At the end of the 1921/2 Season the Kersal Club fulfilled a long-standing ambition, that is, to take a touring team to France. Plans for touring parties to visit France had been arranged in the pre-war years but for one reason or another had been cancelled by their hosts. This time the tour took place with a touring party of twenty-one plus the President and one or two senior officials. Three games were played against Lille, Nancy and Verdun and the Club was presented with a flag by the town and people of Menieres. The Kersal party included H.C.Catchsides who was to play for England two years later.

Some strong links with French rugby circles must have been forged during the tour as two very good French players were to join Kersal during the following season when they came to study in the north of England. In October 1922 L.Chupuy joined the Club; he was a centre or wing three-quarter who was also a fine goal kicker. Prior to joining Kersal, Chupuy had played for Lorraine University, Lorraine County and the Stade Francaise Club. Eventually, he was to play for the French Army and for France as a full international.

As Chupuy was in the process of returning to France towards the end of the 1922/3 season, a second Frenchman arrived. He was S.Meyron from the south of France and the Stade Bordelaise club, an outside-half, a good tactician and fast runner. The new ground at Norwood Road was by all accounts in good condition for the start of the 1922/3 Season; the Club, generally, were looking forward to establishing themselves in their new environment and all omens looked good. G.S.Conway, the Cambridge and international forward, was to act as coach to the forwards and W.Watts, the Welsh international, was said to be joining the Club in November The first match at Norwood Road was against St Helen's Old Boys before a crowd of three hundred and fifty. Kersal won by two tries to one in a very good game; S.Brown, the England trialist and Lancashire forward was playing for St Helens.

The victory was a false dawn, however, as Kersal were only to win two more games, and draw two, in the twelve weeks or so up to Christmas - the wins coming against Manchester University and Chester College with the draws registered against North Staffordshire and Sefton. The Club ought to have been despondent but other developments were keeping up morale. The "A" Team began to be very successful whilst in December a "B" Team was fielded for the first time. In December the Club established liaison with Manchester Grammar School where it had been decided the School would "take up" rugby. The Club grounds were loaned to the School for training and senior players offered their assistance with coaching.

From January 1923, for the rest of the season a new spirit seemed to infuse the teams. The "A" Team won 20 out of its 25 matches and were unbeaten in fifteen consecutive games. The "B' Team played 10 games and won all 10; even the First Team improved, winning 7 more games and not losing at home from December onwards. The final First Team tally for the season was: Played 28 Won 10. The general view was that the move to Stretford had been a sound one with the future looking even more encouraging. Some of the losses, it was felt, might be attributed to a larger crop of injuries than usual and to the loss of players, like G.Wilson, W.L.Smith and A.D.Bateman to county trial games and other representative matches. In S.B.L.Jacks the Club had an excellent serum-half whom the sporting press reckoned ought to have been playing in the Cheshire side. Several well-known players had joined including W.James from Waterloo, but Watts, the Welsh international, despite the earlier promise had not appeared. It was also stated that the Lancashire and Vale of Lune player, F.Hogg, was to join for 1923/24 and already the Club had received between twenty and thirty applications from public schoolboys for the coming season. The two French players had been a success. L.Chupuy had played for most of the season and had scored nine tries and kicked nine goals. S.Meyron who joined late in the season soon settled and showed himself to be a very good outside-half and was looking a good prospect for the future.

Stretford - End in Sight

The next two seasons saw little change in the pattern of results. There was a steady increase in the number of young players from some of the major rugby playing public schools - Sherbourn, Ampleforth, Mill Hill, Denstone. A fourth team appeared in 1923/4 and was just as successful as the other junior sides in the Club. First team results, however, still did not match up to expectation inside or outside the Club. Major success just did not come their way despite good individual players, sound administration, a good ground, a fixture list with an ideal mix of top clubs and the less formidable. The Stretford local press believed that more public support would be aroused in the Stretford locality if the Club would change its name from a "distant" district of Manchester (Kersal - Prestwich) to that of "local" Stretford! The players seemed to come from all over the Manchester area and beyond so that the call for a name-change did not evoke any popular reaction from players nor Club officials.

The first match of the season 1923 was against Wilmslow who were playing their first game as a newly formed club. It was to be the first of many games between the two clubs. Kersal won by seven tries to one.

Great praise came from the press over Kersal's draw during the season with Broughton Park at Chorlton. The clubs were old rivals and Park had also moved from the Prestwich area at about the same time as Kersal had moved to Stretford. Park were, however, regarded as one of "the" top clubs in the area and in rugby in the North generally. The fixture list still included Sale, Broughton Park, Fylde, Blackburn, Preston Grasshoppers, Sefton, St Helens, Bowdon, Southport, Manchester University, North Staffordshire and had been extended to include Halifax, Sheffield, Bingley and Rochdale.

The 1924/5 Season followed much the same pattern as before with the First Team results see-sawing and not coming up to expectations but, once more, with solid success in the junior sides.

The Club membership was now over one hundred and thirty with at least one hundred playing members. H.Glennie had joined; he had figured strongly in rugby at Marlborough School and had been captain of Hertford College, Oxford. He proved a decided asset to the Club in his first season and was to be influential in Kersal's teams for some time to come.

W.F. (Frank) Howorth had joined Kersal in 1919/20 and soon became a first team player, primarily as a wing-three-quarter. He was a big man but despite size he was very fast and excellent in defence with a devastating tackle. Frank would be switched to full-back. The move was generally criticised in the sporting press as he was considered too good to be so "relegated" and that whenever the switch occurred it was considered that the overall proficiency of the Kersal three-quarters was severely impaired.

Frank played in the First Fifteen for over ten years and was captain three times and then went on to captain the "A" and "B" Teams. Off the field he was always very active in administration and occupied most of the offices at one time or another - Secretary, Treasurer, Chairman of the Committee and Lancashire representative. He was elected President and occupied the post four times in the years 1930 -50 and was so honoured again in 1972 for the Club's 75th anniversary.

Like the A.S.Robinsons, the Howorths were a Kersal "Family" with both Frank's sons playing and one, Mike, following his father's footsteps, played outstandingly in the First Team for several years and then went on to serve, like his father, as Club representative and official on the Lancashire County RFU Committee. Undoubtedly, ill health in his later years prevented Frank from gaining high honours with the Lancashire County Union and the Rugby Football Union. Similarly, and sadly, a fatal car accident also brought a far too early end to Mike's life and rugby career. Truly, the Howorths must be said to have been a fine rugby family in every sense of all the words.

There was mention earlier of S.B.L.Jacks as an outstanding player. He went on to captain the Club; he stayed on once his playing days were over to become a valuable and influential member of the Kersal Committee. S.B.L.Jacks was a cousin of H.C.Greg who was also a Club Captain and who also went on to become one of the leading Club officials in the 1930's.

Another notable figure was J.L.Beech who joined the Club in 1911/12 and played as a front-row forward. A wound sustained during the First World War cut short his playing career but not his interest and participation in Club affairs. He held office in one senior capacity or another, including Secretary, for fourteen years continuously from 1919/20 until 1934/5. He died whilst President of the Club in January 1935.

Just one more - Dr Wheeler Hart, President for five years between 1925/30, was a very influential figure in South Manchester circles and was a most helpful publicist for the Club. He was a good centre three quarter on the First Team, an able administrator and a very respected President for five years. He was probably responsible for finding the ground at the Golf Club in Flixton.

Flixton Years

The move to Flixton in 1926 to a ground rented from the Flixton Golf Club was apparently popular within the Club. Changing accommodation was found at the Greyhound Hotel where the landlord was pleased to welcome a new, and extensive, clientele. On the playing side, however, the move did not improve performance at first team level. Initially, the first team was little changed from Stretford and the results were even more disappointing than their previous season at Stretford.

The first game at Flixton, as at Stretford four years earlier, was against St Helens OB. Kersal won narrowly 6-5 in a poor game. It was the only Saturday game, which the Club won during the season. Fitness and stamina seemed to be major problems at Kersal and as a result a training night was established - something often proposed at Stretford but which was never actual implemented.

The same pattern followed for the next four or five seasons at Flixton. In 1927/8, the first team won 5 games from 27 with I drawn. In 1928/9 they won 3 from 26 and in 1929/30 - it was 4 from 31 with 5 drawn and much the same in 1930/31, 4 wins from 26 with 5 drawn.

With such results it would be easy to assume that Kersal would be in the doldrums, generally, as a Club. That, however, was not the case. The Club was able to put out four sides each week and all the usual activities of a vibrant, active club were carried out. There were Hot-Pot Suppers, Dances, and money-raising evenings of various kinds.

The sporting press were still reporting the Kersal Club sympathetically and supporting players for representative honours. By 1931/32, it was clear, from the Press reports, that a breakthrough was in the offing and that Kersal were building a side which might very well be on the way to becoming a force in Manchester District rugby once again. There were four or five of the side featured in the Guardian's 1928 picture still playing at the start of the 1931/2 season - W F Howorth, H.D.Ferneley, H.Butterfield, A.Cookson - but a new generation of players for the '30's was beginning to emerge. W.A.Tooke joined the first team as full-back and goal kicker; he was soon receiving praise for his play in the press week after week. He was, undoubtedly, a stabilising force in defence, which was probably something which had been lacking and which would settle the side down.

Kersal were, in fact, to win twelve games in 193 1/32 and were to go on to have four or five more highly successful years before the Second World War in 1939. With the move to Flixton playing numbers dropped - not alarmingly - from over one hundred in 1926 to about seventy five in 1928/9 and staying around that level for about the next decade.

Social Skills

Off the field, the Club had a reputation for "good" social evenings especially the often riotous Hot-Pot Supper nights. They were very popular if often not financially profitable, as the Treasurer would often complain that far more suppers had been consumed than tickets sold. The complaint of treasurers down the ages! One Hot-Pot Supper must have been out of control about 1928/9 as there was a very serious complaint about rowdy behaviour from the landlord of the Greyhound Hotel. The General Committee investigated the matter and was forced to admit that the landlord had a case. Four members were identified as the major trouble-makers and were duly called before a Disciplinary Committee under the chairmanship of the President.

Before the meeting had taken place a letter purporting to have come from the "Four Innocents" was sent to the President stating that they were not to blame but that the fault lay with the Secretary for purchasing "pickle onions which were too bouncy" as they would not stop bouncing off the Secretary's legal forehead (he was a solicitor). Two of the "accused" knew nothing about the letter and stated they had not signed it; they were suitably contrite about the whole incident so that they were merely warned about their future conduct. The other two, responsible for the letter with its forged signatures, were asked to resign from the Club; a letter of apology was sent to the landlord. Rumour had it that the landlord would not have been quite so upset if there hadn't been an incident the previous week when the Kersal Ladies' Committee had hired his best room for the evening.

In the room there was a statue of a greyhound, which was the landlord's pride and joy; the animal was considered to be curiously sexless until a suitably placed lipstick case turned the statue into a very "Macho" animal indeed. What further infuriated the landlord was that due to the "delicacy" of the subject (remember it was 1928) he did not feel able to take up the matter with the Ladies' Committee - so the men copped it!

The Glory Years 1932/37

It was very likely that many of the Kersal players and officers would have had their fingers crossed in September 1932 at the start of the 1932/33 Season in the hope that the results of the previous season had not been another false promise. The pack led by the captain and front-row forward, S.G.Barratt, was in good shape whilst a new back-row forward from Newport, G.B.Jones, was combining well with R.Ashbrook and R.R.Glover to give a new impetus to the forwards generally. The backs were also combining well, ably supported by W.A.Tooke at full-back, to such an extent that R.Broadrich on the wing was able to record three hat-tricks of tries before the end of November.

There was a further indication of growing Kersal strength when they won through to the final day of the Manchester Sevens Tournament - an important event in the rugby calendar at that time. On Finals Day they initially beat Birkenhead Park only to lose to Kendal by a penalty goal in the last seconds of the game. Both Park and Kendal were at their peak and both sides consisted entirely of internationals and county players. And, on to 1933/34 with less trepidation, perhaps, than before. Expectations were fulfilled! The Club again started well and seemed set for another good season with even better results than the previous year. There were 21 wins and 2 draws from 32 matches. Incredibly, each of the other three Club sides once more recorded successful seasons with the majority of games won.

During the season Kersal beat Broughton Park, a team in form with H.B.Toft, the England hooker, in the side; they beat Tyldesley heavily with similar results against Hoylake and Manchester University. With captain S.G.Barratt, playing and leading the team outstandingly, the Club were also fortunate in having a good pair of half-backs in B.N.Whittle and P.N.Hayley whilst G.B.Jones, H.C.Butterfield, the Glovers, the Cooksons, P.Clark and R.Ashbrook were all playing well and formed the core of the side with others, like J.H.Waters, ready to step in if anyone faltered. Kersal scored over 300 points with only 200 against. It was truly a fine season all round.

