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For the rugby union club, see Stockport RUFC.
Stockport RFC
Club information
Full nameStockport Rugby Football Club
Nickname(s)The Clarets
Colours  Claret   Black
Foundedcirca 1884; 140 years ago (1884)
Exitedcirca 1903; 121 years ago (1903)
Former details
Ground(s)
CompetitionNorthern Rugby Football Union 1895/96-1902/03

Stockport RFC was a Rugby League club in Stockport, Cheshire, England.

The club became founder members of the Northern Rugby Football Union (now Rugby Football League) after the English rugby schism, and resultant breakaway meeting at the George Hotel, Huddersfield, in 1895.

They played for eight seasons in the seasons 1895–96 to 1902–03, when they finished bottom of the newly instituted Division Two.

Like several other Cheshire clubs, they participated in the Lancashire competitions.

They had a rivalry with fellow Cheshire side Runcorn RFC.

History

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Early days

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Stockport RFC — the “Clarets” — was founded 1884 by men associated with Stockport Sunday School, the largest such school in the world at the time.

The Clarets first played on a field behind their HQ - The Plough Inn, Shaw Heath and the first gate was 3sh 9d. = 19p.

On January 12, 1889, they played a friendly against the Maori touring team, attracting around 4,000 spectator’s and came away with a 3-3 draw, this was the 42nd game of the 1888/89 Maori tour and a very respectable result as the Maoris beat Ireland, Wigan, St Helens, Salford, Swansea and others quite convincingly.

They managed to attract top Lancs & Yorks clubs to the Plough ground and such was the rise in popularity that they moved in with Stockport Cricket Club at Cale Green in 1890, averaging crowds of 3,000.

Northern Union

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Before the break with Rugby Union, Stockport, like many other clubs from Lancashire and Yorkshire, had suffered punishment by the RFU for "broken time" payments. When the 22 clubs met at The George Hotel, Huddersfield, the representative of Stockport had been unable to attend the meeting personally and so had telegraphed the meeting requesting the club's admission to the new organisation. This was duly accepted.

After the Great Schism[1] in 1895, Stockport were one of the founder members of the new league. In the first season 1895–96 the league consisted of 22 clubs and Stockport finished in 17th position.

In the second season 1896–97 the league was divided into Yorkshire and Lancashire, Stockport playing in the latter section, where they would stay for all but one of the remainder of their semi-professional existence. They finished in 5th position out of 14 teams.

In the two following seasons, still in the Lancashire section, season 1897–98 and 1898–99 they finished in 11th position out of 14 teams.

In the fifth season, 1899–1900 they improved slightly finishing 9th out of 14 teams. This was also their most successful season in the Challenge Cup, they defeated Hunslet 2-0, Tyldesley 5-2 and Radcliffe 24-3 before bowing out in the Quarter-Finals losing 0-3 to Widnes.

In 1900–01, still in the Lancashire Senior League, Stockport dropped to 12th place out the 14 teams.

In 1901–02 14 clubs broke away to form the Northern Rugby League. Stockport were not among these, and as a result of this, interest and gates dwindled, so together with the remaining clubs and several additions from the lower county leagues, continued in the Lancashire Senior league, which became in effect division 2 (West). A slightly better season saw a mid-table finish in 6th place out of the 13 clubs.

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.[2]

In 1902–03 Stockport were elected into the new 2nd Division losing many of their top pro players, In this, their eighth and last season among the semi-professional clubs, Stockport finished 18th out of 18 clubs, bottom of the league with only 11 points, whereas Morecambe, the second bottom, had 20 points.

In May 1903, the town’s rugby and football clubs met and it was suggested that the rugby club should disband. Nothing was decided but the debate lingered and the Yorkshire Post of 16 July 1903 reported: “Certain conditions have been drawn up in connection with the proposed transfer of the ground to the Association club and it is understood they will be in all probability accepted. The opinion prevails that the Rugby Club will shortly disband.”

At a meeting on Saturday 15 August 1903, the end was confirmed and Stockport County F.C took over liabilities that amounted to around £350 owing to a well-known gentleman [Mr Sykes] in the town. The rugby club, it was reported, had been sorely tried by the rapid strides made by the association game in Stockport and had fallen deeper into debt. The last Captain, Yorkshireman William Robinson, took a tobacconist’s shop on Castle street, Edgeley.

