"It
is only when you begin to carry out research into the history of something
so seemingly straightforward as the formation of the Barrow club that
you realise just how little of our past has been preserved."
"Books
such as this offering, courtesy of Tempus Publishing, are therefore
vital social history documents. They are, slowly but surely, recording
at least some of the past and the more that are produced then the
more that will be preserved."
"If
nothing else, they form the basis from which more detailed research
into specific events or persons can be undertaken."
"With
each passing generation more of the truth is lost - some of it forever.
If only someone had recorded the Barrow club from 1875!"
To
illustrate Nutter's point, one only needs to ask modern day rugby
league fans where else in England, except Yorkshire and Lancashire,
has rugby league enjoyed similar popularity?
Not
many could give you an informed answer about the game's history in
Cumberland and Furness (now known as Cumbria) or its professional
clubs including Barrow, Workington Town and Whitehaven. It is a story
that needs to be recorded and told.
Small
towns across the region have bred many players who have gone on to
success with senior clubs in the neighbouring counties. Cumberland
were a vital part of rugby league's County Championship for the first
half of the 20th century, winning on 16 occassions.
In
this latest book in the Images of Sport Series, Barrow's leading rugby
league historian Keith Nutter, has produced a book which pays fitting
tribute to the club that began with little fanfare way back in 1875.
Barrow have now reached the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley five times,
won the Lancashire Cup twice and produced 19 Test players.
The
book is a generous mix of photographs and text, covering 127 years
of history in just as many pages. The author has gone to great effort
to find the available photos, posters, cartoons and documents portraying
the key moments in the club's life. Better still, Nutter has then
conveyed his knowledge of the club's history, players, teams and events
surrounding each image.
You
can open the book at any page, look at a photo or one of the many
other images and read the accompanying piece. To be honest, I am yet
to have fully read every page - there is that much here to take in.
There is ample to consume in this book for anyone with an interest
in rugby league history, not just those interested in Barrow.
Nutter
explains the early beginings of the club, the events that saw it move
to rugby league at the end of the 19th century and its 100 or so years
of both successful and tough times that followed.
The
move to Craven Park and early visits to Wembley, matches against the
touring Kangaroos and Kiwis, the arrival and influence of the great
Willie Horne, the 1950s and the greatest days in the club's history,
and Barrow Raiders survival into the new century.
"I
trust I have succeeded in my aim to provide the reader with a broad
insight into the events and personalities that shaped the history
of the Rugby League club we know (and love) as Barrow Raiders. I also
trust that when this history is updated, there will be more glory
days (as yet unimagined) to include within its pages."
Published
by Tempus Publishing - ISBN 0 7524 2702 4
For
all of us with even a passing interest in the history of rugby league
and its clubs, or any aspect of the game's past for that matter, the
words of the book's author, Keith Nutter, are worth reflection: