Level 14 Now no such level in North
Sheffield Oaks
Bridon
De La Salle
Sheffield Steels
Stocksbridge
Granville College
Sheffield Medicals
Adwick
Markham
Maltby OB
Armthorpe R
When I first started and was in Thorne's 4th and 5th team (I know hard to believe isn't it?) we played games against most of these (and won most!
)
If Bridon count as Doncaster Phoenix then they have progressed more than anyone in that division most of whom have disappeared - along with Thorne's 4 and 5th team and 3rds for that matter. De La Salle had a nice club house in lovely Victorian/Georgian House in some parkland - don't know where it was other than in Sheffield somewhere - Abbeydale or around there?
Looking further up the list it's hard to believe how much Thornensians managed to "punch above their weight" in those early days of the Leagues - population of 8,000 maximum and a RL club down the road in Moorends. In those days we were still an auto qualifier in the Yorkshire Cup.
Old Crossleyans don't seem to have moved at all in over 25 years.
The list makes interesting reading especially for us old 'uns who were around/playing when it all started.
From my point of view the downside of League Rugby was the loss of the fixtures in NLD (Mellish, Paviours, Notts Moderns, Amber Valley, Mansfield etc) which always meant a stop off at the Turnpike in Bawtry - ooooh my skull!