On the administration side, a special Club bar licence at the Greyhound changing rooms was obtained, an Easter Tour was arranged in North Wales against Colwyn Bay, Bangor and Rhyl and the Club applied for an extension of its lease from the Golf Club which was granted. The indomitable A.S.Robinson was both President and Chairman of the Club with W E Howorth still playing and Captain of the "A" Team.

The next season, 1934/35, saw major changes in the Kersal First Team. R.Ashbrook, a back-row forward, had taken over as Captain and there were changes at full back and half-back; H.C.Butterfield, the Cloven, the Cooksons and P.Clark were still there and playing well. It was soon clear that another good season was under way. Sefton, Wigan and Oldham were all beaten on their home grounds; Broughton Park were beaten at home and held to a draw in the return match at Park, Manchester University were beaten whilst Blackburn and Bowdon were simply swept aside. Altogether 22 games were won and 5 drawn from 38 matches with over 400 points scored against 268 by their opponents. Again, all the other sides were equally successful. All in all it was a tremendous year for the Kersal Club, the best, from a results point of view, since the early days of the century.

The Club President, Mr J.L. Beech, who was first registered as a Club member in 1911, died in office at the end of January, 1935. W.F.Howarth was nominated for the post of President and R.Ashbrook for Captain for the 1935/36 Season. Whilst not as successful as the previous year the season, on the whole, was satisfactory with 15 wins and 1 draw from 28 matches. The year had been eventful one in the country at large as it was the Jubilee Year for the King and Queen, George V and Queen Mary. A good deal of sport was cancelled when the King died in 1936; the season was also curtailed because of severe weather.

War Approaches

For the next season 1936/37, a new captain had been elected; he was H.C.Butterfield, a back-row forward who had joined the Club in 1926/27. He had played for Manchester University, the UAU and had been a Lancashire trialist on several occasions. They had a balanced pack and a first-rate hooker in R.R.Glover. The Press reported that in one game against Manchester University he heeled successfully from 43 out of 49 serums. It was only the presence of H.B.Toft, the English international at Broughton Park, which kept him out of the Lancashire side. All in all, 1936/37 was not a good season, especially in comparison with the recent past, with 6 wins and 1 draw from 31 games.

One of the season's victories - a famous one - had a curious twist. Kersal were due to play Kendal at home at the end of the season during the first week of April. Both regular half-backs were unable to play as was the "A" Team outside-half so the "A" Team serum-half was drafted in, a schoolboy, together with the outside-half from the "B" side. The latter was very youthful in appearance had been nicknamed "Boy"; he had played the previous week and scored seven tries. Kendal at that time were a very strong side with Bruce Lockhart, the Scottish international at outside-half with several other county players in the side. The youngsters, at halfback, played out of their skins, tackling their famous counterparts out of the game with the young outside-half scoring one try and making another for his partner Kersal won 10 - 9.

Both halves were picked for Kersal's next game but "Boy", the youthful outside-half - no-one ever knew his name -did not turn up and was never seen at Kersal again. Perhaps, it was the memory of that game which helped Kersal recover, somewhat, in the following season with much the same team. The record for the 1937/38 Season improved to record 12 wins and 3 draws from 30 games. At the lower levels in the Club, the sides were also recording up and down seasons and just about breaking even with wins and losses.

The first team captain for the next season 1938/39 was K.L.Taylor who played in the second row and who had received high praise in Press reports in previous seasons. The team, however, chopped and changed in both forwards and backs and did not settle down at all. Sometimes they were brilliant as they beat Broughton Park and Davenport and lost a number of other games only by small margins; at other times they were poor The weather was appalling that winter and games were cancelled or abandoned; a further hazard was a 'flu epidemic which hit Kersal hard so that in the end the first team won only 6, with one drawn game from 27 games.

Beyond the world of rugby more serious events had been brewing with the outbreak of war only two months away. Eventually, war was declared in September 1939 so that for Kersal, as with most other clubs, there was no 1939/40 season - players were elsewhere engaged. In fact, a number of Kersal players had already volunteered to join the Reserves as a Press report in April 1939 stated, "the Recruiting Sergeant had to mind his "p's" and "q's" with his fifteen latest new recruits, three with university degrees and twelve members of the Kersal Rugby Club with their Old School Ties!" The Glory Years were, however, over. There was no rugby at Flixton for Kersal from 1939 - 1946.

A Look Around Before Moving On

Once more a number of people had joined during the late 20's and early 30's who were going to figure time and time again in Club activities over the next forty or fifty years. H.D.Ferneley (Jim), for example, had joined as a junior player in 1926/7; I.R. Jones (Roy) at the same time whilst Stuart Robinson (son of A.S.), J.H.Waters and Arnold Chadwick had all joined in 1930. Towards the end of the period A.D.Lennie, W.N.Thompson and M.Winstanley (later Lord Winstanley) had all joined as junior playing members. All were to play major roles in Club administration or help considerably when the Club needed expertise and guidance. Al Read, the radio and television comedian also joined in 1935.

There are a host of stories about Jim Ferneley, mostly after he had retired from playing and was a well-known figure running the touchline at Kersal first team games. Jim played as a forward in his later years when he captained the "A" and "B" Teams but, originally in 1927 when he played for the first team, he was a wing three-quarter Officially, he retired as a player in 1948 after having achieved his ambition of playing with his son but, in fact, he kept on playing a number of games each season well into the 1950's. When running the touchline he was not averse to tackling, or impeding in some way, the opposition winger whilst in full flight for the line and he generally shortened the length of opposition touch-kicks by many yards. Most referees knew him and took their own corrective action. In one match against Blackburn he ensured a last minute victory for Kersal by signaling a conversion when everyone else had been convinced the ball had gone wide. The referee, diplomatically, ruled a second kick; at the second attempt the conversion was successful. Blackburn went home a little unhappy.

At one stage to help Club funds Jim purchased 350 packets of chewing gum, which he sold to players throughout the season at a profit to the Club of nine shillings and eleven pence! His love and dedication for the Club was shared by his wife who was a very active member of the Ladies' Committee whilst his own memorial, perhaps, might be found in the renowned set of Rugby Club shields which decorate the walls of the Clubhouse, most of which he made, or at least renovated, initially at Oldfield Road, and, subsequently at Stelfox Avenue. When he was frail and ill, just before he died in his eighties in the mid-1980's, Club members brought him to the Clubhouse, week after week, to watch a game and talk to members, young and old.

