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The Dreadnought

The Dreadnought is the official newsletter of ‘Trinity Heritage’ …

all things Wakefield Trinity history

Introduction  

 

Trinity’s  Top  10    

Since  our  last  newsletter,  we  have  joined  forces  with  the  Wakefield  Trinity  Wildcats  Past  Players  Association,  and  this  will  be  

passed  onto  all  our  members.    

Wakefield  Trinity  have  a  proud  and  illustrious  past  and  we  have  endeavoured  to  highlight  this  throughout  the  year.  One  of  our  major  projects  throughout  the  year  has  been  to  allocate  Heritage  numbers  to  every  player  that  has  played  first  team  for  the  club.  We  have  now  completed  our  task,  which  has  

involved  many  hours  in  the  local  library  and  research.  We  are  just  tidying  up  the  list,  

double  and  triple  checking  it  before  working  with  the  club  deciding  on  how  to  launch  the  numbers.  There  have  been  a  total  of  1,330  players  that  have  worn  the  first  team  rugby  

league  shirt  since  1895    

 

   

Trinity’s  First  Team  squad  1975-­‐76    

Followers  of  Trinity  Heritage  will  have  kept  up  to  date  with  our  Facebook  and  Twitter  sites  aswell  as  little  pieces  of  useless  Trinity  

information  along  the  way.    Here’s  to  the  next  118  years  

 

 

‘Top  10  Try  Scorers’  by  Trinity  first  team  players  since  1895.  

 1.  Neil  Fox  (1956-­‐69,  1970-­‐74)  

272  2.  David  Topliss  (1968-­‐81,  87-­‐88)  

195  3.  Fred  Smith  (1955-­‐65)  

188  4.  Ernest  Bennett  (1899-­‐1914)  

184  5.  Dennis  Boocker  (1947-­‐54)  

127  6.  Gert  Coetzer  (1962-­‐68)  

122  7.  David  Smith  (1971-­‐76)  

115  8=  Herbert  Goodfellow  (1933-­‐51)  

114  8=  Arthur  Fletcher  (1943-­‐57)  

114  10.  Ted  Bateson  (1925-­‐33)  

113    

 David  Topliss  

 

Only  thirteen  players  have  scored  100  or  more  tries  for  Trinity.  Added  to  the  top  ten  

list  above  are:    

Tommy  Poynton  (1906-­‐15)  111  Andy  Mason  (1987-­‐93)  111  Ken  Hirst  (1955-­‐68)  100  

 Trinity  Try  Facts:  

 

Fred  Smith  (1959-­‐60)  and  David  Smith  (1973-­‐74)  hold  the  ‘tries  in  a  season’  record  with  38  

-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐    

Fred  Smith  (v  Keighley,  1959)  and  Keith  Slater  (v  Hunslet,  

1971)  hold  the  ‘tries  in  a  game’  record,  with  7  

-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐    

Len  Bratley  is  Trinity’s  top  try  scoring  forward.  He  scored  94  in  

his  career  (1937-­‐49)  -­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐  

Most  tries  in  a  season  in  the  Super  League  era  is  Sid  Domic  

with  25  in  2004  -­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐  

Top  try  scorer  in  the  Super  League  era  is  Ben  Jeffries  with  

77.  Others  with  50+  are    Jamie  Rooney  (68)  and    Jason  Demetriou  (51)  

 

Here  and  There…..    

 

Belle  Vue  Attendance  Records:    

Record  Ground  Attendance:  37,906:  Huddersfield  v  Leeds  

RL  Challenge  Cup  Semi  Final,  21st  March  1936    

Record  Ground  Attendance  (Trinity  game):  30,676:  Wakefield  Trinity  v  Huddersfield  RL  Challenge  Cup  Rd1,  26th  February  1921  

 

Record  Post-­‐War  Ground  Attendance:  28,736:  Castleford  v  Widnes  

RL  Challenge  Cup  Semi  Final  replay,  22nd  April  1964    

Record  Post-­‐War  Ground  Attendance  (Trinity  game):  28,  534:  Wakefield  Trinity  v  Wigan  

RL  Challenge  Cup  Rd3,  24th  March  1962    

Record  Super  League  Attendance  (1999  onwards):  11,000:  Wakefield  Trinity  Wildcats  v  Castleford  Tigers  

16th  September  2006    

   

Yorkshire  County  Players  Trinity  have  supplied  71  players  for  Yorkshire    

County  duty  over  the  years  (since  1895)  The  first  was  Bill  Walton  in  1895  and  the  most  recent  

was  Andy  Mason  in  1990.  Trinity’s  most  capped  Yorkshire  player  is    

Bill  Horton  (20  appearances)  followed  by  Jonty  Parkin  and  Neil  Fox  (both  17).  

