Wood Green, at least that's where I used to take the tube to for training and matches. I recall making my league debut in an unexpected victory away at Hemel Hempstead, having been welcomed aboard during the summer and being totally new to the sport of rugby league. The team was expertly coached by the wonderful Sean McGuire who I believe went on to be Chief Exec at St Helen's in the mid 2000's. Some great guys and some excellent players, with several from Aus / NZ, and we used to drink at the Boston Arms in Tufnell Park after our home games. I recall playing vs London Colonials, Fulham Travellers, Peckham Pumas, Streatham Celtic, St Mary's College, South London and others. I also well remember beating a team from Yorkshire in the first round of the National Cup - Aitland Wells rings a bell maybe ?

Happy memories indeed !

[Damien]

Aaahhh, youve done it now, mentioning Sean McGuire! Big Picture will be along shortly, it's his idol.

[Mumby Magic]

Crawley Jets?

[fighting irish]

I have very fond memories of the London League from that era.

They accepted us into the league (for which we were very grateful) which meant each club would come to us once a year and we travelled to London 12 times (I think), each season. 

They were really memorable trips and they were very hospitable groups of lads.

My brother got struck by lightening during one match, we once got caught looking up at Concorde as it flew over (and allowing the opposition to score) and got ribbed for years after, we had a trip down the Thames after one game (I believe it was on the Marchioness) and one of our players suffered a bleed on the brain but thankfully made a full recovery.

Their willingness to let us in, allowed us to establish the game here and we played for another 18 years. 

[ATLANTISMAN]

Bloody hell this will be fun.

I played for Peckham and my 2 highlights were kicking 13 goals v Hemel Hempstead (Bob Brown played around 1988/81) and also playing a match for the London League v (I think it was either York or Hull League) Gary Divorty played he was only 16/17 and one could see he was going to be a top player.

Sean is alive and well and COO of my wife's company was with him last week at a WC match:)

P 

[League of the South]

Sean is an absolutely top bloke. I recall bumping into him in the City of London sometime in the mid 2000's. I recently watched the documentary about the 2019 GB tour to NZ and PNG and he is on there briefly at the start talking about how rugby league began in this country.

Come to think of it, I also played for a few seasons for Essex Scimitars by which time Sean was coaching the Met Police team. I recall having a couple of beers with him in the very nice bar at the Met Police sports ground, in Bushey I think it was.

As I say, happy memories of those times playing in the London League.

[Impartial Observer]

15 hours ago, Mumby Magic said:

Crawley Jets?

Crawley Jets played in the summer RLC, they had a guy Steve O Reilly I think who was from Widnes who was instrumental in setting them up, he could kick the ball a mile

[ATLANTISMAN]

1 minute ago, Impartial Observer said:

Crawley Jets played in the summer RLC, they had a guy Steve O Reilly I think who was from Widnes who was instrumental in setting them up, he could kick the ball a mile

Didn't they play at Crawley FC and have a few good attendances at the time?

 

P 

[Impartial Observer]

15 hours ago, League of the South said:

Does anyone else have recollections of the London Amateur League from the late 1980's to the mid 90's ?

I played in the final 2 seasons of Hornsey Lams existence. We used to play our home games at the New River sports centre near Wood Green, at least that's where I used to take the tube to for training and matches. I recall making my league debut in an unexpected victory away at Hemel Hempstead, having been welcomed aboard during the summer and being totally new to the sport of rugby league. The team was expertly coached by the wonderful Sean McGuire who I believe went on to be Chief Exec at St Helen's in the mid 2000's. Some great guys and some excellent players, with several from Aus / NZ, and we used to drink at the Boston Arms in Tufnell Park after our home games. I recall playing vs London Colonials, Fulham Travellers, Peckham Pumas, Streatham Celtic, St Mary's College, South London and others. I also well remember beating a team from Yorkshire in the first round of the National Cup - Aitland Wells rings a bell maybe ?

Happy memories indeed !