"(Stockport) County gained admission to the Second Division of the Football League in 1900, and following this elevation - and consequent requirement for a larger ground - the club moved to its current home of Edgeley Park in 1902, which was then the home of Stockport Rugby League Club. The rugby club folded a few years later, leaving County as sole tenants."[3]

Stadium

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Stockport RFC first played on a field behind their Headquarters - The Plough Inn, Shaw Heath. The cost of entry to the first gate was 3sh 9d. = 19p.

In 1890 they moved in with Stockport Cricket Club at Beech road, Cale Green.

In 1891 they moved into the newly built Edgeley Park, the land the stadium was built on was donated to the club by the Sykes Family, Owner’s of Sykes Bleaching Company

Records

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Club scoring record

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In a Season
Details Season Competition Notes Ref
Highest League Position 5 1896–97 Lancs Sen Comp Out of 14 clubs
Lowest League Position 18 1902–03 2nd Div Out of 18 clubs
Most League Points 32 1895–96 RL Out of possible 84 = 38%
or 30 1896–97 Lancs Sen Comp Out of possible 52 = 58%
Fewest League Points 11 1902–03 2nd Div Out of possible 68 = 16%
Most Points Scored (PF) 171 1895–96 RL In 42 games = 4.07/game
or 157 1896–97 Lancs Sen Comp In 26 games = 6.04/game
Most Points Conceded (PA) 317 1898–99 Lancs Sen Comp In 26 games = 12.2/game
Fewest Points Scored (PF) 69 1902–03 2nd Div In 34 games = 2.03/game
Fewest Points Conceded (PA) 136 1899–1900 Lancs Sen Comp In 26 games = 5.23/game
Best Points Difference 20 1896–97 Lancs Sen Comp In 26 games
Worst Points Difference -276 1902–03 2nd Div In 26 games

Club records

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Club league record

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Season Competition Pos Team Name Pl W D L PF PA Diff Pts % Pts No of teams in league Notes Ref
1895–96 Northern Rugby Football Union 17 Stockport 42 12 8 22 171 315 -144 32 22
1896–97 NRFU(Lancs Senior) 5 Stockport 26 14 2 10 157 137 20 30 14
1897–98 NRFU(Lancs Senior) 11 Stockport 26 8 2 16 154 253 –99 18 14
1898–99 NRFU(Lancs Senior) 11 Stockport 26 5 1 20 102 317 -215 11 14
1899–1900 NRFU(Lancs Senior) 9 Stockport 26 10 2 14 126 136 -10 22 14
1900–01 NRFU(Lancs Senior) 12 Stockport 26 6 3 17 102 184 -82 15 14
1901–02 NRFU(Lancs Senior) 6 Stockport 24 13 3 8 151 106 45 27 13
Stockport had 2 points deducted.
Only limited County League information is available for this season.
1902–03 NRFU(2nd Division) 18 Stockport 34 5 1 28 69 348 -279 11 18

Heading Abbreviations
Pl = Games played; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Lose; PF = Points for; PA = Points against; Diff = Points difference (+ or -); Pts = League Points
League points: for win = 2; for draw = 1; for loss = 0.

