MEN 1873-1895
MEN 1895-2024
WOMEN 2018-2024
 

Billy Cross

OVERALL STATISTICS

BIRTHAGESIGNED ONFROM
14-02-1864
N/A
Date unknown.
Kendal Hornets
DEBUTLAST MATCHLEFT
07-09-1895 v Rochdale Hornets
Batley
1901- when he Retired
CAREERAPPEARANCES (SUBS)
1895-1900
74 (0)
TRIESGOALSDGOALSPTS
1
3
0
9

Biography of Billy Cross



HERITAGE NO : 6
William Cross by Dave Dooley:

Billy Cross was a great player in the early days of the club playing over 70 matches mostly as a stand off. He made his debut in Saints first ever Northern Union game against Rochdale Hornets on the 7 September 1895. Playing under Rugby Union rules and scoring system, Billy Cross has the distinction of kicking the first ever goal for Saints as a Northern Union [rugby league] team.

Billy was the captain of the Club prior to the Northern Union set-up and was one of that great batch of players that Saints imported from Kendal Hornets in the late 1880s and early 1890s. This moustached `will o the wisp` was one of the club`s most durable players and a proud leader of the team.

Billy scored his only try under the auspices of the Northern Union for the Saints in a league match against Huddersfield on 30th. November 1895 as part of a comfortable 11 points to 3 victory. In 75 matches for the Saints Billy scored one try and kicked 3 goals for a total points aggregate of 9 points.

His greatest disappointment must have been the 1897 Challenge Cup campaign, which he missed after being injured against Oldham in the early part of the year. The Saints got to the final, with Richard O`Hara in the stand off berth at Headingley. Saints lost by 10 points to 3 to the `Gallant Youths` on that particular day. Billy was also absent when the first Saints side to lift a trophy under Northern Union rules beat Runcorn, in extra time, by 6 points to nil in the South West Lancs and Border Towns Cup at Widnes on April 30th., 1900. That season Billy had only managed one outing for the first team.

In his last season Billy played nine matches mostly in the forwards. His final match for the Club was against Batley on the 23rd. of March 1901 when the Saints went down to Batley by 7 points to 5 in the third round of the Challenge Cup at Knowsley Road.

A further biography has been compiled as a result of further research based around the 1896-97 team:

William Anza Cross became a star for the famous Kendal Hornets team in the 1880s before becoming a Saint. A half-back with grace and skill [probably akin to Lewis Jones in style] he represented Lancashire on no less than 16 occasions, from his debut against Cambridge University on 4th November 1891, to his last against Westmorland at Whalley Range on 29th October 1892.

He was brought up in Kendal, where his father, Thomas, was a Labourer and their address in 1871 reads: 8, Black Hole Yard. Ten years later and by now one of five siblings, 18-year-old Billy is still in the same place, but his job is entered in the census as 'tobacconist'. At some stage he lived and worked in a cigarette factory in Preston and was tempted to go and play rugby in St. Helens where two of his former Kendal Hornets' colleagues, Joe Allen and James 'Pasha' Graham were playing with great success.

In an article in the St. Helens Lantern, in September 1889, [A Chat with the Captain] Billy explained how he came to be a St. Helens player:

'I was 24 last birthday and was born in Barrow. When I was 15 I joined Kendal Excelsiors and played a season with them. The following year I joined the Kendal Hornets ' second team ' and being lucky enough to score four tries as a 'forward' in the first match of the season I was taken into the first team for the rest of the season; and remained a member of it till I joined St. Helens last year. I played as a 'forward' for the first four years but with the team getting short of a half-back I took the place and have played as half-back ever since. Work was scarce in Kendal and I had to go and look for it somewhere else. I found it in Preston and as there was no rugby club there and as Kendal Hornets was too far away, and as I couldn't give football up, and as two Hornets, old chums of mine, Allen and Graham, had got work in St. Helens and had joined the St. Helens club and spoke very highly of it I decided to join the St. Helens club which I did at the beginning of the last season. I turned out to have got the biggest number of tries at the end of the season; and this year, the club has done me the honour of electing me Captain'.

Cross flourished with the Saints, becoming captain, as he said, but, in some ways, he was probably one of the first examples of an 'on-field coach'. He was one of the fifteen pioneers who made their debuts for the Saints in their first ever Northern Union game against Rochdale Hornets on the 7th September 1895, playing for six shillings 'broken time' allowance and under Rugby Union rules and their scoring system. It was Billy who had the distinction of kicking the first ever goal for Saints as a Northern Union [rugby league] team, when he converted the home side's second try by Peter Dale. The moustached will o' the wisp that was Billy was one of the club`s most durable players and a proud leader of the team. Yet, as we shall see later, it appears that he retained his amateur status!

