Swinton Lions
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| Swinton Lions | |
| Full name | Swinton Lions Rugby League Club |
| Emblem | Lion |
| Colours | Blue with a white chevron |
| Founded | 1866 |
| Sport | Rugby league |
| League | National League Two |
| Ground | Sedgley Park |
| Official website | www.swintonlionsrlc.co.uk |
Swinton Lions are a British rugby league club from Swinton, in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester.
The club has an impressive record in rugby league considering the size of the town with six Championships and three Challenge Cup wins.
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[edit] History
The club was formed in October 1866 when members of Swinton Cricket Club decided to take up football in the winter. In 1871 they joined the Rugby Football Union, under the name Swinton and Pendlebury FC, playing at the Station Road ground in the town. Their first game was against Eccles Standard.
They moved from Station Road in 1873 to a ground known as Stoneacre, and used the nearby White Lion public house as changing rooms. They have been known as the Lions ever since.
In 1886 they moved again to the Chorley Road ground. By this time the Lions had become a very strong team, and played the likes of Oxford University. They were initially reluctant to join the new Northern Union, but did so on 2 June 1896 due to the fact that the majority of other teams in the region had done so, causing financial hardship to the club. The rugby league was then split into two county leagues.
In 1900 they won the Challenge Cup against Salford. In 1925 they won the Lancashire Cup. In 1926 they won the Challenge Cup again.
Swinton were the final team to win All Four Cups; they were also the only side from Lancashire to achieve this feat. The Lions were a side with a strong Welsh presence, with players like Bryn Evans and Billo Rees as well as the Cumbrian born goal-kicking forward, Martin Hodgson who still holds the long distance record with a kick of over 77 yards. The 1927-28 saw the Lions sweep all before them, under the captaincy of centre Hector Halsall. They topped both the championship and the Lancashire League, having already defeated Wigan in the Lancashire Cup. In a tense Challenge Cup final they squeezed past Warrington 5-3, and three weeks later the Holy Grail was achieved when they comfortably eased past Featherstone Rovers 11-0 to take the Championship.
In 1929 the club they moved to a new stadium back at their original home of Station Road. The decision to purchase land next to the railway line, was made after a breakdown in negotiations with their existing landlord at Chorley Road. This soon became a favoured ground for major fixtures, with a capacity of 60,000. Station Road played host to 19 internationals, 5 Championship finals, 17 Lancashire Cup finals, 4 Premiership finals and 30 Challenge Cup semi-finals were played on the famous turf.
In 1941-42 Swinton abandoned the Lancashire League due to the Second War and did not return until the 1945-6 season.
Swinton picked up the Championships on four more occasions: 1931, 1935, 1963 and 1964.
When two divisions were introduced in 1973 Swinton were out of the top flight, and have struggled to regain their former glories ever since. In 1992, financial mis-management necessitated the sale of Station Road for property development. The club relocated to Gigg Lane, the home ground of Bury F.C..
In 1996 Swinton officially added 'Lions' to their name.
Exposure of main creditor Hugh Eaves as a fraudster in 2002 put the future of the club in jeopardy and they spent a short time regrouping at Moor Lane in Kersal as tenants of Salford City FC. Since 2003 the Lions have played their home games in nearby Whitefield at Sedgley Park RUFC.
[edit] The Return to M27
In 2006, the return to Swinton was taken one step further when club chairman, John Kidd, announced on the 9th August that the club had acquired a site to build a 6,000 capacity stadium with training facilities and community use in Agecroft, Pendlebury.
A website has been setup to register support and donations for the new stadium. It can be found at www.swintonlionsstadium.co.uk [1]
[edit] Honours
- Championship: 1926-27, 1927-28, 1930-31, 1934-35, 1962-63, 1963-64 (6 times)
- Challenge Cup : 1899-1900, 1925-26, 1927-28 (3 times)
- Lancashire Cup: 1925-26, 1927-28, 1939-, 1969-70 (4 times)
- Lancashire League: 1924-25, 1927-28, 1928-29, 1930-31, 1939-40, 1960-61(6 times)
- Second Division: 1984-85
[edit] Records
[edit] Player records
- Most tries in a match: 6 by Mark Riley vs Prescot Panthers, 11th August 1996
- Most goals in a match: 12 by Ken Gowers vs Liverpool City, 3rd October 1957
- Most points in a match: 30 by:
- Greg Pearce vs Prescot Panthers, 11th August 1996
- Mick Nanyn vs York Wasps, 25th March 2001
- Most tries in a season: 48 by Jim Valentine, 1888-89
- Most goals in a season: 128 by Albert Blan, 1960-61
- Most points in a season: 310 by Lee Marsh, 2005
- Most career tries: 298 by Jim Valentine, 1884-1901
- Most career goals: 970 by Ken Gowers
- Most career points: 2105 by Ken Gowers
- Most career appearances: 602 (including 8 as Substitute) by Ken Gowers, 1954-73
[edit] Team records
- Biggest victory: 90-0 vs Prescot Panthers, 11th August 1996
- Heaviest defeat: 10-106 vs Leeds, 11th February 2001
- Highest attendance:
- Club: 26,891 vs Wigan, 12th February 1964
- Station Road: 44,621 for Warrington vs Wigan, 7th April 1951
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