   

   

Overseas  Players  I  Trinity  have  had  a  total  of  158  overseas  players  playing  for  the  club.  These  are  made  up  of:  

 

96  Australians,  33  New  Zealanders,  9  South  Africans,    6  Frenchmen,  5  Fijians,  5  Samoans,    2  from  PNG,  a  Tongan  and  a  Yugoslav  

   

Kiwis  The  very  first  of  the  33  Kiwis  to  represent  Trinity  was    

Michael  Corkery,  a  winger  given  a  trial  in  1976,    but  not  retained.    

The  Kiwi  to  play  most  Trinity  games  was    Tevita  Leo-­‐Latu  who  played  81  between  2007  &  2010  

   

Super  League  Era  Since  Trinity  entered  the  Super  League  in  1999,  the  player  to  make  most  SL  appearances  for  the  club  is  

Jamie  Field  with  212    

   

   

Heritage  Numbers  Months  of  research  have  seen  us  complete  our  task  of  finding  every  player  that  has  played  first  team  rugby  league  for  Trinity.  There  have  been  a  total  of  1,363,  but  this  has  included  33  triallists  (AN  Other)  who  have  not  been  counted  in  the  final  listings;  hence  our  numbers  start  with  No.1,  Herbert  

Kershaw  (full  back  in  our  very  first  game)  in  1895  to  Bobbie  Goulding  (1,330)  our  most  recent  debutant  

in  August  2013.    Loan  signings  have  been  included,  as  well  as  the  many  guest  players  during  the  Second  World  War.  Watch  this  space  for  the  full  announcement  but  as  a  

taster;  Jonathan  Parkin  is  number  207,    Neil  Fox  is  629  and  David  Topliss  is  746  

   

 

Overseas  Players  II  Of  the  158  overseas  players  to  wear  a  first  team  shirt,  11  have  played  over  100  games.  A  full  list  will  appear  in  a  later  issue  but  the  top  three  are:  

 

1:  Dennis  Boocker  (Aus),  221  appearances  1947-­‐54  2:  Gert  Coetzer  (SA),  191  apps  1962-­‐68  

3:  Jason  Demetriou  (Aus)  187  apps  2004-­‐10      

Team  Points  Scoring:    

Record  Victory:  Wakefield  Trinity  90  Highfield  12  

Regal  Trophy  Prelim  Round,  27th  October  1992    

Record  League  Victory:  Wakefield  Trinity  78  Batley  9  

26th  August  1967    

Record  Super  League  Victory:  Wakefield  Trinity  Wildcats  68  Halifax  6  

14th  September  2003      

   

Oldest  Surviving  Player  Jack  Perry  is  our  oldest  surviving  first  team  player.  

In  May  he  celebrated  his  89th  birthday.  He  debuted  in  1943  and  played  134  times  before  

being  transferred  to  Batley  in  1948.  He  is  well  and  active  and  living  in  Blackpool  

   

 

This newsletter is dedicted to the memory of John Lindley (1932-2012) a great fan of all things Trinity history, records and statistics

A  Programme  from  the  Past   A  Trinity  Legend  from  Yesteryear….    Ian  Brooke      

In  the  1960s  and  1970s,  Trinity’s  

official  programme  was  one  of  the  best  in  the  league.  In  the  

1980s  it  was  probably  one  of  the  worst  with  an  A4  sheet  being  folded  into  three  for  the  1985-­‐86  season  

 

After  promotion  back  to  the  ‘Big  Time’  in  1988,  the  club  improved  dramatically  in  all  off-­‐field  departments,  led  by  General  Manager,  Australian,  Neil  Cadigan.  The  

above  programme  from  the  1989-­‐90  season  featured  a  new  television  company  (BSB)  and  this  Wigan  game  was  the  very  first  live  broadcast  by  this  

fledging  TV  company,  with  its  new  commentator  Eddie  Hemmings.  I  wonder  if  it  succeeded?  