I playes a couple of games for Travellers and Ealing. You haven't mentioned Fulham Amateurs who used to arrive for away games in a double decker London bus whose players were thugs and their partners on the sidelines were known for tripping up the opposition wingers. Gordon Anderton and then Henry Miles used to run the league, two great characters. Yes happy memories

[ATLANTISMAN]

4 minutes ago, Impartial Observer said:

I playes a couple of games for Travellers and Ealing. You haven't mentioned Fulham Amateurs who used to arrive for away games in a double decker London bus whose players were thugs and their partners on the sidelines were known for tripping up the opposition wingers. Gordon Anderton and then Henry Miles used to run the league, two great characters. Yes happy memories

Fulham Amateurs were a nightmare

P 

[fighting irish]

1 minute ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Fulham Amateurs were a nightmare

P 

They came to us a few times, if I remember correctly and we got on well with them.

We bunked them up in the local olympic size, swimming pool (dormitory accommodation) which was quite cheap.

On the morning of the game, after a boozy night before, their two best players, a centre and loose-forward decided to go for a swim.

Without looking, they ran and dived in the shallow end (3'-6'' deep) and one of them needed 12 stitches across his forehead and the other wore a neck brace for months after, poor lads.

Without these two we managed to beat them by 40 points that afternoon. 

[Impartial Observer]

32 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Didn't they play at Crawley FC and have a few good attendances at the time?

 

P 

Yes and it was a short pitch, I saw O Reilly kick a goal line drop out straight in to the terraces at the other end of the ground   

[Impartial Observer]

26 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Fulham Amateurs were a nightmare

P 

I was told a story, not sure how true, where the clubs got together to get them kicked out and this guy stood up at the next league meeting and proposed this, when a seconder was asked for everyone else was looking at their feet and no one put their hand up, the poor guy got beaten up after  the meeting 

[Exiled Townie]

Seem to remember Portsmouth Navy Seahawks playing in the London League, are they still about?

 

[Impartial Observer]

No they stopped playing a couple of seasons ago 

[ATLANTISMAN]

Peckham produced some good players including Andrew Mighty who went on to HULL FC>

 

P 

[Pigeon Lofter]

1 hour ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Peckham produced some good players including Andrew Mighty who went on to HULL FC

Bill Goodwin was the (main?) driving force behind Peckham back in the day. Plenty of RU lads surreptitiously played RL as it was a lifetime ban then. I think a few came from Streatham and Croydon RU, they were quite a force in the late 70s and early 80s. I know Bill went on to coach a couple of embryonic expansion clubs, Southend being one, but not sure if he re-emerged after they folded. I think he had a playing career in Yorkshire before he moved down south, maybe Doncaster?

A couple of Peckham lads turned out for Fulham too...Frankie Feighin and Steve Caudry? Not sure if they were trialists or contracted?  I've most probably incorrectly spelt their surnames , it was forty years ago.

I remember watching Peckham in the early eighties, I think it was an evening game played under floodlights at the Herne Hill velodrome. It was a terrible winters night, with the rain lashing down and gail force winds. The opposition was one light on the subs bench and I was asked if I wanted to make up the numbers, and I declined being out of condition. 

Fulham Amateurs...blood and sand, absolute wrong 'uns! I knew a few of them and went drinking with them at their boozer. One of their lot was a monster called Jimmy Gad, he was in and out of prison so perhaps didn't play too often. He was one of the main bodyguards of the National Front leaders (the "Honour Guard") and like many of the Fulham lot was as right-wing as they come. 

Gordon Anderton, absolute star of the Southern Amateur RL scene back then. Without him, would it have all been possible?

[League of the South]

Wasn’t it the predominantly Kiwi side South London who played in Herne Hill ? Think they later switched to a ground in Chiswick right near where the professional Fulham side used to play from memory.

I also remember playing for Essex Scimitars against one of the Div 1 sides at Crystal Palace Athletics Stadium as a curtain raiser before London Crusaders played their game afterwards. Ross Strudwick was the Crusaders coach at the time. 

