St Helens
Rugby League
50 of the Finest Matches
by Alex Service
and Denis Whittle
from Tempus Publishing UK
This
book contains a selection of St Helens matches that are considered to
be "club classics".
The
majority of games are finals or semi-finals since the end of WW2 to
today which has seen Saints as one of the top clubs in the English game.
The
book though does include some interesting accounts of matches all the
way back to 1897 when St Helens played Batley in the first ever Challenge
Cup final.
Another
interesting match is the 1926 Lancashire Cup final between St Helens
and local rivals St Helens Recreation. A crowd of near 20,000 turned
up in driving rain to watch the unofficial championship of St Helens.
The
authors are honest enough to acknowledge that there will of course be
arguments about what makes a game a "classic" and which were appear
amongst the 50 in the book.
"We
have tried to cover matches right across the historical spectrum, from
the early days of the Northern Union to the Super League."
"Yet
we realise that our choices may well create controversy and discussion.
Quite right too! One of the purposes of the book is to stimulate debate
and to make Saints' fans think of their own favourite clashes."
Mind
you, it seems that any match that saw a win over Lancashire rivals Wigan
was automatically in contention as a "classic"!
A
look at the authors' 'best five' reveals both uniformity and diversity
in their choice of classic matches seen:
Alex
Service's 'Choice Cuts':
Saints v. Halifax (Championship final 1966)
Saints v. Wigan (Championship final 1971)
Saints v. Widnes (Challenge Cup final 1976)
Saints v. Bradford Bulls (Challenge Cup final 1996)
Saints v. Brisbane Broncos (World Club Challenge 2001)
Denis Whittle's 'Pick of the Crop':
Saints v. Huddersfield (Championship Play-Off 1953)
Saints v. Halifax (Challenge Cup final 1956)
Saints v. New Zealand (Tour Match 1989)
Saints v. Bradford Bulls (Challenge Cup final 1996)
Saints v. Brisbane Broncos (World Club Challenge 2001)
Not
far behind is the fantastic elimination play-off match against Bradford
Bulls at Knowsley Road in 2001.
The chances are that we will never see such a fantastic finish again!
(Just who was it that took Bernard the mascot's head amidst the ingoal
mayhem?)
And
the match the authors would most have liked to have seen?
"The Lancashire Cup final of 1 926, billed as the Championship of St
Helens, between the Saints and the Recs. What an occasion that must
have been!"
This
book is a must for any Saints fan.
St
Helens Rugby League - 50 of the Finest Matches
Published by Tempus Publishing - ISBN 0 7524 2706 7