There was another facet to membership of the Club, which developed at Flixton. Whilst there were fewer ex-public schoolboys and more local members, there began a process, which turned Kersal into a "family" club. There were a series of brothers, cousins and other relatives by marriage who all joined. There were the Butterfield Brothers, the four Brothers Cookson, with their brother-in-law Dr Wolstenholme, the four Brothers Glover and W.A.Tooke who was brother-in-law to J.H.Waters. They all played first team rugby over a span of years and, almost to a man, were to serve in some official capacity in the Club. Naturally, all other non-playing members of the family also became club members. Similar bands of brothers and relations would be found over the ensuing years.

Across the world in the Armed Forces there had been organised competitive sport mostly under the auspices of qualified physical training instructors, many of whom had been professional sportsmen in civilian life. Many Kersal players were members of the Reserve and had been called up at the outbreak of war and had been able to play in their off-duty hours whilst in the Army. Don Lennie, S.Halsall and Ken Glover were all able to play rugby, often at a high standard, at a number of places across the world. Don Lennie, in fact, played in Britain, in Ceylon and in the Middle East and in one representative match in Egypt played in the same side as S.Halsall. Ken Glover gained his Lancashire cap as a result of a wartime county game.

Amateur soccer, rugby and cricket players had often rubbed shoulders with the "great and famous" in sport and once back in "civvy street", free from Army discipline and restraint, they were anxious to continue playing and to see top-class sportsmen in action once more. As a consequence, soccer, cricket as well as rugby league were soon geared up to meet the general interest from the public in sporting matters. There were all kinds of representative matches in the summer and winter of 1945 as there were many international sportsmen from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa still in the United Kingdom in the Armed Forces.

The general programme for professional soccer and rugby league were soon re-established for the winter season after the end of the war. Rugby Union was somewhat slower off the mark as so many clubs had difficulties with playing fields and playing membership. Key players had often been killed or wounded and union clubs did not have the same playing strength and general resources as the professional codes on which to fall back. Kersal were without a ground in 1945, and their immediate pre-war captain, K.L.Taylor had been killed in the Far East. A number of other Kersal members were also recorded as having been killed in action, among them J.Dodd, O.M.Cairns, J.Reid, R.Walker and B.H.Whittle. Thankfully, the carnage nationally had been far less than in 1914-18.

Post War Years

The Golf Club at Flixton offered Kersal the use of eight acres as a playing area for a period of two years and, whilst not as large a ground as they would have liked, the offer was gratefully accepted especially as it was clear that it was going to be difficult to run two sides for some time. Manchester also offered Kersal the use of their ground at Moor Lane in Kersal, Prestwich and the Club played two games at that ground; there was no rugby at Flixton until December/January 1946. Several Kersal players turned out for Manchester and continued to do so for most of the season. One of those was Don Lennie who was also nominated for, and played in, a Lancashire Trial during the season. Under the captaincy of Ken Glover, with administration in the hands of A.S.Robinson, Frank Howorth and John Butterfield, the Kersal Club were determined to re-appear on the rugby scene. Whilst it would be wrong to say that the first post-war results did not count there were no great worries over lack of success as so many clubs were also in difficulties over grounds, players and winter cancellations of games. The need was to re-group during the summer of 1946 and for the '46/47 season when there would be a full fixture list, when more players might have been de-mobilised and so back in the fold. The 1946/47 Season would be important in another way as it would be the Fiftieth Anniversary of the formation of the Club and all were determined to celebrate the occasion appropriately. Just as an aside, the Club managed to compete in the Manchester Sevens and win through to the final rounds by beating Old Aldwinians and Old Salfordians. They were, however, to lose to a strong Sale side on the final day when Sale went on to win the competition. The first game of the 1946/7 Season was a home game against Wilmslow and Kersal were able to muster some twelve players from the pre-war, 1938/9, era. The Press recorded a good game which Wilmslow won 12 - 0. There was, however~ no strength in depth and the Club were barely able to field an "A" side so that injury or illness considerably reduced the effectiveness of the First XV. Whilst such a situation existed the results for the Club would not improve.

Jubilee Celebrations

An extensive programme of events for its Jubilee year had been organised. A dinner was held at the Tudor Restaurant in Belle Vue on 10 March 1947 with some fifty people present amongst the guests who had played for, or against, the Club before 1926 and the Club move to Flixton. There was also a range of rugby and civic dignatories including the President of the Lancashire Rugby Union and Alderman White, a past mayor of Manchester. On 1st April, as part of the celebrations, a match was played against Broughton Park at Flixton. The game ended in a draw, 0 - 0, a repetition of the first game between the two clubs some fifty years earlier. Various Hot-Pot suppers, stag nights, a Jubilee Dance at Sharrocks' Palais Royal, Manchester and various concerts completed the Jubilee Year Celebrations which were considered a huge success despite the Treasurer reporting an overall loss of £50 to the Club.

Back to Reality

The captaincy changed for the next season with Jack Moseley taking over. He was principally a full-back but an adventurous and versatile player who could take over anywhere in the back division as required.. The pack was relatively strong and had been strengthened by several young players new to the Club. John Curtis, Tom Sharp and Jim Whitby all joined at that time and were quickly into the first team. All were versatile players, fit and fast. Curtis and Sharp were equally at home in the backs as well as, seemingly, anywhere in the pack. Another newcomer was Michael Winstanley who had completed his medical studies and had re-joined the Club. The forwards were the stronger element in the side at that time and the try-scoring list for the season was headed by Don Lennie and John Curtis with five tries apiece. Don Lennie had once more been chosen as a Lancashire Trialist and had played in a game alongside R.H.Heaton of Waterloo and England. Kersal had other problems, however, than their first team results as once more they were in danger of having no ground the following season. The lease from the Golf Club was up and would not be extended. Eventually, the Club was able to obtain a short tenancy of land immediately to the south of Flixton Church. It was a most picturesque setting for a sports ground as it was bounded on three sides by trees with the church in the background and its tower clock ringing out the quarter hours. The adjacent Church Inn added the final authentic touch for a rugby ground. The ground was, however, small with poor drainage so that play was on many occasions literally bogged down. A new, more permanent ground was an urgency. Through the Treasurer, Stuart Robinson, the Club learned of ten to eleven acres in Altrincham. The Kersal members, initially, refused to move from the Flixton district but some months later when no other suitable land had been found, it was agreed to proceed.

