THE ACCENT definitely does not come from Saddleworth but if Luke Yates gets success at Wembley, it will certainly have played a huge role.
The Warrington Wolves forward was born and bred in Newcastle – Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia.
But to him, Diggle is his home and he has become a familiar sight on the streets, walking his beloved dog.
And while he hopes to have a big impact as his club attempts to win rugby league’s Challenge Cup against Hull KR on Saturday, June 7, the area has left his mark on him.
When asked how he ended up in Diggle, Yates replied: “I don’t know. We just love the area.
“When it came to buying a house, my partner and I started looking around, initially around Saddleworth.
“We didn’t really know too much about Diggle. We missed out on a place in the area and then stumbled upon that.
“It’s a nice, peaceful sort of place to live, so we love it there – it’s in the country but not far from Manchester.
“I feel like it’s a pretty decent blend. Getting the train into town? It’s not a fuss at all. I like the countryside, the fresh air and living a life out there.
“It’s nice and quiet. I just find it peaceful out there and my dog loves it. It’s the favourite place that I’ve lived in the UK for sure.”
While Yates has had the small matter of a Wembley appearance to prepare for, Diggle is getting ready for its Whit Friday Brass Band Contest.
That in itself was an educational experience for the man who previously lived in London, Salford Quays, Ancoats and Audenshaw – not exactly brass music hotbeds.
He has also been taught Saddleworth pre-1974, when it was part of Yorkshire.
“My first one was the day after I moved in, so I had no idea what was going on,” he admitted.
“It’s something different and it’s something to look forward to. It’s nice to live where there are different customs and all that and people buy into different things.
“Diggle’s contest isn’t far from my house. It’s certainly close enough to hear but it’s not like I’m being kept awake at night by brass music!
“Warrington play the day after, but I’ll have a good night’s sleep. I’ve got training that morning, so I might have a look around in the afternoon. I’ll probably have a quick look and just chill out.
“And when I meet older blokes, they’re all saying that they’re born in Saddleworth and it says Yorkshire.”
Yates could make it double delight for Saddleworth as Grasscroft’s Josh Thewlis is likely to line up alongside him for Warrington.
For him, he hopes to make it third time lucky in his first ‘regulation’ Challenge Cup final at the stadium he could see from his bedroom window.
Yates featured for Salford in 2020, when Wembley was empty because of Covid-19 restrictions.
He also played for Huddersfield in 2022, which was played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium because the national stadium was not available and lost both by one and two points respectively.
Yates told Saddleworth Independent: “It was a pretty good experience playing there in 2020, but it was a bit of an eerie feeling with no crowd.
“When I played at Tottenham, the energy that we got from the crowd there, was big and having that at Wembley – an iconic stadium with a big crowd there – will be pretty special.
“That Salford final was a bit eerie – a lot of the games felt pretty similar through that Covid-19 time with no fans.
“Even when I was in Australia, I could see it’s iconic with the amount of events they have at Wembley – concerts, boxing matches and stuff like that. It’s iconic.
“And when I moved to London and I was living in Ealing, I could see Wembley from my bedroom and look out over it.
“It’s pretty surreal to be able to go there and play.”
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