Cumberland
Rugby League:
100 Greats
by Robert Gate
from Tempus Publishing UK
The
author of Cumberland Rugby League - 100 Greats, Robert Gate, talks about
how the book came about and the hopes for the game in this often neglected
English rugby league county: "It has always irked me that no one has
ever set down in written form the great debt which Rugby League owes
to the clubs of the old Cumberland and Westmoreland counties.
The
southern clubs of Lancashire and Yorkshire have been pillaging the North-West
for its rugby talent since before the Northern Union was founded in
1895, but there were always plenty of good young players to take the
place of those who left.
I first had the idea of compiling a book on the outstanding players
of Cumberland in about 1996. It came to a head in 2001 when my wife
and I spent a week at Tallantire, near Cockermouth, a bit away from
our usual haunts.
We
kept passing places like Dearham, Maryport and Silloth and I would be
boring her stupid by pointing out that Alvin Ackerley came from here
and that James Lomas was born there and that Jim Brough played on that
pitch.
We
would approach Egremont and I would ask her why there was no statue
to Martin Hodgson, not that I expected an answer, as she had absolutely
no idea who he was, apart from knowing that he must be a Rugby League
player.
Anyway,
she was far more interested in trips to Lakeland Plastics in Windermere
or to that sublime chocolate shop in Keswick or to Hayes Garden Centre
in Ambleside.
The
fact that the whole area was marked by placenames which evoked thoughts
or memories of living or long-dead Rugby League players, such as Bill
Kirkbride, Stan Satterthwaite or - how Cumbrian can a name get? - James
Wasdale Brough, simply emphasised the idea that these notable men should
be commemorated and this book is the result.
Selection
of the one hundred players included was difficult and some fine players
who are not included could just as easily have been. It is certainly
true that 130 into 100 does not go.
I
would have dearly liked to have found space for such men as Billy Hannah,
Frank Spottiswoode, Bill Nanson, Tom Fenwick, Frank Longman, Jimmy Wareing
and Joe Bonnar, to name but a few.
Of
course, the term 'great' is grossly over-used and strictly is not applicable
to all the personalities in this book. Some were by any measure among
the greats of the sport, while over half were test players, international
caps or Lions tourists.
Whatever their perceived status, all were definitely notable in some
respect and all upheld the traditional values of Cumbrian Rugby League.
I have deliberately not included any current players. Indeed, very few
would be considered worthy. The truth of the matter is that club Rugby
League in Cumbria has not produced one native-born test player since
Whitehaven's Vince Gribbin won his only cap in 1985.
Workington
Town, once a heavy producer of test players, has not supplied a native
Cumbrian to the Great Britain side since Eddie Bowman in 1977.
This
lack of star production is sadly symptomatic of the state of Rugby League
in the county. Although amateur Rugby League remains strong in the area,
it is not as strong as it used to be.
The
powers that run the game occasionally claim to have Cumbria in their
hearts and on their minds, but do precious little in practice. The truth
is that when Rugby League was a part-time sport, small-town clubs like
'Haven and Town could hope for a place among the elite.
Super
League is not about small-town clubs and part-time players. The trouble
with Cumbrians is that there are too few of them. Even combined Whitehaven
and Workington have a population of around 50,000, simply not enough
for the moguls who run Super League. They do not want franchise applications
from areas of such limited catchment.
Another
problem for Rugby League in the area is the lack of local incentive
for aspiring and established players. There has not been an inter-county
game since 30 May 1982, when Lancashire hammered Cumbria at Derwent
Park.
There
have, of course, been one-off games against touring teams - ten, in
fact, in twenty years, most of them involving heavy defeats by the Kangaroos
and Kiwis. Naturally, such games are a welcome opportunity for players
to test themselves against the best and for local fans to see the best.
However, it is all rather cosmetic. The Cumbrians are usually drawn
from clubs outside Super League and resemble sacrificial lambs.
Let
us hope that the game in Cumbria can somehow regain its former status
and glories. Until then we can at least remember the greats of the past."
Cumberland
Rugby League - 100 Greats by Robert Gate
Published by Tempus Publishing - ISBN 0 7524 2702 4