The lease holders Messrs Luke & Spencers, under their chairman, Alderman W Waterhouse, were tremendously helpful and co-operative. The Club was granted a sub-lease until 1956; the firm also agreed to level the ground and make it suitable for rugby football at their expense (about £7000, as it turned out), the use of the firm's staff, under the control of the Club's own groundsman, to maintain the ground, use of the car park at Luke & Spencers' sports ground and to allow the Club to tie up to the firm's water and electricity supplies. Truly magnificent backing and assistance to the Kersal Club. Finally, two huts were purchased, adapted and erected as a most useful unit clubhouse. Members completed the furbishing and furnishing with the Ladies Committee raising a considerable sum through social events of all kinds. When the accounting was all over, the cost of the move, the purchase and erection of the huts and their refurbishment had all been covered and all that remained was a £600 loan from the RFU. The surplus of money raised by the Ladies Committee was donated to the Club for the building and erection of a f stone fireplace over which was placed a memorial to those members who lost their lives in the two World Wars.

Flixton - A Final Glimpse

The Kersal Club members had been very happy at Flixton and were loath to leave. Most of those still alive who played at Flixton look back with affection at their time there. The twenty five or so years there had seen poor fortunes on the field as well as people, games and other activities to savour There had been players and administrators who had graced the game of rugby and the Club. Many were still around - amongst them -A.S. Robinson, W.EHoworth, Stuart Robinson, J. Waters, J.Ferneley, the Butterfields, the Clover Brothers, the Halsall brothers, C.W.Gleave, A.D.Lennie, W.N.Thomson - all pre-war members - all of whom would transfer their allegiance and support of the Kersal Club to its new home at Oldfield Road, Altrincham. There had been many "characters" during those years and one other player ought to be mentioned before closing the Flixton years. Dr Michael Winstanley had played briefly as a schoolboy in the pre- 1939 years and was to re-appear when he graduated from Medical School in Manchester He was a good, versatile player, irrepressible on and off the pitch. There were a myriad stories about his antics, probably, all apocryphal, which were retold with delight by all who knew him. How good a player of the bag-pipes he was, is anybody's guess, but it is an instrument which sounds dreadful if played by anyone who is less than highly proficient. At one time an official of Kersal lived next door to a senior member of another well-known club in the Altrincham area who was believed to have spoken disparagingly about the Kersal Club. So, the good doctor persuaded the Kersal official to allow him into his home, plus bagpipes, where he proceeded to play songs up the chimney for several hours with the house in complete darkness. The weird music, with no apparent origin, was said to have caused utter consternation next door! Michael Winstanley became a Member of Parliament in 1964, later Lord Winstanley; he was to be of immense assistance to the Club in the late '60's when the Club were moving to Stelfox Avenue. Whilst it had been decided to play only an occasional game at the new ground at Oldfield Road to allow the pitches to settle and the grass to become established, in fact, the first game took place there in November 1951 against Keighlians. The game only took place, howeves as the visitors did not receive the telephone call telling them that the ground was really too wet. So, games still took place back in Flixton with the occasional game at Oldfield Road. The new ground and clubhouse was officially opened by the Club President, A.S. Robinson, on 17th September 1952 and there was a match between A.S. Robinson's Kersal XV and H.S. Robinson's Broughton Park XV which was watched by about 500 spectators. On this occasion the game was won by Broughton Park, thus breaking the run of draws which had been a feature of previous encounters between the clubs for such commemorative games. Two excellent and competitive sides were raised; the Kensal side under the captaincy of Jack Moseley included Eric Evans, the England, Lancashire and Sale player together with five other Lancashire or Cheshire players whilst the Broughton Park XV included John Burgess of Lancashire and Broughton Park plus eight or nine international triallists or county players.

Oldfield Road

The fixture-list at that time was still very strong - too strong, it was considered by many in the Club; it was agreed after much debate that certain clubs be asked to release Kersal from their forward programme until the Club was able to re-group and provide better opposition. Oldham, Rochdale and Furness would not countenance losing the Kersal fixture; St Helens, Morley and Wilmsldw eventually disappeared from the list. The correspondence revealed that Kersal was still held in high esteem and that most clubs understood that they might very well go through a phase when they were less than formidable opposition. Kersal was a very good club, still, socially and whilst the wooden clubhouse was not much to look at from the outside, inside it was very attractive with the walls covered by a mass of wooden shields depicting the team colours of the various club Kersal had played over the years together with date of the first fixture. These had been initiated by a Mr Eric Price and painted by him with the help of T.Lewis (Club coach at the end of the Flixton period and the early days at Oldfield Road) and Jim Ferneley. The latter ensured the shields transferred with the Club from Oldfield Road and he continued to maintain and extend them as necessary. It was in the early days at Oldfield Road that a design for a Club Badge was approved after a good deal of research by Dudley W. Jones into the Kersal District of Manchester The badge was to be in four quarters: the Red Rose of Lancashire; the Cross of the Lenton Priory (the districts of Kersal and Broughton were given to the Priory in 1142); the Crest of the Byrom family (in 1351 Kersal was handed over to the Byrom family) - the crest comprises a sable chevron touched by a blue square together with two sable hedgehogs on a silver background; the Kersal Club colours. It was an imaginative and impressive design in keeping with the Club's origins. In April 1955 the Club celebrated the 80th birthday of A.S. Robinson, the last surviving founder member of the the Club. He was presented with an inscribed plaque and arrangements were made for a large portrait photograph to be hung in the clubhouse. There was the usual rugby game to commemorate the occasion -Kersal versus a Select President's XV. Sadly, "Robin" was to die the following year and a number of Kersal players acted as pall-bearers at the funeral. Truly, the end of a magical rugby legend! His son, Stuart, remained and was to carry on serving the Club for almost twenty more years as Treasurer and President representing a remarkable record of Father and Son service to a sporting institution.

Fortunes See-Saw

As the Club settled down in its new home the membership increased steadily and the overall numbers increased to about 300 by 1954/55 which included about 80 playing members. Although the Club was attempting to run three sides the results at first team level were not good under successive captains, J.Moseley, W.Thomson, J.Curtis and J.Lenton. There was a good deal of individual brilliance in both forwards and backs but overall the sides seemed deficient in some or other phase of the game. The spirit, however, amongst Club members was still good. The period saw new players into the Club some of whom would go on to serve the Club with dedication for many years on and off the field. Mike Massey played his first game for the first team at that time whilst still at school, Mike Wright became a regular first team member and Eddie Barton was already an experienced first team hooker. In one season 1955/6 ( when the author joined the Club) the first team had won one game and drawn one other by the end of December. By the end of the season one more game had been drawn and at the last game of the season - away at Wilmslow - the points against total was 904 - and there were bets that the one thousand points would be reached. Whilst the game was lost the score was not sufficient to bring up the 1000 total but the game typified the season with the forwards able to give the backs a good supply of the ball, with some of the young backs able to run beautifully and make breaks, but could not score. The game saw a quite brilliant and remarkable display from a young full-back, Frank Lundy, who tackled devastatingly time and time again to save his line. Despite losing, most members of the team would be able to justify their own game and so were not too despondent. That, perhaps, typified the outlook of the players at the time.

