When 1983 ghosts roar for the Featherstone Rovers

Featherstone Rovers first came into my conscious thought in 1983. It was still a learning curve for me, becoming familiar with rugby league.

I was fortunate enough to see Ellery Hanley on TV, creating a magical length-of-the-field try for the then-known Bradford Northern against Rovers at Leeds’ Headingley ground.

It was a Challenge Cup semi final and was a fantastic introduction to the delights of English rugby league.

I can still hear the echoes of Ray French on BBC “and he’s still going” as Hanley broke tackle after tackle down the sideline to score one of the greatest individual tries in league history.

Featherstone, a then economically depressed mining village of 15,000, went on to cause the upset of the Challenge Cup sporting century when they defeated the might of Hull FC at Wembley 14-12 in front of 84,969, after a late penalty goal.

It was a game where legends were born, of dragon-slaying epic proportions, against Hull’s conurbation of 500,000 populace.

During the miners’ strike of 1984–85 Rovers allowed pass holders in for that season, free with the understanding they would pay when the strike ended.

Featherstone was English rugby league; English rugby league was Featherstone.

Those memories were awakened on Sunday 15 April after watching the delayed Challenge Cup round four game on Eurosport 511 with Rovers versus arch-rivals Castleford Tigers.

Castleford, affectionately known as the Glassblowers – an industry that employed many of its supporters – had not played Rovers in an important match for many years.

For Rovers, or the ‘the Colliers’, this was an important match, highlighting the close link between the club and the local mining community.

Castleford last won the Challenge Cup in 1986, again defeating the might of Hull Kingston Rovers.

What a pleasure it was to see the TV cameras at Post Office Road for this local derby. It was an opportunity for many league supporters to take a trip down memory lane.

How fortunes have changed, though, as Rovers now languish in the lower divisions and the Tigers enjoy Super League status.

The scenes of Post Office Road, now ghastly known as ‘Big Fellas’ stadium after a nightclub, is a well-appointed facility but still largely possessing the skeletons of its past.

You can see the row of terrace houses on one end, and green fields disguising the scars of a once-mighty industry behind the stand.

A 4,000-strong crowd filed into the ground with a surprisingly low number of travelling ‘Cas’ supporters backing their team.

There was talk that Tiger fans still had nightmares of travelling to other lower division clubs and coming away defeated. A trip to Barrow in Cumbria may spring to mind.

But this is no excuse as little distance covers both towns.

Kick-off finally arrived and there was a torrid exchange of forward activity.

The Super League script was going to plan when hooker, Daryl Clark, drove under the markers on the four minute mark. Had the gates opened already?

Only three minutes later and the home team got the score they needed to lift their confidence.

A kick through on the last by the Tigers was allowed to bounce, which favoured Rovers as Kyle Briggs caught the ball and immediately released Tangi Ropati down the wing.

Danny Orr set off in pursuit but, even though he was able to overhaul him, Ropati stepped inside him and strode over the line. Rovers’ morale was instantaneous and it supporters were in song.

Five minutes later and Castleford were down to 12 men.

An excellent break down the left centre by Hepworth was stopped by Clark but, with the Castleford defence struggling to get into position, he continued to hold the tackled player down and Mr Thaler showed the hooker a yellow card for a professional foul.

Rovers then took advantage of the situation as the ball came out to Hepworth on the left and he turned back inside to go on one of his zig-zag runs.

The Castleford defence was pulled across the field and as the ball dropped off a Rovers player, coming in on the angle, reached over the line and scored a try that the referee awarded after a video decision.

An easy conversion and Rovers had a lead that they were never going to lose.

A try by Castleford with ten minutes to go failed to dent Rovers’ composure as they slotted a field goal to ensure no chance of golden point misery.

The score ended 23-16 and amazing scenes at the ground followed as chanting large-white bellied beasts, disguised as supporters, took off their shirts in delirium, jumped the fence and surrounded their heroes on the field.

These are scenes that are now all too rare in modern sport.

What a pleasure it will be to see more lower-division English rugby-league clubs and their bygone grounds on Eurosport and Setanta Sports.

For a day, the Challenge Cup’s giant killing reputation had returned and the magic of Wembley remains for one of the game’s great minnows.

This was Rovers’ first victory over Castleford in two decades, with the aptly named Ian Hardman awarded man on the match.

The ghosts of 1983 would be proud.