 

The  programme  was  packed  with  statistics  and  history  on  Trinity  and  Wigan,  a  coaches  column  by  David  Topliss,  interviews  with  Andy  Wilson  and  Paul  

Taylor;  a  look  back  at  the  1953-­‐54  season  and  numerous  photos  by  club  photographer,    

Brian  Robinson.    

The  club  sponsors  were  British  Coal  and  adverts  appeared  throughout  for  national  companies  Stones  Bitter  (league  sponsors),  Bukta  (kit  suppliers)  and  

Toyota  (car  sponsors)  aswell  as  local  companies,  TSA  Car  Radios,  Woodcock  Travel,  MB  Plant  Sales,  John  

Jackson  Insurances  and  Millfield  Transport  (Horbury).  There  were  also  local  public  houses,  

British  Oak  (Stanley),  Graziers  (next  to  the  ground),  The  Star  Inn  (Sandal),  Waterloo  (Westgate),  Sandal  

Court  and  Parklands  Hotel  (Horbury).  There  was  also  congratulations  to  Cornelius  Finn  in  the  ‘Club  News’  section,  who  was  celebrating  50  

years  of  Ordination  of  Priesthood,  a  keen  Trinity  fan  and  former  Hospital  radio  commentator.  

Finally,  you  could  buy  a  replica  shirt  for  £25  in  the  club  shop,  Trinity  toothbrushes  for  £1,  a  bag  of  nuts  

for  £2.90  and  club  engraved  whisky  glasses  for  £11.00…  Happy  days!  

 

The  youngest  Trinity  try  scorer  in  a  Challenge  Cup  Final    

   1963  marked  the  50th  anniversary  of  Trinity’s  last  RL  Challenge  Cup  win,  when  they  defeated  Wigan  25-­‐10  at  Wembley.  It  was  thus,  the  same  anniversary  of  one  of  Trinity’s  favourite  son’s  try  at  Wembley  that  sealed  victory.    

   Ian  Brooke  is  one  of  the  few  Trinity  players  to  have  made  the  full  journey  from  Wakefield  schoolboy  rugby  league,  through  to  Wembley  triumph  and  subsequent  Test  arenas  of  Australia.  Before  signing  for  Trinity  in  1962,  Ian  had  represented  Yorkshire  and  England  under  19s  whilst  with  the  Intermediate  side.  He  signed  for  the  club  when  the  half  backs  were  Rollin,  Poynton  and  Holliday  with  Fox  and  Skene  holding  the  centre  births  so  his  first  team  chances  were  to  be  limited.      His  chance  came  when  the  ‘stars’  were  rested  before  the  1962  play  offs,  scoring  in  a  17-­‐9  home  win  over  Featherstone.  A  year  later,  Skene  had  moved  to  Australia  and  Ian  took  his  centre  shirt,  playing  at  Wembley  in  only  his  18th  first  team  appearance.  His  ‘dream  came  true’  when  as  a  20  year  old  he  scored  the  final  try  of  the  game,  lifting  the  Challenge  Cup.      A  period  away  from  Belle  Vue  followed  when  a  series  of  injuries  hampered  his  progress  and  he  found  himself  at  Odsal,  playing  for  Bradford  Northern.  They  were  fruitful  years  as  he  won  the  1965  Yorkshire  Cup  and  gained  Yorkshire  and  Great  Britain  honours,  including  the  1966  Tour  ‘Down  Under’.  However,  in  1967  he  found  himself  back  in  the  Trinity  centres  alongside  his  good  friend,  Neil  Fox.  Within  four  months,  Ian  was  lifting  the  RL  Championship  Trophy  after  Trinity  defeated  St.Helens  21-­‐9,  after  a  7-­‐7  draw.      More  international  honours  followed,  when  he  partnered  Fox  in  the  centres  for  the  1967  home  Ashes  series  against  the  Australians.  1968  saw  Trinity  retain  the  RL  Championship  Trophy,  defeating  Hull  KR  in  the  final  17-­‐10,  but  there  was  heartache  at  Wembley  a  week  later  against  Leeds.  Honours  kept  coming  Ian’s  way  when  he  was  selected  for  the  GB  World  Cup  squad  in  Australia  in  the  summer  of  1968,  but  GB  failed  at  the  round-­‐robin  stage.      Ian  was  selected  as  club  captain  for  the  1969-­‐70  season,  at  one  time  scoring  a  brace  of  tries  in  five  out  of  six  successive  matches  in  November  and  December  1969;  but  then  injury  struck  in  the  1970  off-­‐season  causing  an  end  to  his  playing  career.        The  fast,  strong  and  straight  running  centre  played  a  total  of  183  games  for  Trinity,  scoring  67  tries.  He  played  a  total  of  13  test  matches  for  GB,  eight  whilst  at  Trinity.      He  took  up  coaching  after  his  injury,  starting  with  the  Trinity  under  19s  side.  He  moved  to  Bradford  again  in  1972  in  a  similar  coaching  capacity,  finding  himself  at  the  first  team  helm  in  1973,  taking  Northern  to  Wembley  within  a  couple  of  months,  but  going  down  to  Featherstone.  His  coaching  role  brought  him  back  to  Trinity  in  January  1978;  he  stayed  for  a  year,  winning  14  of  his  30  games  before  leaving  in  January  1979.  He  was  back  in  1987  as  part  of  David  Topliss’s  regime  and  coached  a  very  successful  A-­‐Team  for  six  years.      A  gentleman  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word,  Ian  can  still  be  seen  at  Belle  Vue  on  a  regular  basis  and  anyone  who  was  at  the  1963  Challenge  Cup  reunion  dinner,  at  Belle  Vue,  would  have  been  fascinated  with  his  interview  and  reflections  of  the  final    

