Over 50 years watching the ‘Comics’ - part 1 the sixties : Thu Dec 27, 2018 12:36 pm  

Now thankfully we have a team to support, I thought fans might want to know how important it was that we have survived. I have supported the team for over 55 years and have decided to share my memories some of those games. All the games described are matches I have personally attended, with the facts and figures being lifted from Michael Latham’s book - Leigh RLFC a comprehensive record 1895-1994. The first decade to be examined is the SIxties, with my first game being at the end of the 1962/3 season which I remember was a home game against Barrow at the end of the season on Easter Monday resulting in a fairly straight forward 23-10 victory which included tries by TIckle,Tyrer and Martyn. I was hooked!! This was the season of an experimental 2 division structure which was to only last 2 years!! As for the team it only won 14 out of 26 games and finished 7th. But there were promising times and this was the era of promising youngsters like goal kicking full back Colin Tyrer. West Indian flying winger Rod TIckle (a sort of less aggressive Des Drummond) and 2 fine centres in Gordon Lewis and MIck Collins. Allied to this was a very experienced set of forwards including the incomparable Stan Owen in the front row together with Bill Robinson, MIck Murphy, Derek Hurt and the legendary Mick Martyn who was now at the veteran stage of his career. So the stage was set for my first full season of watching Leigh, and the season 1963/4 was not to disappoint in terms of excitement but was to be a complete letdown in another way as despite finishing 2nd in Division 2 after losing only 6 out of 24 matches, the 2 division structure was abandoned at the end of the season and it was back to the one division in 1964/5. But the 1963/4 season was to be remembered for an extraordinary cup campaign by the Leythers

Re: Over 50 years watching the ‘Comics’ - part 1 the sixties : Thu Dec 27, 2018 2:32 pm  

Was probably first season I started watching ‘properly’ instead of messing about with all the other ‘complimentary kids’.

Just reached for one of Mike Latham’s excellent books and looking at the numbers - it’s incredible the number of appearances the main body of players put in. Did no one get injured ever? Considering lack of subs etc it’s unbeilavable.

Are there any videos available of a full game in that era ? Can only find pathe style summaries on YouTube ?

Re: Over 50 years watching the ‘Comics’ - part 1 the sixties : Thu Dec 27, 2018 5:18 pm  

JackDiggle wrote:

Was probably first season I started watching ‘properly’ instead of messing about with all the other ‘complimentary kids’.

Just reached for one of Mike Latham’s excellent books and looking at the numbers - it’s incredible the number of appearances the main body of players put in. Did no one get injured ever? Considering lack of subs etc it’s unbeilavable.

Are there any videos available of a full game in that era ? Can only find pathe style summaries on YouTube ?

They did, but the unavailability of subs, plus Bill Hughes' 'magic sponge' usually got them to stay on!

Re: Over 50 years watching the ‘Comics’ - part 1 the sixties : Thu Dec 27, 2018 7:36 pm  

Alan wrote:

They did, but the unavailability of subs, plus Bill Hughes' 'magic sponge' usually got them to stay on!

I think you’re right Alan! - probably didn’t get full pay either. On same subject don’t recall any ACL type injuries either - maybe the old fashioned boots stopped anything moving very far without the players permission.