A DECADE of rugby league triumphs and heartaches for Oldham are captured in a new book by a Denshaw man.
Michael Turner has penned ‘Oldham RLFC in the 1950s – Magic or myth?’, which is published by the Oldham RL Heritage Trust, to recapture the team’s exploits.
It includes a review of every match the club played in the fondly remembered decade, spread over 300 A4 pages and brought to life with an array of images, many seen for the first time.
On December 31, 1949 Oldham made the short trip to Belle Vue Rangers and suffered a defeat by nineteen points to six.
Likewise, on January 2, 1960 they had their colours lowered with an unlikely seventeen points to six reverse in the match at Liverpool City.
In between these two defeats was the 1950s: the period in history of Oldham R.L.F.C. which is still the most talked about and, it would appear, the most fondly remembered.
To discover why, the book takes a trip back to Watersheddings when Oldham were a team loved by supporters, feared by the opposition and appreciated by many.
Former Oldham Chronicle reporter Bill Doran wrote of the team: “Not for a long time on the field of rugby have so few brought so much colour into the grimy Oldham life. Off the field, too, Oldham have managed to keep things heated up in the world of controversy.”
“Retirements, transfer requests and revolts have all helped Oldham to be the most talked-about team this century. But Oldham will be best remembered for its rugby – its charming, hair-raising, spine tingling, heart-straining, honest-to-goodness fan-winning rugby.”
And in the summer of 1957 they were crowned Rugby League champions after seeingoff Hull in the season’s Championship final at Odsal in front of 62,217 fans.
They had already bagged the Lancashire Cup and Lancashire League Championship to make sure they were one of the most talked about teams on the era.
‘Oldham RLFC in the 1950s – Magic or myth?’ is priced at £20 and is available from the Oldham Evening Chronicle, Oldham Rugby League Club, Waterstones, W.H.Smith and local branches of both Asda and Asda Living.
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