WAKEFIELD TRINITY RLFC PLAYERS REGISTER A-Z 1895-2016 HERITAGE NUMBERS … The Story Initial Ideas Our initial ideas for the heritage numbers came about a couple of years ago (approx. 2012), after seeing the success of Queensland in Australia, with Warrington being the first English club to follow suit. Next Step Tremendous work had been carried out by a group of rugby league historians in the 1970s (RL Record Keepers’ Club) who pooled their knowledge, and attempted to record every game in the first one hundred years of rugby league (1895-1994). Trinity’s were completed and fortunately we acquired the records to every Trinity game, and players, since 1895 The First 100 Years The teams for the first one hundred years of Trinity’s rugby league days (1895-1994) were recorded and each new player to make his debut noted. On the very first game there were fifteen (numbers 1-15) and each debutant after this was given the subsequent number, in position order (full back, winger, centre etc.). This was checked, double-checked and triple checked. By 1994 we had found 1,060 names. The Next 20 Years … Part 1 The next twenty years, to the modern day, were a little more difficult but we researched the Trinity playing records through the excellent ‘Rothman’s Year Books’ written by the late Raymond Fletcher and David Howes. These books started in 1981 and finished in 1999. Again, each debutant was given the next heritage number The Next 20 Years … Part 2 After the ‘Rothmans’ books ceased publication we used the yearbooks published by ‘League Weekly’, which also noted every new player, signed throughout the season. By the end of 2013 we had found every Trinity player to have played first team rugby league Re-checking The next step was to re-check that all the names had been noted, none had been duplicated or any had been missed out. There had been various mistakes in the initial records from 1994, some that could not have been helped (spelling mistakes, brothers with the same name etc.) Wakefield Library Archives The next process was to make sure that the ‘Record Keepers Club’ records were correct. Regular visits to the Archives department at Wakefield Library saw us digest the old Wakefield newspapers, including the Wakefield Express and Wakefield & West Riding Herald that listed the weekly teams every Friday morning. This also assisted us in finding Christian names for all players Huddersfield University Archives The above was then followed up with visits to Huddersfield University Archives department, which has a great rugby league collection. We researched the RFL’s players records to confirm all the names that had been found The Final Steps Some of the 1990s yearbooks did not list the teams per game, only the names of debutants so further visits to the library finalised the order of all debutants over the last twenty years. The process was complete by July 2013, and added to with each new debutant (complete to September 2015) Trinity Publications The Trinity programmes over the years have also been useful sources of information, especially the excellent ‘Trinity Programme’ of the 1960s, written by John Lindley and David Armitage. Their subsequent books, ‘The Dreadnoughts’ (1960) and ‘100 Years of Rugby’ (1973) have also been worn thin with constant reference Heritage Numbers notes / criteria ---------------------- Players are listed in debut order and allocated debut heritage numbers Those making their debuts in the same match had their place determined by positions (full back, winger, centre etc.) If players have made more than one debut (e.g.: Neil Fox, Ian Brooke, David Topliss, Gary Price, Danny Kirmond etc.), they retain their initial number for their second debut Players listed as AN Other or Triallist have not been issued a number, unless they subsequently signed for the club Only first class matches are included, not friendly matches A John Baker (1897) Kyle Bibb (2008-09) John Abbott (1913-14) Charles Baker (1904-06) Ricky Bibey (2007-09) F.Abell (1940) Frank Ball (1937-39) JH Bingham (1933) Len Abraham (1923-24) George Ballantyne (1968-78) William Binns (1895-96) George Absolom (1927) Benny Balmforth (1990-01) ? Bird (1928) Wilf Adams (1953-60) Bob Band (1945) Deon Bird (2002) Bryan Adams (1982-84) Samuel Banks (1901-02) Matthew Blake (2003-04) Allan Agar (1980-81) Billy Banks (1946-48) Luke Blake (2009) Charlie Agar (1919-23) Keith Banks (1977) David Blakeley (1960-64) Paul Aiton (2011-13) Frederic Banquet (1995-97) Walter Blakey (1915-20) Albert Aldred (1901-02) David Barends (1970-73) Damien Blanch (2007-10) DJ Aldridge (1926) Joe Barker (1944) Len Blanchard (1941-42) W.Alexander (1924-27) Peter Barlow (1964, 69-71) Matt Blaymire (2006-11) Tommy Alford (1966-67) Mark Barlow (2002) Dick Bloomfield (1963) Joseph