Several fixtures and results

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The following are just a few of Stockport's fixtures from the eight seasons in which they played (semi) professional Rugby League :- [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Season Date Competition Opponent Venue H/A Result Score Attendance Notes Ref
1895–96 Sat 28 Sep 1895 RL St. Helens Knowsley Rd A Won 3–0 [6]
1895–96 26 Oct 1895 RL Warrington Edgeley Park H Draw 3–3 [8]
1895–96 Sat 9 Nov 1895 RL Hull Edgeley Park H Won 3–0 [7]
1895–96 30 Nov 1895 RL Widnes Edgeley Park H Lost 0–5 [5]
1895–96 Wed 25 Dec 1895 RL Wigan Folly Fields A Lost 0–16 1 [4]
1895–96 -1-–0-1896 RL Widnes Lowerhouse Lane A Lost 10–14 2 [5]
1895–96 Sat 18 Jan 1896 RL St. Helens Edgeley Park H Won 18–3 [6]
1895–96 Sat 7 Mar 1896 RL Hull Boulevard A Lost 5–15 [7]
1895–96 6 Apr 1896 RL Warrington Wilderspool A Lost 3–14 [8]
1895–96 Sun 26 Apr 1896 RL Wigan Edgeley Park H Won 8–3 [4]
1896–97 Sat 12 Sep 1896 Lancs Sen Comp Wigan Edgeley Park H Won 12–0 [4]
1896–97 19 Sep 1896 Lancs Sen Comp Warrington Edgeley Park H Won 15–5 [8]
1896–97 Mon 12 Oct 1896 Friendly Hull Boulevard A Won 5–0 [7]
1896–97 5 Dec 1896 Lancs Sen Comp Widnes Edgeley Park H Won 12–3 [5]
1896–97 Sat 19 Dec 1896 Lancs Sen Comp St. Helens Edgeley Park H Won 13–6 [6]
1896–97 9 Jan 1897 Lancs Sen Comp Widnes Lowerhouse Lane A Lost 0–9 2 [5]
1896–97 13 Feb 1897 Lancs Sen Comp Warrington Wilderspool A Lost 5–9 [8]
1896–97 Sat 13 Mar 1897 Lancs Sen Comp St. Helens Knowsley Rd A Lost 0–9 [6]
1896–97 Wed 17 Mar 1897 Lancs Sen Comp Wigan Folly Fields A Draw 0–0 1 [4]
1897–98 25 Sep 1897 Lancs Sen Comp Warrington Wilderspool A Lost 7–10 [8]
1897–98 27 Nov 1897 Lancs Sen Comp Widnes Lowerhouse Lane A Lost 0–6 [5]
1897–98 Sat 11 Dec 1897 Lancs Sen Comp St. Helens Edgeley Park H Won 14–7 [6]
1897–98 Sat 8 Jan 1898 Lancs Sen Comp Wigan Edgeley Park H Lost 4–6 [4]
1897–98 29 Jan 1898 Lancs Sen Comp Warrington Edgeley Park H Won 13–3 [8]
1897–98 12 Feb 1898 Lancs Sen Comp Widnes Edgeley Park H Lost 5–9 [5]
1897–98 Sat 19 Feb 1898 Lancs Sen Comp St. Helens Knowsley Rd A Lost 0–27 [6]
1897–98 Fri 8 Apr 1898 Lancs Sen Comp Wigan Folly Fields A Draw 5–5 1 [4]
1898–99 Sat 8 Oct 1898 Lancs Sen Comp Wigan Folly Fields A Lost 8–19 1 [4]
1898–99 17 Dec 1898 Lancs Sen Comp Warrington Wilderspool A Lost 6–8 [8]
1898–99 7 Jan 1899 Lancs Sen Comp Widnes Edgeley Park H Lost 0–10 [5]
1898–99 14 Jan 1899 Lancs Sen Comp Widnes Lowerhouse Lane A Lost 10–26 2 [5]
1898–99 Sat 25 Feb 1899 Lancs Sen Comp Wigan Edgeley Park H Won 3–0 [4]
1898–99 Sat 4 Mar 1899 Lancs Sen Comp St. Helens Edgeley Park H Lost 3–13 [6]
1898–99 1 Apr 1899 Lancs Sen Comp Warrington Edgeley Park H Won 12–2 [8]
1898–99 Thu 20 Apr 1899 Lancs Sen Comp St. Helens Knowsley Rd A Lost 10–13 [6]
1899–1900 9 Sep 1899 Lancs Sen Comp Wigan Edgeley Park H Won 18–5 [4]
1899–1900 16 Sep 1899 Lancs Sen Comp Warrington Wilderspool A Lost 0–15 [8]
1899–1900 Sat 21 Oct 1899 Lancs Sen Comp St. Helens Knowsley Rd A Lost 3–17 [6]
1899–1900 4 Nov 1899 Lancs Sen Comp Warrington Edgeley Park H Lost 0–3 [8]
1899–1900 Sat 25 Nov 1899 Lancs Sen Comp St. Helens Edgeley Park H Lost 3–6 [6]
1899–1900 30 Dec 1899 Lancs Sen Comp Widnes Edgeley Park H Won 21–3 [5]
1899–1900 24 Feb 1900 Lancs Sen Comp Widnes Lowerhouse Lane A Lost 0–2 2 [5]
1899–1900 10 Mar 1900 Lancs Sen Comp Wigan Folly Fields A Lost 0–2 [4]
1899–1900 7 Apr 1900 Challenge Cup QF Widnes Edgeley Park H Lost 0–3 [5]
1900–01 22 Sep 1900 Lancs Sen Comp Warrington Edgeley Park H Won 8–3 [8]
1900–01 Sat 6 Oct 1900 Lancs Sen Comp St. Helens Knowsley Rd A Lost 0–3 [6]
1900–01 24 Nov 1900 Lancs Sen Comp Widnes Lowerhouse Lane A Lost 0–5 2 [5]
1900–01 Sat 1 Dec 1900 Lancs Sen Comp St. Helens Edgeley Park H Won 5–0 [6]
1900–01 23 Feb 1901 Lancs Sen Comp Warrington Wilderspool A Lost 3–10 [8]
1900–01 Sat 9 Mar 1901 CC R2 St. Helens Knowsley Rd A Draw 0–0 [6]
1900–01 Wed 13 Mar 1901 CC R2 Replay St. Helens Edgeley Park H Lost 5–11 [6]
1900–01 16 Mar 1901 Lancs Sen Comp Widnes Edgeley Park H Won 13–0 [5]
1900–01 6 Apr 1901 Lancs Sen Comp Wigan Folly Fields A Lost 2–9 1 [4]
1900–01 13 Apr 1901 Lancs Sen Comp Wigan Edgeley Park H Won 13–0 [4]
1901–02 Sat 12 Oct 1901 Lancs Sen Comp St. Helens Edgeley Park H Won 3–0 [6]
1901–02 2 Nov 1901 Lancs Sen Comp Widnes Edgeley Park H Lost 0–2 [5]
1901–02 25 Dec 1901 Lancs Sen Comp Wigan Edgeley Park H Won 6–5 [4]
1901–02 1 Jan 1902 Lancs Sen Comp Wigan Springfield Park A Lost 3–10 3 [4]
1901–02 Sat 18 Jan 1902 Lancs Sen Comp St. Helens Knowsley Rd A Lost 7–13 [6]
1901–02 25 Jan 1902 Lancs Sen Comp Widnes Lowerhouse Lane A Lost 0–12 2 [5]
1902–03 14 Feb 1903 CC R1 Wigan Springfield Park A Lost 0–8 3 [4]