Towards the end of the following season, however, a new outside-half joined the Club with a sound pedigree of rugby behind him, having played for Hampshire, Leicester Tigers and Harlequins. He was elected captain for the following season and a remarkable turn around in Club fortunes occurred with the winning of 15 games out of 30. It was not only the results which impressed as the manner of winning in that from the set pieces, serums and lines-out, the ball was won and went quickly to the outside-half, or inside-centre, who kicked for the corner-flag for the winger to run on to score. The outside-halt and captain, was Jim Morris with the wing being Mike Massey. In that season Massey scored 29 tries in that way, a try-scoring record for one season, which remained unbeaten over the years. Jim Morris was a quiet man, a perfectionist on the field with a dry, but devastating, wit. He did not suffer fools gladly on or off the pitch even if they were very good rugby players. He gave the first team the stability, confidence and class experience, which had been missing, perhaps, in the preceding seasons and the Club as a whole benefited from the changed fortunes on the field. The pity of it was that Jim only played a little over two seasons although he played his part in Club administration as a member of the General Committee and joint Club Secretary for several years. He was awarded the Kersal Club Cap in recognition of his playing prowess. The Club also rewarded other long-standing players and dedicated Club members. John Curtis who had first played for the Kersal First XV in 1947 was awarded his Club Cap. He had been captain three times and also served on the General Committee for a number of years; he was a great recruiter for the Club as it was he who brought a number of players from the Warrington area over the Moss" to play at Altrincham. With his penchant for veteran sports cars he would always ensure you would arrive at a match but getting home again could not always be guaranteed. Don Lennie had retired as a player in the mid-fifties and had been Club Secretary since 1949 and because of pressure of business he was having to give up the Secretaryship as well. Don had been awarded his Club Cap before 1939 and he was elected an Honorary Life Member in recognition of more than thirty years service on and off the field. Roy Jones was similarly honoured for dedicated and hard work for the Club. During the late '50's the First XV maintained its improved level of performance, under successive captains Tom Sharp, Bill Brown and David Jefferey, winning about half of their games each season. A number of good young players had joined and were developing well - players like Jack Sanson, Alistair Jones, Nev Connolly, Simon Ward, John Dutton, Eric Lancaster and Nick Rushworth. Some of the "older" hands still around were John Curtis, Lionel Shortis, Don Williams and Joe Clayton. The last-named was an interesting character who played at prop forward. He was a hard, uncompromising forward with a wry sense of humour delivered in a broad Lancashire accent. He lost his life when going back into the factory in which he worked to rescue his fellow-workers during a blaze, which totally destroyed the factory. Another prop, and character, was Lionel Shortis - a Londoner with umpteen first class degrees after his name - who on the field sounded like an Aussie from the furthest outback. Gamesmanship was his other name as his raucous call of "Well - kicked, Sir" was so perfectly timed at a penalty kick or conversion that neither referee nor kicker was sure if the yell had been deliberately off-putting or just good sportsmanship. The simplest of kicks, it must be said, often failed. At that time, and for about ten years, there was in the Club something called the "Warrington Element" in that at least half a dozen members of various first teams came from the Warrington area. John Curtis was the first, joining in 1947; he had been joined later by Shortis, Williams, Tidy, Jones, Lomas, Sanson, the Weare-Taylor brothers, Robinson, C.Dix-Baker and Geoff Appleton. All at one stage were playing together in the same team in the early '60's.

Geoff Appleton became captain in 1963 and had several most successful seasons; in his first season the team won 18 out of 26 games. Appleton was to play for Kersal for over ten seasons and captain the Club, and the A Team, again later in his career. He was an outstanding centre or outside-half who was regarded as one of the fittest and fastest rugby players in the Manchester District. In the years immediately after 1945 the Club had undertaken various "tours" but they were one-off day trips to the Lake District or North Wales and were more Family" outings than the more recognised rugby tour as wives and girl-friends were "allowed"! In the late 1950's the formal Club Easter Tour was re-introduced. The first of these was to the West Country with the Club based at Weston-Super-Mare with games against Blagdon, Clevedon and Ludlow. There was a Hockey Festival also on at Weston in which Timperley were taking part. There was the usual "attack" on the Town for "souvenirs" which included a police helmet obtained by a fleet-of-foot first team wing man. On the Monday morning the Club coach left early and just beat the 7.30 am police blockade out of the town which had been imposed for the town to recover some of its various "lost" notices, signposts and other civic property. The Hockey teams were not so lucky! The police helmet stayed at Oldfield Road for a number of seasons with "Zummerzet" drinking songs also part of the Club's singing repertoire for some time.

Stelfox Avenue

At Oldfield Road an extension was added to the clubhouse in 1960, chiefly the work of John Curtis, Roy Jones and Arthur Walton. The roof and part of the floor of the newly erected building were destroyed by fire on a very windy Saturday in June after the building was being prepared for painting with blow-lamps, etc. Fortunately, the building was well insured (!) and the building was completed and officially opened in October 1960 by the President of the Lancashire RFU. Older members of the Club presented the Club with a new set of jerseys for the commemorative match. In 1962 Lancashire recognised the Club's ground and facilities by holding one of its official "Trials" at the ground. The Club had been led to believe by representatives of the Earl of Stamford that the lease to them, via Messrs Luke & Spencers, would be extended beyond 1966 for at least another ten years and that any proposal to purchase the land by the Club would be favourably considered. After much inconclusive, unsatisfactory negotiations, the Club were informed in 1965 that the lease would not be renewed and that his Lordship had other plans for the land. A further extension to the clubhouse had been approved three years earlier so that the decision over the future of the land caused consternation especially when, later the land was leased to the North Cestrian Grammar School for playing fields.