[Jill Halfpenny fan]

Remember watching Essex Scimitars at the Chester sevens.

[Number 16]

Scimitars had this awful Rasta coloured kit! 

I was at the short-lived East London club that emerged from the ashes of the Scimitars!

[ATLANTISMAN]

58 minutes ago, League of the South said:

Wasn’t it the predominantly Kiwi side South London who played in Herne Hill ? Think they later switched to a ground in Chiswick right near where the professional Fulham side used to play from memory.

I also remember playing for Essex Scimitars against one of the Div 1 sides at Crystal Palace Athletics Stadium as a curtain raiser before London Crusaders played their game afterwards. Ross Strudwick was the Crusaders coach at the time. 

The Kiwi (Mainly) side was after Peckham who then became Peckham Pumas then South London.

PECKHAM players that went onto professional RL included 

Andrew Mighty

Frank Feighan 

Wayne Millington (Brother of John Hull KR)

Colin Penola

P 

[Usera]

2 hours ago, Pigeon Lofter said:

Bill Goodwin was the (main?) driving force behind Peckham back in the day. Plenty of RU lads surreptitiously played RL as it was a lifetime ban then. I think a few came from Streatham and Croydon RU, they were quite a force in the late 70s and early 80s. I know Bill went on to coach a couple of embryonic expansion clubs, Southend being one, but not sure if he re-emerged after they folded. I think he had a playing career in Yorkshire before he moved down south, maybe Doncaster?

A couple of Peckham lads turned out for Fulham too...Frankie Feighin and Steve Caudry? Not sure if they were trialists or contracted?  I've most probably incorrectly spelt their surnames , it was forty years ago.

I remember watching Peckham in the early eighties, I think it was an evening game played under floodlights at the Herne Hill velodrome. It was a terrible winters night, with the rain lashing down and gail force winds. The opposition was one light on the subs bench and I was asked if I wanted to make up the numbers, and I declined being out of condition. 

Fulham Amateurs...blood and sand, absolute wrong 'uns! I knew a few of them and went drinking with them at their boozer. One of their lot was a monster called Jimmy Gad, he was in and out of prison so perhaps didn't play too often. He was one of the main bodyguards of the National Front leaders (the "Honour Guard") and like many of the Fulham lot was as right-wing as they come. 

Gordon Anderton, absolute star of the Southern Amateur RL scene back then. Without him, would it have all been possible?

From memory, Bill Goodwin was the original Kent Invicta coach. They signed winger Frank Feighan from Peckham who had played in a trial for Fulham, and  I think he won the Grandstand try of the season for Kent Invicta in 82-83 against Castleford in the cup. He ended up at Fulham via Southend Invicta. Another Peckham player went to Fulham, Martin Herdman, who also played for Wales. 

I think Peckham had some sort of split into Peckham Pumas  and South London, who played in the North West counties amateur league Division One for a season. 

[Pigeon Lofter]

10 minutes ago, Usera said:

 Another Peckham player went to Fulham, Martin Herdman, who also played for Wales. 

Wasn't Martin Herdman an elite boxer too? I remember talking to him after some Fulham games in the players lounge under the Riverside stand, he was incredibly articulate and very modest.

He did well after Fulham melted down, becoming an actor and appearing on the stage as well as on TV. I think he even made an appearance in Coronation Street too.

[Usera]

7 minutes ago, Pigeon Lofter said:

Wasn't Martin Herdman an elite boxer too? I remember talking to him after some Fulham games in the players lounge under the Riverside stand, he was incredibly articulate and very modest.

He did well after Fulham melted down, becoming an actor and appearing on the stage as well as on TV. I think he even made an appearance in Coronation Street too.

Yes, I believe that he was a decent boxer and did some acting. I think I also recall seeing him in a Channel 4 (?) documentary about him trying to become an NFL player in the mid-eighties. 

[League of the South]

Forgive my indulgence but I found this photo of my Hornsey Lambs team taken before a game in Oct.1989. Sean McGuire is the coach at the end of the back row on the right.