My first memory of the 63/4 season was a hard fought 1st round Lancashire CUp win 19-7 at Rochdale who in those days had several rough, tough Fijians,but 2 Mick MArtyn tries and 5 Bev Risman goals saw us through. The so called reward for this win was a visit to Central Park on a rainy, Misty September night, where in front of a crowd of over 20,000, a try by Austin Rhodes and 2 goals by Colin Tyrer gave us a sensational 7-5 victory. Cup fever had now hit the town as they had not reached a Lancashire Cup final since 1955. So on Monday 30 September, a crowd of 18,000 at Hilton Park saw a tense struggle against Oldham end in a 10-0 victory, and a place in the final against St.Helens at Swinton. As expected a 2nd division team could not hope to beat a Saints side who has won 7 out of 9 1st division games and had won the Cup for the last 3 seasons. Even so to lead 4-2 near half time and only lose 15-4, was a very brave effort. Now onto the Challenge cup, which was eagerly awaited by all rugby league fans. Leigh were drawn at home against another Ist division side in Widnes, and a crowd of 10,000 gathered to see a tense struggle on Sat.Feb.1964 ending in a 2-2 draw, meaning a replay the following Wednesday. Now in those days floodlighting did not exist and the match was played in the afternoon, meaning being at school I could not attend. Also in those days of no local radio/tv or phones the only information we could get was a latest score in the last edition of the Bolton Evening News. So it was the following day in the morning paper that we learned the team had turned in another fantastic performance to earn an 11-11 draw wit tries by Risman,Collins and Leadbeatter in front of 9,500. Incredibly there now loomed a second replay at St Helens the following Monday, when eventually the team were defeated 14-2. After that everything else was an anticlimax ending in no promotion despite finishing 2nd.