The Fartown Ground or just simply Fartown is a sports ground located in the Huddersfield suburb of Fartown in West Yorkshire, England and is predominantly famous for being the home ground of Huddersfield Rugby League Club from 1878 to 1992. The grounds consisted of a rugby ground, a cricket ground used by Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Bowling greens and a running track as well as a pavilion. It was the scene of many great games, including the Challenge Cup finals of 1908 and 1910, several Challenge Cup semi finals, John Player Cup finals and international matches.
Rugby league is played across England but is most popular in Northern England, especially Yorkshire and Lancashire where the game originated. These areas are the heartland of rugby league. The sport is also popular in Cumbria where the amateur game is particularly powerful.
Benjamin Lewis Jones was a Welsh rugby union and rugby league player who played in the 1950s and 1960s. A dual-code rugby international, he won ten caps for Wales and three for the British Lions in rugby union, and two for Wales and 15 for Great Britain in rugby league.
Harold Wagstaff, also known by the nickname of "Waggy", was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. He played as a centre and was nicknamed the Prince of Centres. A captain of Great Britain, he also played representative rugby league for England, and Yorkshire. Wagstaff has been inducted into the Rugby Football League Hall of Fame, and the Huddersfield Giants Hall of Fame.
Ernest Ward was an English rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s, and coached in the 1950s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, British Empire, Combined Nationalities and England, and at club level for Bradford Northern (captain), and Castleford, as a goal-kicking fullback, centre or second-row, i.e. number 1, 3 or 4, or, 11 or 12, during the era of contested scrums, and coached at club level for Castleford. Ernest Ward was a Private in the British Army during World War II.
Malcolm John Reilly OBE is an English former rugby league player and coach. He played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Castleford in England, and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in Australia, as a loose forward,
David Topliss was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Yorkshire, at club level for Wakefield Trinity (captain), Penrith Panthers, Balmain Tigers, Hull F.C. (captain) and Oldham, as a stand-off. and coached at club level for Wakefield Trinity.
James "Jim"/"Jimmy" Ledgard was an English rugby union and World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and coached rugby league in the 1960s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for Sandal RUFC, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain, England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Dewsbury, and Leigh, as a goal-kicking fullback, i.e. number 1, and coached at club level for Bradford Northern.
Watersheddings was the site of a former rugby league stadium in the Watersheddings area of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. Historically it was in Lancashire, lying on the A672 approximately 2 miles north east of Oldham town centre.
George Fairbairn is a Scottish former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s, and coached rugby league in the 1980s and 1990s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for Borders, and at club level for Kelso RFC, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain and England, and at club level for Wigan, winning the Man of Steel Award in 1980, and Hull Kingston Rovers, as a goal-kicking fullback, and coached at representative level rugby league for Scotland, and at club level Wigan, Hull Kingston Rovers, and Huddersfield.
Michael Sullivan was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1970s. He set the record for the most appearances for the Great Britain Lions with 46. This record has been matched but never overtaken. He also holds the record for the most rugby league test match tries by a player of any nationality with 44.
Jack Wilkinson was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s. A Halifax and Wakefield Trinity Hall of Fame inductee, he was a Great Britain and England international forward. Wilkinson also represented Yorkshire, and ended his career as captain-coach of Bradford Northern.
James Lomas, also known by the nickname of "Jumbo", was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1890s, 1900s, 1910s and 1920s, and coached in the 1920s. three-quarter, and prominent goal-kicker, he captained the Great Britain national rugby league team. After starting with his home town Maryport's rugby union club, Lomas switched to rugby league, playing for Bramley, Salford, Oldham and York in a career that lasted for twenty-four years from 1899 to 1923, and saw him set new transfer fee and point scoring records. He also played representative matches for England, Lancashire and Cumberland. After retiring from playing Lomas coached Salford.
Joseph Francis Thompson was an English-born dual-code international rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for Wales, and at club level for Cross Keys RFC, as a number eight, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain, Wales and Other Nationalities, and at club level for Leeds, as a prop, second-row, or loose forward, i.e. number 8 or 10, 11 or 12, or 13, during the era of contested scrums, he died in Leeds.
Donald Robinson was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s and 1970s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England, Yorkshire and Rugby League XIII, and at club level for St Joseph's School, Airedale Youth Club, Fryston Colliery, Kippax Juniors, Newmarket Colliery, Wakefield Trinity (captain), Leeds and Doncaster, as a centre, prop, second-row or loose forward, i.e. number 3 or 4, 8 or 10, 11 or 12, or 13, during the era of contested scrums, and coached at Doncaster and Bramley (late-1970s).
Frank Gallagher, was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Dewsbury, Batley and Leeds, as a stand-off, scrum-half, second-row, or loose forward, i.e. number 6, 7, 11 or 12, or, 13, during the era of contested scrums.
Benjamin Gronow was a Welsh dual-code international rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. At club level Gronow played under the union code for Bridgend RFC, county rugby for Glamorgan, and international rugby for Wales. He was often used as a utility forward. When he switched to professional league rugby he represented Huddersfield, Grenfell, Batley and Featherstone Rovers (captain), while at representative level, Gronow played for Great Britain and Wales. His playing position varied under the league code being used as a goal-kicking forward.
James Wasdale Brough, also known by the nickname of 'Gentleman Jim' , was an English dual-code international rugby union, association football (soccer) footballer, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s, and rugby league coach of the 1940s and 1950s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for England and Cumberland, and at club level for Silloth RUFC, as a fullback, and club level association football as an amateur for Liverpool, as a goalkeeper, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain (captain), and England, and at club level for Leeds, as a fullback, or centre, and coached representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain, and at club level for Batley and Workington Town. Born in Silloth, Cumberland, England, he died in Workington, Cumbria, England.
Joseph Ferguson was an English professional rugby league footballer who played between 1899 and 1923. He played at representative level for England, Cumberland and Lancashire, and at club level for Oldham, as a fullback, prop, hooker, or second-row.
Rugby league is played across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, but its heartland in parts of Northern England is where the sport is most popular, and is where the majority of professional clubs are based. The sport was first established in the George Hotel, Huddersfield, where 22 clubs split from the Rugby Football Union to form the Northern Rugby Football Union.
England 3–9 Other Nationalities
Lancashire 36–7 Other Nationalities
