Do you remember the first ever game you attended?

[gingerjon]

Oddly, two of my first three games featured Hunslet.

Went to the double header at Old Trafford in 1987 to see Swinton 27-10 Hunslet followed by Wigan 8-0 Warrington.

First league game was a few months later at the Willows: Salford 21-14 Hunslet.

I tend to use the third one when talking about my first game as that was a deliberate decision to go and watch rugby league whereas the double header was more, "Let's go back to Old Trafford to watch this thing."

[clifford]

My first game was Oldham v Wakefield second round of the challenge cup in 1980

My first salford game was salford v widnes 08.03.80 third round.

 

Both Oldham and salford lost

Edited July 1 by clifford

[Andy JG]

St.Helens 19 Bramley 13 on 17/4/1974 in a midweek 1st Division game. attendance at Knowsley Road listed as a massive 2,000 !!

I was aged 7, and taken to the match by my auntie and uncle, I remember it vividly, and I recall absolutely loving it and wanting to go again.

 

[doc]

First game?  Widnes v Castleford, Oct 1979. 

30-15 to Widnes.

Think it was £1 to get in. Went with my brother, who'd been the week before (v StHelens).

 

[THE RED ROOSTER]

25th September 1983 Fulham v Hull - a rare win in that season. I only went to the two games that year the other one was Leeds at home which they lost. I was into soccer at the time (Wimbledon FC) I do remember the Hull fans "Old Faithfull" song though.

After those two, the next game was London Broncos v Paris in the Superleague 4th April 1996. It was a sport that came along at the right time after I had fallen out of love with soccer. Plus as a regular visitor to Australasia where it is much bigger sport than here,has kept me in the game ever since despite watching London Broncos struggles.

[Pie tries]

Hunslet v Wigan - at the grey hound stadium (I think) it had US Football style posts. Huntley won…

[Leyther_Matt]

Leigh v Ryedale York, January 1992. John Woods broke the club record for most points in a match.

The first ‘big’ game I can remember attending was Wigan v Australia in 1994 at Central Park

First full international was the World Cup Final in 2000 at Old Trafford

[lemmy xaan]

My first game was at Odsal in April 1969 (Northern 15 v HKR 10) and can remember loads of random details. For example, in those days, the teams made the "long walk entry" down the slope to a recorded brass band playing "She Loves You"! Terry Price was my hero, but he was getting a bit tubs by then and slowing down. Then I saw Northern beat a weakened Leeds 32-15 a few weeks later (a very rare event) at the season's end followed by the Championship Final at Odsal, Leeds v Cas; 28,000 in Odsal. An ugly violent match on pitch (Hynes, Hartley, etc) and off (massive terrace violence erupted - even in them days). It poured with rain and I got soaked before the start. The (just two) BBC cameras and Eddie W were at low near-pitch level on a flimsy wooden gantry in front of the main stand so that if you were in the best seats, your view was blocked! After that, it was off to the WD & HO Wills 7s at Headingley. Watkins's Salford always won the 7s in those days. 

In those days, we could never have dreamed that one day, all games would be on TV or that dangerous head-high tackles would one day not be normal play. 

[burnleywelsh]

Fulham v Whitehaven at Chiswick Poly ground 1985 I think. Was on duty at the time and wandered in to see what was going on. Loved it. Bought a Fulham top from the club shop (a shed). Was playing union for the Met Police at the time and wore it to every training session much to the chagrin of the coaching staff

[bobbruce]

First game I remember going to was the 1978 CC final Saints v Leeds. Pretty sure I’d been to a few games before that but that’s the first one I can remember being at. 

[The Mighty Trin]

1984/85 Doncaster 8-10 Trinity Att 1,054 even remember a late conversion going over hitting a car lol only 4 yrs old.

2nd 90/91 Trinity 14-14 Leeds Att 8,000

3rd 91/92 Trinity 12-4 Widnes...don't remember the try scorers just amazed to see the legend Jonathan Davies who we all knew had a great career with both codes.

[johnh1]

Wigan v Salford at Central Park in 1966 or 1967. The only thing I remember was Frank Collier of Salford (ex Wigan) being sent off.

[Snowys Backside]

14th March 1982

Leigh 3 Castleford 8 in the Challenge Cup in front of nearly 12000 packed into Hilton Park.

Leigh won the Championship that season and everyone thought another trip to Wembley was in the 'bank'. I think the game was televised, but either way, Cas had other ideas and deserved their win.

Leighs win at Whitehaven to secure the League in April 82 though was the main game worth remembering. Seeing the Hull fans there wanting us to lose only for us to run away with the second half with 5000 Leigh fans making the trip.

Didn't get home til after 2am and thankfully didn't go to School the day after !!

Always supported my home team team and to be fair, any Underdog. The trips to Oldham, Halifax, Featherstone, Widnes and Barrow are very much missed !