Allchurch (1895-99) Marcus Barnard (1995) Ernest Blower (1923-25) Kieran Allen (1992-98) William Barnes (1928) George Boardman (1919-20) Bill Allinson (1938-47) Joe Barraclough (1920-23) George Bolton (1913-14) Joshua Alsopp (1906-07) Irving Barraclough (1940) Joe Bonnar (1968-75) Kyle Amor (2011-13) ? Barraclough (1942-43) Gordon Bonnar (1932-36) Barrie Anderson (1968) John Barton (1909-10) Dennis Boocker (1947-54) Jack Anderson (1895) Adrian Barwood (1978-81) Harry Booth (1919-23) Scott Anderson (2014-present) Andy Bastow (1996-97) Herbert Booth (1904-07) Chris Annakin (2013-present) Edgar Bate (1965-66) Jack Booth (1946-55) Mark Applegarth (2004-07) James Batchelor (2016-present) Josh Bostock (1998) W.Appleyard (1895-98) Percy Bates (1919-20 Eddie Bowden (1966) Robert Appleyard (1934-40) Ted Bateson (1925-33) Jim Bowden (1942-43) John Archer (1974-77) John Bath (1966-67) Harold Box (1980-85) D.Armitage (1948) Billy Batten (1924-26) John Boyden (1903) Peter Armitage (1953-57) Eric Batten (1933-36, 40) Ernest Boyer (1950-51) William Armstrong (1920-23) Ken Batty (1965-71) Sam Brady (1898) Tinirau Arona (2016-present) Nathan Batty (2001) Tommy Brannon (1921-22) Joe Arundel (2015-present) Ray Baxendale (1981-82) Len Bratley (1937-49) Norman Ashall (1953-56) Herbert Beardshaw (1928-29) Roy Bratt (1973-84) Herbert Ashton (1903) Billy Beattie (1911-14) Robert Bray (1902) Robert Ashton (1928-32) Dickie Beaumont (1901-09) Jos Breakwell (1895-1901) Richard Ashton (1920) William Bedford (1895) Rowan Brennan (1986-87) Bill Ashurst (1978-83) Leslie Bedford (1930-32) Mark Bridge (1984) Matty Ashurst (2015-present) Dennis Beecraft (1996-97) Keith Bridges (1954-57) Arthur Asquith (1901) Colin Bell (1953-57) Brian Briggs (1960-63) Bernard Asquith (1964) G.Bell (1927) Carl Briggs (1998) Peter Astbury (1977-78) John Bell (1965-68) David Briggs (1979-80) John Atack (1897-98) Roy Bell (1960-63) Luke Briscoe (2014) Ryan Atkins (2006-10) Peter Bell (1970-72) Jack Britton (1942) John Atkinson (1902) Nigel Bell (1983-96) Joe Broadbent (1929) Jack Austin (1965-66) Ernest Bennett (1898-1914) Lewis Broadbent (1920) James Auton (1904-13) Bryn Bennett (1972-74) Paul Broadbent (2001-02) Peter Benson (1992-93) Edward Brogden (1932-33) B E.Bentley (1924) Ian Brooke (1963-64, 67-71) Colin Backhouse (1967-72) Thomas Best (1912) Justin Brooker (2000-01) Dennis Baddeley (1942-51) Tom Best (1919) Ken Brooks (1942, 46-49) Peter Baddeley (1952-53) Monty Betham (2006) Danny Brough (2007-10) Geoff Bagnall (1992-93) John Bettridge (1913-15) Edwin Brown (1944-46) David Bailey (1994-95) Chris Bibb (1993) George Brown (1944) Graham Brown (1976-80) Terry Clamp (1956-59 Jordan Crowther (2014-present) Frank Brown (1969-70) Alan Clarke (1945) Jack Cruikshank (1946) Paul Brown (1993-96) Geoff Clarkson (1965-68, 78) Uriah Crummock (1897-98) George Bruce (1921) Michael Clarkson (1991-98) Ernest Brummitt (1906-08) Peter Clarkson (1979-83) D Adrian Brunker (1998-99) Terry Clawson (1978-79) Fred Dale (1901-02) Austin Buchanan (2005-07) William Clay (1912-13) Matty Dale (2008) Arthur Buckley (1900-02) Mike Clements (1991) Jim Davie (1924-25) Dennis Buckley (1979-84) W.Clements (1928) Vic Darlison (1940-43) John Buckton (1982) Colin Clifft (1952-56) James Davey (1924-25) Howard Budby (1984) Leslie Close (1930-31) ? Davies (1895) Johnny Bullock (1956-59) Tony Clough (1966) Alan Davies (1965) ? Bulmin (1906) Ben Cockayne (2011-13) John L Davies (1948-51) John Burke (1978-79) Arthur Cockroft (1913-14) Lewis Davies (1936-38, 43) John Burley (1919) Gary Cocks (1980-87) Steve Davies (1972-74) John Burnage (1982) Gert Coetzer (1963-68) Tom Davies (1926-31) Henry Burnell (1931) Mark Colbeck (1990-91) Tom Davies (1985) John Burnley (1896) John Cole (1896) Brad Davis (1995-97, 2000-03) Alan Burns (1983-84) Isaac Cole (1910-13) Derek Davis (1950-52) E.Burrows (1934-37) Tom Coles (1923-28) R.Dawson (1895-98) Arthur Burton (1909-20) Fred Colledge (1932) Harry Dawson (1906-07) Harry Burton (1950-56) Dean Collis (2011-15) John Day (1895) David Busfield (1981) Len Constance (1952-53) Terry Day (1980-81) Alan Butterfield (1974-79) Billy Conway (1984-97) Mel de Lloyd (1941) Ged Byrne (1990-91) Mark Conway (1987-93) Chris Dean (2011) Paul Cooke (2010) Jason Demetriou (2003-10) C Brian Cooper (1966-72) Jack Desborough (1942-44) Thomas Cahill (1921) Eric Cooper (1953-58) George Devey (1898) Harry Caldwell (1946) Gary Cooper (1966-72) Joe Dews (1902) Ted Campbell (1962-75 Norman Cooper (1968-76) Thomas Dews (1925-26) Liam Campbell (2005) Lamond Copestake (1996) John Dey (1919-20) Edgar Carbert (1903-04) Walter Copley (1912) Steve Diamond (1978-81, 86-87) Ronnie Caress (1940-44) Ronnie Copley (1943-46) Alan Dickinson (1981) Stuart Carlton (1968-70) Jamie Corcoran (1996) Wayne Dimmock (1978-79)