Once more the Club had to commence a search for a new ground; they could continue to play at Oldfield Road for one year and to use their own clubhouse for one further year; after that time - sell it or remove it. Very low compensation was offered to the Club for the Clubhouse by the governors of the school and all in all it was a sorry business. Club officials found suitable land most difficult to identify and the search went out as far as Mobberley but nothing suitable seemed forthcoming until once more Altrincham Council came to the assistance of the Club in two ways. Firstly, they allowed Kersal to rent two Council pitches at Beech Avenue in Timperley and subsequently, by offering ten acres at Stelfox Avenue, also Timperley, on a long lease. The land had been used as a market garden and was well drained. The Club would have to level and seed the ground. The offer was quickly accepted and the task of designing and building a clubhouse - as well as raising the necessary finance - was put in hand. The total cost was almost £18,500 and of this about £3000 was raised by donation, nearly £6000 in the form of a Ministry of Education grant through Cheshire County Council with the remainder coming from loans from the RFU, Lancashire RFU, The National Playing Fields Association, the Cheshire Playing Fields Association, Williams Deacon's Bank and Allied Breweries. The administration and negotiations for loans, ground and clubhouse were in the hands of the President, Stuart Robinson, Secretary, Mike Massey, W.Thompson, Don Williams and Mike Wright who was Chairman of the Development Committee. It was, in fact, a design by Mike Wright, which was to be erected in the record time of thirteen weeks; it was opened by the President of the RFU, J.T.W.Berry, on 20 October 1968. A fifteen-a-side knock-out competition was organised as a celebration and that was won by Sale. So, the Kersal Club might be said to be home at last with an excellent ground on a long lease, a new clubhouse and a reasonable playing strength. The problems of the immediate past might be considered over, with no further need to consider amalgamation with Manchester as was proposed in 1957 nor with Bowdon - in 1967. The Club would surely be able to develop and go from strength to strength at Stelfox Avenue The early years at the new ground were reasonably successful, socially and competitively on the field. In 1969 & 1970, the preliminary rounds of the prestigious Glengarth Sevens were held at Stelfox Avenue as were Lancashire, East versus West, Trials. By 1972, capitalising on the hard work of the captains in the final years at Oldfield Road, Peter Hughes, Appleton, Woolley, Dave Hurst, Percy Orpet, the Club was able to run six teams plus a Wednesday XV together with Junior/Colts Sections. Under Ken Cruddos in the early' '70's, the Club was playing sound, hard, uncompromising rugby reflecting the outlook and determination of their captain and, perhaps, the demand in rugby for a higher level of fitness and the greater emphasis on the "need to win". Under Ken Cruddos in one season the First Team won 22 games from 31 but later during the decade the results see-sawed up and down for no apparent reason. On the playing side it would seem that all the right things were being done by successive captains in the '70's: extensive training schedules were introduced, external coaching, extensive planning for Colts and Junior rugby whilst later Mini-rugby for under twelve year olds was introduced. The captains of that period, K. Cruddos, P. Nice, S. Whittaker, P. Landsborough and R.Salt all worked extremely hard to achieve fit, successful First Teams and produce a good standard of rugby throughout the Club. The standard of rugby - sound, stimulating though it might have been considered within the Club - still lacked the brilliance and consistency to break through into a higher grade of rugby. In the Lancashire Cup competition, for example, the Club would just lose - 8-7 - to Clubs like Widnes but by a much larger margin to Liverpool. For a while under the captaincy of Pete Forrest - ex-Broughton Park and Lancashire - it seemed as if the advent of experience from a higher level of rugby might provide the answer but after two enjoyable seasons from a results point of view, subsequent events would prove the breakthrough had not arrived. The overall pace of top-class rugby was also a great deal faster than the '50's or early '60's. The task to close the gap between the junior and senior clubs was becoming harder all the time whilst the demand to increase skills, fitness and success was also becoming more intense since a similar gap in fitness and skills seemed to be developing at international level between Northern and Southern hemisphere rugby. Part of the answer for British rugby was said to be the creation of "leagues" which would enable far more competitive rugby to be played with, it was hoped, a consequential rise in playing standards all round. Changes of that kind were several years in the future and the task for the Kersal Club as it moved into the eighties was to continue to develop and maintain a reasonable standard of rugby and trust that perseverance would pay off. And, sure enough, the pendulum was about to commence a swing which would result in a breakthrough in skills and success for another most exciting period in the history of the Kersal Club.

Out and About in the Club

Before concentrating on the playing side once more it would be as well to look again at "people" and administration. A new clubhouse and ground must inevitably bring their own problems and, undoubtedly, such ""teething troubles" with ground and clubhouse were minimised by the devotion and dedication of a new and younger range of ex-players who were to immerse themselves in dub administration at that time. The Holland brothers and Bill Brown were those mainly concerned with ensuring the ground and clubhouse were cared for Bill Brown had been forced to retire from playing due to injury soon after he captained the Club in 1959/60. He had taken up refereeing for junior club games and had been earlier involved in administration at Oldfield Road when he had raised over £4000 through the Manchester Development Association. The quality of grass and playing surfaces generally at Stelfox testified to his care. Similarly, the Holland Brothers had both been players and always dedicated to the fortunes of the Kersal Club. Without their activities in relation to house & ground the early days at Stelfox would have been more difficult. Father, Tony Holland, was also Club Treasurer - later President - once more it was a case of "Family" devotion all round. In due course, Bill Brown, John and Charles Holland were all to be elected Honorary Life Members for their activities in support of the Club. Similarly, Mike Wright was so honoured for his part in establishing the Club in its move from Oldfield Road. He went on to become Chairman of the General Committee, under long-standing member and President W.Thompson, for a number of years as well as President for three. He stepped down as President in 1977/8 to allow Jack Waters to become President when the latter was elected President of the Lancashire County RFU, the first time a Kersal member had been so honoured. The joint Presidential honours recognised his service to rugby in the Manchester District as well as to Kersal as Jack Waters had joined Kersal in 1929, had played first team rugby for several years; he had been Chairman and President of Kersal previously and was first appointed to office with Lancashire in the 1950's, culminating with the Treasurership and the Presidency. Mrs Waters was also an ardent Kersal supporter and even in their final years both took an active interest in events at Kersal -on and off the field. Jack died in 1990; his contribution over the span of years to the Club was quite remarkable. The development of Youth Rugby was at that time in the hands of Dennis Mallalieu - who was also involved with the Lancashire County Youth Development projects - Pip Thomas, John Wilkes and Mike Chester were all influential figures on the overall "Junior" rugby scene for the '70's and '80's. During the '80's the Club were to lose several influential figures who had served the Club. M.F.Howorth was to be killed in a car accident and a charity game which he had been arranging for the Lancashire County became, instead, his own memorial game as the tributes in the game's programme testify - from the Lancashire President, from B.Beaumont, the English captain and Lancashire player and from Tony Neary, also of England and Lancashire. Two other long standing members also died during the same period, Arnold Chadwick, a stalwart from the 1930's and President, 1953/64 and Eddie Barton who first played for Kersal at Flixton and was still playing Third Team rugby at the time of his death. The Club were also to lose W.Thompson, Jim Ferneley, Tony Holland and Bill Brown - a sad period for many in the Kersal Club. To lighten the picture somewhat, howeveb Kersal were able to congratulate Peter Hughes, Club Captain in the early '60's, when he was elected to the International Referees' Panel and when he took charge of his first game at that level in 1982.