Heading Abbreviations
CC Rx = Challenge Cup Round x; LC Rx = Lancahire Cup Competition; JPT Rx = John Player Trophy; REGAL Rx = Regal Trophy.

Notes and comments

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1 - Folly Fields is the stadium used by Wigan at the time until 1901. They then became sub-tenants of Springfield Park See below - Note 3.

2 - Lowerhouse Lane is the original site of the current ground used by Widnes. It was renamed Naughton Park in 1932 in honour of club secretary, Tom Naughton - and later renamed Halton Stadium after being completely rebuilt in 1997.

3 - Wigan became sub-tenants of Springfield Park, which they shared with Wigan United AFC, playing their first game there on 14 September 1901 at which a crowd of 4,000 saw them beat Morecambe 12–0, and the last game on 28 April 1902 when Wigan beat the Rest of Lancashire Senior Competition. A temporary ground was necessary to span the period between moving from Folly Fields and the new ground at Central Park being constructed.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ J C Lindley with personal recollections by D W Armitage (1973). 100 Years of Rugby - The History of Wakefield Trinity Football Club. The Wakefield Trinity Centenary Committee. pp. 34 and 35.
  2. ^ J C Lindley with personal recollections by D W Armitage (1973). 100 Years of Rugby - The History of Wakefield Trinity Football Club. The Wakefield Trinity Centenary Committee. pp. 37 and 38.
  3. ^ "About Stockport County". Archived from the original on 13 February 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Cherry and White".
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Widnes History".
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Saints Heritage Society".
  7. ^ a b c d "Hull&Proud".[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Warington History". Archived from the original on 6 July 2010.
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