 

 

Bygone  Days:

-­‐-­‐  1989-­‐90  -­‐-­‐    

Back  Row:  Tony  Handforth  (Asst  Coach),  James  Leuluai,  John  Glancy,  Tracy  Lazenby,  Andy  Wilson,  Andy  Kelly,  David  Topliss  (Coach),  Phil  Eden,  Ian  

Sheldon,  Ray  Price,  Tony  Zelei,  Ian  Brooke  (Asst  Coach)    Front  Row:  Mark  Conway,  John  Thompson,    Billy  Conway,  Andy  Mason,  Keith  Rayne,    

Gary  Price,  Richard  Slater,  Phil  Fox  Kneeling:  Jason  Timmins,  Chris  Perry,    

Brian  Jackson,  Nigel  Bell  A

A Tea

1935 Postcard of Ernest Pollard

The Road to the RL Championship Final Trinity have played in four RL Championship Finals, but also another eight semi finals. Here are the details of those twelve Play Off semi finals

   

1910:  v  Oldham  (A)    Lost  6-­‐12    

 

1911:  v  Oldham  (A)    Lost  12-­‐15    

 

 

1944:  v  Dewsbury  (H)  Lost  5-­‐11  

 

1945:  v  Halifax  (A)  Lost  11-­‐17  

 

1946:  v  Huddersfield  (A)    Lost  3-­‐8  

 

1960:  v  Hull  (H)    Won  24-­‐4  

   

1962:  v  Featherstone  R  (H)    Won  13-­‐8  

 

 

1965:  v  St.Helens  (A)    Lost  5-­‐10  

 

1967:  v  Hull  KR  (A)    Won  18-­‐6  

 

1968:  v  Wigan  (H)    Won  26-­‐9  

 

1971  v  Wigan  (A)    Lost  15-­‐49  

 

1974:  v  Warrington  (A)    Lost  7-­‐12  

   

Record:  Played  12,  Wins:  4,  Lost:  8                                Trinity  won  the  1967  &  1968  Championship  Trophy,  being  beaten  finalists  in  1960  &  1962    

   

Note:  The  Championship  Trophy  changed  to  the  Premiership  Trophy  in  1975.    Trinity  reached  the  1976  Premiership  semi  final,  losing  to  Salford  10-­‐24  on  aggregate  (5-­‐10,  away  and  5-­‐14  at  home)