Glory Years

The first seasons in the 1980's were reasonably successful overall but there were indications of better things to come in that there were some very good younger players coming through into the First Team in both three quarters and forwards. There were signs, too, that with further development and experience the Club might be building a pack of forwards, which might turn out to be all-powerful.

Dave Elliott had some success with his teams by building up team spirit generally in the Club and arranging a popular and successful Club tour to Holland. Initially, when Leagues actually came into being in the North-West in 1985/6 under the sponsorship of Girobank PLC - a new and dramatic event in Rugby Union - the Club did not perform particularly well but change was on the way as in 1987, under captain Mike Chester, Kersal went all the way to the final of the Lancashire Plate Competition. They beat Sedgeley Park, at Eccles, 23 - 8 to win the Plate, a major breakthrough for the Club. It was not only the winning, however, which was important but the manner of winning as the Kersal pack took on, and vanquished, the powerful opposing forwards to give overwhelming possession from the serums, thus thwarting the able Park threequarters. Those present had seen the future for such was to be the pattern of play from then onwards for three or four seasons for the Kersal First Team. They had a pack good enough to take on all corners as well as some very fast three-quarters together with a fine full-back.

Undoubtedly, the pack had a tremendous front row with two excellent props, Laga and McGrath and a strong hooker in Ian Wright (and Captain for two years) but the second row was also powerful with a great back-row. The Kersal "squad" during those successful years included the Domville brothers, D.Parkinson. C.Sever, M.Chester, K.Charleson, G.Butcher, R.Plant, M.Stoneman, N.Prior, W.Le Boutellier in the forwards whilst in the threes there had been D.Elliott, B.Grady, M. Mallalieu (England U-18), J. Anderson, T.Hunter, A.Barton,J.McCaffrey, S.Grady, M.Morgan as well as the speed on the wings in D. Leach, M.Wildgoose and J.Emerson with N.Gunning and D.Jeffries as full-backs. Kersal sat back on their laurels a little the following season as there were games and tournaments to celebrate the Club's 90th Year but started on the honours trail again in 1988/89, this time in the Lancashire Trophy, one of the Cup competitions sponsored by Girobank in the region.

Kersal reached the final by beating Widnes, the Trophy & Lancashire Cup winners the previous season, in the quarter final and Manchester in the semi-final. They were to meet Sedgley Park in the final at Broughton Park - the same team the Club had beaten two years earlier in the Lancashire Plate. They were to win again in a mud-bath of a game.

Three weeks later Kersal met Waterloo at Waterloo in the Lancashire Cup only to go down 13-10 in a game where Kersal more than held their own against the senior side and refused to draw the game by kicking a penalty in front of the posts. Instead, they took a serum in an attempt to score the winning try. In the first weeks of the following season in September 1989, the Club were due to meet Fylde at Fylde in the first round of the Pilkington Cup, the premier knock-out cup competition in English Rugby;

Kersal had gained entry as a result of their success in winning the Lancashire Trophy. To put the game in perspective Fylde were six leagues higher than Kersal yet they were able to hold their own for most of the first half but in the end could not hold their class opponents. Once more, however, they had not been overwhelmed.

Those were great days in the Club in a totally different way in that Club members had responded to the First Team success by turning up at games to cheer and sing the Team to victory -the Kersal "Barmy Army". Dependent on the venue the core of supporters would dress up in fancy dress - at Fylde, for example, they had a sea-side and South Sea Island theme; grass-skirts, outrageously large sun-glasses and colourful umbrellas were the order of the day. Not all clubs approved the antics of the Kersal supporters but they were colourful, cheerful, noisy, good tempered and a tremendous boost for the Kersal team.

There had been time, too, for two tours to the Continent, one to Holland and one to Portugal. Both were highly successful and undoubtedly added to Club and team morale even if in Portugal more than half the touring party landed up in jail! During those years, despite their success in competitions, the Club had been fighting to win promotion out of their league and had failed to do so by the narrowest of margins in two successive seasons - Kersal had become the "Team to Beat" and no-one showed them any favours. There were still two more great seasons ahead as the Club went through to the final of the Lancashire Trophy for the second year in succession. They failed to win in the final against Wigan at the Liverpool-St Helens ground but it was another great occasion for the whole Club with the "Barmy Army" once more very much in evidence.

Further Success

The following year Kersal entered the Provincial Insurance Cup - a knock-out competition for junior clubs where the final would be played at Twickenham. Kersal won through seven rounds before the semi-final against Bicester at Coventry. The team was drawn away for five out of the seven rounds and had to travel long distances for four of these during the competition, to Hartlepool on the NE coast, to Northallerton in Yorkshire, to Birmingham, to Rockcliff in the NE and to Coventry for the semi-final. Prior to the latter game the team had scored 163 points to only 27 against; proof of the power in the pack, the hard tackling in the centres, the scoring abilities of the fast wings, the ability and experience of serum-half Andy Barton, and the kicking accuracy of the boot of N.Pearson, the new outside-half. The game at Coventry was lost 15-6 and Kersal's Twickenham dreams were over.

Well, not entirely as the Kersal U12's Mini-Rugby side had the honour of being invited to play against the Bicester U-12's Mini side at Twickenham in a warm-up game to the Provincial Cup Final. The youngsters were most thrilled and all those years of Sunday morning sessions by the various dedicated coaches, Denis Mallalieu, Pip Thomas, John Wilkes, Mike Chester, the Salts, the Hancock Family and many others, had been rewarded.

The 1991/2 Season was a good one overall as the First Team won 26 games from 30 - an all-time record; they also came top in their league, only to find re-structuring of the leagues gave no real enhancement to the Club's position in North West rugby. It was an irony, too, that success on the field proved a handicap to Club development.

All thos