 

Edited July 2 by Snowys Backside

[Snowys Backside]

2 hours ago, Leyther_Matt said:

Leigh v Ryedale York, January 1992. John Woods broke the club record for most points in a match.

The first ‘big’ game I can remember attending was Wigan v Australia in 1994 at Central Park

First full international was the World Cup Final in 2000 at Old Trafford

Remember all the games well Matt, although you would have been well into your 40's by then  

[George Watt]

Hull KR v Wigan 1947 at Craven Park. Taken aged 8 by mum and dad. Wigan won and were awarded a controversial crucial penalty for a voluntary tackle near the Hull KR line with the scores almost level towards the end of the game. Haven't seen many penalties for voluntary tackles since!!

The following year dad took me to see Hull v Australia at the Boulevard where I saw Clive Churchill play in a winning team. Hull issued a special souvenir programme for the match which featured a folding Sydney Harbour Bridge at the front in Aus.Kangaroo colours.

Had it for over 60 years before losing it in a house move and have tried unsuccessfully ever since to locate a replacement.

[Cheadle Leyther]

Mine was a memorable one Warrington v Leigh Easter Monday 1962, Brian Bevan’s last match for Warrington in front of 16,000 at Wilderspool, and of course he scored!!

[Cheadle Leyther]

4 hours ago, Snowys Backside said:

14th March 1982

Leigh 3 Castleford 8 in the Challenge Cup in front of nearly 12000 packed into Hilton Park.

Leigh won the Championship that season and everyone thought another trip to Wembley was in the 'bank'. I think the game was televised, but either way, Cas had other ideas and deserved their win.

Leighs win at Whitehaven to secure the League in April 82 though was the main game worth remembering. Seeing the Hull fans there wanting us to lose only for us to run away with the second half with 5000 Leigh fans making the trip.

Didn't get home til after 2am and thankfully didn't go to School the day after !!

Always supported my home team team and to be fair, any Underdog. The trips to Oldham, Halifax, Featherstone, Widnes and Barrow are very much missed !

 

It was a foul day weather wise and Cas (surprisingly seeing they were known then as classy Cas then, played superb wet weather rugby, completely nullifying John Woods’s threat.

However I still maintain we would never have won the League if we had got to Wembley that year.So it did not hurt as much for me as I had already seen us win at Wembley in 71, although this was a much more entertaining team than the latter.

[Jemmo]

I think (but its quite a vague memory) was Hull FC v New Zealand...unless I dreamt it

First proper game was Doncaster v Huddersfield

[Hanover XIII]

Saints v Widnes in the 76 Challenge Cup final. The heat of the day and my first look into the massive Wembley bowl are the things I remember most about it. Plus my cousin letting his newly purchased scarf fly out of the car window.

Started going to league games at Naughton Park regularly the following year.

[ivans82]

1963    Town 62  -  Hunslet  15  , back in the days of Roper and Archer , Paul Charlton , Ike Southward ,Brian Edgar , Frank Foster ,Ray Glastonbury and the Martin brothers .

[Zilla Budgie]

1971-72 season my Dad took me to Hilton Park to watch Leigh v Huddersfield. I was 8 years old.

[Trojan]

Oh dear.  This shows my age.  Boxing Day 1960  Leeds v Wakey.  I think Wakey won 14-7.  We sat on the wall beside the slope where the players used to come out at Headingley.  The next game was Wakey v Wigan at Belle Vue, 2nd round of cup, Wigan won 2-0 Fred Griffiths goal.   I won half a dollar on the Leeds v Wakey game, and risked it again with the same lad against Leeds winning the Championship - I lost.

[JDR]

One of the very first I saw was Leeds hosting the touring Kiwis in late '89 - it was a decent contest but the Kiwis won without too much problem. I might have seen a league match before that but really not sure.

[Rene_Artois]

First game that got me hooked was GB under 21s at Tattersfield in 1990. Was taken with my mum and dad for years before that but was more interested in playing in the sandpit. 26 years old!!

[Click]

17 hours ago, 17 stone giant said:

England A v Australia at Brentford in 2003.

It was a good atmosphere and a very good performance by England A (lost 22-26).

I hadn't remembered from the time, but just looking now at the team there were a few notable players that I watched - e.g. Sean O'Loughlin and Rob Burrow.

I remember attending this game too, my family were on a canal boat holiday at the time and planned the route to get close to Brentford and then caught a bus to the game.

14 hours ago, gingerjon said:

That game never happened. Such an oddity.

Yeah, I can almost pretend it didn't happen as well.... My only memory of it was Offiah running down the wing for his try as he ran past me. (I was only about 7 at the time though ...)

My dad speaks about the BBQ he had on the top floor of the open carpark that used to be at Wembley after the game with some other friends that were there (can't remember that at all though)