Goole was a semi-professional rugby league club based in Goole, Yorkshire, England. The club joined the ranks of the Northern Union semi-professionals in 1901–02 and played for the single season in the Yorkshire Senior Competition, which was effectively Division 2 (East).
Contents
History
In January 1898 Goole RUFC were ordered by the governing body of rugby union, the RFU, not to play a charity rugby match against a touring Little Red Riding Hood pantomime troupe; this was deemed to be an act of professionalism because earlier on its tour the troupe had played in a charity match with Batley. Very shortly after that Goole RUFC changed code and joined the Northern Union.
In that year, 1898, they, together with Eastmoor, Featherstone, Hull Kingston Rovers, Kinsley, Normanton, Outwood Parish Church, Ripon, Rothwell, and York, were among the founders of the Yorkshire Second Competition (Eastern Section).
At the end of the 1901–02 season, the County Leagues elected 18 teams to join the new Division 2 (7 from Lancashire and 10 from Yorkshire and new member South Shields) with the existing second competition scrapped.
Goole was one of the 4 Yorkshire (the others being, Heckmondwike, Liversedge and Sowerby Bridge) and 2 Lancashire clubs (Altrincham and Radcliffe) not elected to the new Division 2, but it is unknown as to which route the club followed
In 1893 Goole caused one of the biggest shocks in Rugby history when they knocked Leeds out of the Yorkshire Cup in the second round by 15 points to 2. Leeds had been finalists in T'Owd Tin Pot in the previous year and had their best team out against Goole. Leeds had only lost 2 of their previous 19 games before the Goole game and they did not win another game that season such was the shock. A couple of interesting points - Leeds beat Hull away in the first round by 15 points to nil; in those days tries counted as 2 points and conversions as 3 points; Leeds travelled to Goole in a "Private Saloon Carriage" which was attached to the train.
However, before eventually folding, were drawn against Hull in the Challenge Cup, two years later.
Club League record
In the single season in which Goole played semi-professional rugby league, 1901–02, there are few records readily available.
Some of the achievements are as follows:-
Several fixtures & results
The following are just a couple of Goole’s fixtures. The first from the year before, and the second from two years after, the sole season in which they played semi-professional rugby league :-
Notable players
W. T. Greensitt of Goole played in The Rest's 7–5 defeat to Leeds in the 1901–02 Yorkshire Senior Competition Champions versus The Rest match at Headingley Stadium on Saturday 19 April 1902.