Pontefract (rugby league)

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Pontefract was a semi-professional rugby league club based in Pontefract, a market town within the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England.

The club joined the Northern Union in 1903–04 and played for a total of three full seasons until 1905–06. The following season 1906–07 saw them resign early into the season and the club folded.

History

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The club joined the Rugby League 2nd Division for the 1903-04 season finishing 10th out of 17 and scoring 24 points more than they conceded.

They continued in the 2nd Division for the following season 1904-05, their second season.

The third season, 1905-06, was spent in the enlarged league finishing 19th out of 31 and scoring 23 points more than they conceded.

The following season 1906-07 saw Pontefract resign from the league after eight matches and the club folded. Their record was expunged.

Club League Record

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The league positions for Pontefract for the 3 full seasons (plus the fourth part season) in which they played semi-professional rugby league are given in the following table :-[1]

Season Competition Pos Team Name Pl W D L PW PA Diff Pts % Pts No of teams in league Notes Ref
1903-04 2nd Division 10 Pontefract 32 14 6 12 174 150 24 34 17
1904-05 2nd Division 8 Pontefract 26 10 1 15 156 175 -19 21 14
1905-06 RL 24 Pontefract 28 11 1 16 211 196 15 23 41.07 31
1906-07 RL ** Pontefract 8 3 0 5 63 154 -91 6 37.5 26**
Pontefract resigned after 8 matches and their record was struck out.

Heading Abbreviations
RL = Single Division; Pl = Games played; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Lose; PF = Points for; PA = Points against; Diff = Points difference (+ or -); Pts = League points
% Pts = A percentage system was used to determine league positions due to clubs playing varying number of fixtures and against different opponents
League points: for win = 2; for draw = 1; for loss = 0.

Fixtures & results

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The following is one of Pontefract's fixtures during the five season (and other times) in which they played semi-professional rugby league :-[2][3][4][5][6]

Season Date Competition Opponent Venue H/A Result Score Att Notes Ref
1903-04 Sat 2 Apr 1904 Challenge Cup 3rd Round Warrington Home H Lost 4-10 ? 1 [3]
1906-07 08-09-1906 league ?? Swinton Chorley Road A Lost 4-76 2,3
1906-07 ??-12-1906 league ?? Swinton Home H Won 5-0 3

Notes and Comments

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  • Warrington’s record in the Challenge Cup in 1903-04 is Preliminary Round Beat Swinton 20-0 at Wilderspool (16/03/04) after 0-0 draw at Swinton's Chorley Road (12/03/04)
  • In 1886 Swinton moved into their Chorley Road ground. They remained there until 1929 when they moved to what was to become the large International standard ground at Station Road, quite near their original .
  • On Saturday 8 September 1906, Swinton hosted a Pontefract team who arrived with only 12 players. The Lions scored 18 tries in a club record 76-4 victory. This record would stand for ninety years.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Jack Winstanley & Malcolm Ryding (1975). John Player Rugby League Yearbook 1975-76. Queen Anne Press.
  2. ^ "Hull&Proud Fixtures & Results". Archived from the original on 2 March 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Warrington Wolves results and archives". Archived from the original on 21 December 2011.
  4. ^ "Cherry and White".
  5. ^ "Saints Heritage Society".
  6. ^ "Widnes Seasons in Review".
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