Workington Town RLFC was formed in December 1944 at a meeting held in the Royal Oak Hotel, Workington (now the Labour Club) and in attendance was Mr John Wilson the then secretary of the Rugby League. It was decided at the meeting that the club should be registered as a business and that an application for membership of the Rugby League should be submitted. From those in attendance at that meeting the first Board of Directors was formed and the application for membership of the senior section of the Rugby League was agreed at a meeting held on 23rd January 1945 at the Grosvenor Hotel, Manchester.
The rise to the top was nothing short of miraculous as from the first a win, at home to Broughton Rangers in front of 4,100 fans, in six years Town had risen to the pinnacle of Rugby League Champions when they defeated Warrington in the final at Main Road Manchester on 5th May 1951, and the following season they went on to defeat Featherstone Rovers at Wembley on 19th April 1952 to become Challenge Cup Winners. No other club before or after has lifted both these trophies in such a short time after being formed, and it did not stop there, they appeared at Wembley twice more 1955 vs Barrow and 1958 vs Wigan, unfortunately both of these matches were lost but nevertheless they were great achievements for what was still a fledgling club.
But things did not always go their way as in their first season they attained the status of being defeated by an amateur side, a very rare occurrence in those days. This defeated came at the hands of Sharlston Rovers in the fist round of the Challenge Cup but fortunate for Town the fist round was a two leg affair and they were able to make amends in the return leg and progress to the second round, but it gave the club a stark reminder that it was no always going to be easy.
After the successes of the fifties the shortage of silverware during the sixties would lead those looking back that Town had gone down in strength but to many the opposite is the fact as, while the only trophy to be won was the Western Division Final in November 1962 it was during this period that Town attained the reputation of other sides fearing the journey over Dunmail Raise to confront one of the most fearsome packs in the league and if several of the first choice players were out through injury, or the like, the replacements were just as formidable. The early seventies brought demise of Town as a power in the game and the fans dropped off making it very difficult for the management to come up with the cash to bring in top class players and indeed the wealth of talent which was still in the Cumbrian scene were being enticed out of the county to other clubs and the rise back to the top only came when a top class team consisting mainly of home grown player started to bring back glory to the Town by appearing in a Lancashire Cup Final in October 1976 and whilst they were defeated by Widnes on that day, in winning their way to a Lancashire Cup Final this team had achieved what the great sides of the fifties and sixties could not. An it did not stop their for they appeared in a further three finals in consecutive season winning the trophy by defeating Wigan in the 1977 final.
Again as this great side was broken up and Town went into decline, and while there were some small successes, the eighties were the lowest era in the clubs history as it saw Town mainly as a yoyo side going in and out of the first division but mostly wallowing half way down the second, and the fan base practically disappearing altogether, and as the nineties arrived it was a third division rugby which they found themselves in. This was the low point and thing had to change and they did quite dramatically as by May 1994 Town were again amongst the trophies as they lifted the Second Division Leaders Trophy and went on to defeat London Bronco’s in the Second Division Premiership Final at Old Trafford having appeared their the previous year and going down to Featherstone Rovers. These were very exciting times to be a Town Fan as the buzz around the town and the number of coaches going to every away match was phenomenal and reminiscent of the fifties and this was just the start of things as the following season Town achieved the Status of being a founder member of the newly formed Super League and while the status was short lived it was great while it lasted and while times have been difficult over these last few seasons as you look back over the years it has always been a roller coaster existence and we can be sure that the great times will come back again.
Joe Holliday
The rise to the top was nothing short of miraculous as from the first a win, at home to Broughton Rangers in front of 4,100 fans, in six years Town had risen to the pinnacle of Rugby League Champions when they defeated Warrington in the final at Main Road Manchester on 5th May 1951, and the following season they went on to defeat Featherstone Rovers at Wembley on 19th April 1952 to become Challenge Cup Winners. No other club before or after has lifted both these trophies in such a short time after being formed, and it did not stop there, they appeared at Wembley twice more 1955 vs Barrow and 1958 vs Wigan, unfortunately both of these matches were lost but nevertheless they were great achievements for what was still a fledgling club.
But things did not always go their way as in their first season they attained the status of being defeated by an amateur side, a very rare occurrence in those days. This defeated came at the hands of Sharlston Rovers in the fist round of the Challenge Cup but fortunate for Town the fist round was a two leg affair and they were able to make amends in the return leg and progress to the second round, but it gave the club a stark reminder that it was no always going to be easy.
After the successes of the fifties the shortage of silverware during the sixties would lead those looking back that Town had gone down in strength but to many the opposite is the fact as, while the only trophy to be won was the Western Division Final in November 1962 it was during this period that Town attained the reputation of other sides fearing the journey over Dunmail Raise to confront one of the most fearsome packs in the league and if several of the first choice players were out through injury, or the like, the replacements were just as formidable. The early seventies brought demise of Town as a power in the game and the fans dropped off making it very difficult for the management to come up with the cash to bring in top class players and indeed the wealth of talent which was still in the Cumbrian scene were being enticed out of the county to other clubs and the rise back to the top only came when a top class team consisting mainly of home grown player started to bring back glory to the Town by appearing in a Lancashire Cup Final in October 1976 and whilst they were defeated by Widnes on that day, in winning their way to a Lancashire Cup Final this team had achieved what the great sides of the fifties and sixties could not. An it did not stop their for they appeared in a further three finals in consecutive season winning the trophy by defeating Wigan in the 1977 final.
Again as this great side was broken up and Town went into decline, and while there were some small successes, the eighties were the lowest era in the clubs history as it saw Town mainly as a yoyo side going in and out of the first division but mostly wallowing half way down the second, and the fan base practically disappearing altogether, and as the nineties arrived it was a third division rugby which they found themselves in. This was the low point and thing had to change and they did quite dramatically as by May 1994 Town were again amongst the trophies as they lifted the Second Division Leaders Trophy and went on to defeat London Bronco’s in the Second Division Premiership Final at Old Trafford having appeared their the previous year and going down to Featherstone Rovers. These were very exciting times to be a Town Fan as the buzz around the town and the number of coaches going to every away match was phenomenal and reminiscent of the fifties and this was just the start of things as the following season Town achieved the Status of being a founder member of the newly formed Super League and while the status was short lived it was great while it lasted and while times have been difficult over these last few seasons as you look back over the years it has always been a roller coaster existence and we can be sure that the great times will come back again.
Joe Holliday