The 1891 Census tells us that he is, at twenty six years of age, a licensee at the Cambridge Vaults [later Duke of Cambridge] in Duke Street, St. Helens. He is married to Eleanor and they had two children: William [4] and recently-born Agnes. Also residing in the pub is his Saints' team-mate James 'Pasha' Graham.

Billy scored his only try under the auspices of the Northern Union for the Saints in a league match against Huddersfield on 30th November 1895. Overall, in 75 matches for the Saints in the Northern Union, Billy scored one try and kicked 3 goals for an aggregate of nine points.

His greatest disappointment must have been to miss the inaugural Challenge Cup campaign in 1897, when he got hurt early in the New Year against Oldham. The Saints reached the final; Tommy Foulkes took over the captaincy; Richard O'Hara took over the half-back slot and Saints lost by 10 points to 3 to the `Gallant Youths` of Batley on that particular day. He can be seen behind the players on the pre-match team picture. Billy was also absent when the first Saints side to lift a trophy under Northern Union rules beat Runcorn, in extra time, by six points to nil in the South West Lancs and Border Towns Cup at Widnes on April 30th 1900. That season Billy had only managed one outing for the First Team.

In 1901, the public house seems to be a thriving concern. Billy is 37 by this time and winding down his rugby career on the playing side. There are six children now [2 boys 4 girls] plus three ancillary staff. Another addition is James Garrity, listed as 'adopted' and also 'deformed'. James was afflicted by dwarfism and was taken in by the Cross family, becoming a popular character around the pub itself and as a mascot for the Saints' team.

Broken time? It appears that Mr Cross was a real Corinthian. It was interesting to read this quote in the local press in an article about [winger] Bob Doherty, where it mentions Billy Cross as a fellow North countryman! It appeared in March 1901: "By the way, W. Cross, who is still playing for the Saints has never accepted payment during his fifteen or sixteen years connection with the club". Perhaps being the landlord of the Club Headquarters was seen by him as a fine recompense and he was able to dismiss any payment from the Committee. But this seems to say much about the man himself.

In his last season Billy played nine matches mostly in the forwards. His final match for the Club was against Batley on the 23rd March 1901 when the Saints went down to Batley [The Gallant Youths became a bit of a bogey team] by 7 points to 5 in the third round of the Challenge Cup at Knowsley Road.

By the 1911 Census, Billy Cross, aged 47, has left the Duke of Cambridge and returned to Preston [Brixton Road] with his wife and six children to resume his former employment as a tobacco spinner. The 1939 Census saw Billy living in Pinfold Road, Preston. His death was recorded in Chorley in September 1953 at the grand age of 89. He remains the most prominent pre-Northern Union footballer to play for the club.

Alex Service

PLAYER HONOURS

SEASON STATISTICS

Season (Official Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
1895~96 1 3 0 29
1896~970 0 0 13
1897~980 0 0 20
1898~990 0 0 2
1899~00 0 0 0 1
1900~01 0 0 0 9
TOTALS:1 3 0 74
Season (Other Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
1895~96 0001
1896~97 0003
1900~010001
TOTALS:0005

ALL MATCHES

DateMatchPosOpponentsCompVenueFTFTOTGDG
7th Sep 1895 1
W
 6 Rochdale Hornets L H 8 3 1 VIEW
14th Sep 1895 2
W
 6 Runcorn L H 5 0 1 VIEW
21st Sep 1895 3
D
 6 Batley L A 3 3 VIEW
28th Sep 1895 4
L
 6 Stockport L H 0 3 VIEW
5th Oct 1895 5
W
 6 Broughton Rangers L A 5 3 1 VIEW
7th Oct 1895 6
L
 6 Bradford L A 4 15 VIEW
2nd Nov 1895 7
D
 6 Leigh L H 6 6 VIEW
9th Nov 1895 8
L
 6 Hunslet L A 0 12 VIEW
16th Nov 1895 9
D
 6 Wigan L H 0 0 VIEW
23rd Nov 1895 10
W
 6 Leeds L H 9 0 VIEW
30th Nov 1895 11
W
 6 Huddersfield L H 11 3 1 VIEW
7th Dec 1895 12
D
 6 Wakefield Trinity L A 0 0 VIEW
14th Dec 1895 13
D
 6 Oldham L A 0 0 VIEW
21st Dec 1895 --
W
 6 Broughton Rangers * Fr H 13 10 VIEW
25th Dec 1895 14
W
 6 Widnes L H 6 0 VIEW
28th Dec 1895 15
L
 6 Halifax L A 0 3 VIEW
1st Jan 1896 16
L
 6 Manningham L H 3 8 VIEW
25th Jan 1896 17
W
 6 Batley L H 11 5 VIEW
1st Feb 1896 18
L
 6 Hull L A 0 9 VIEW
8th Feb 1896 19
L
 6 Hunslet L H 0 5 VIEW
15th Feb 1896 20
L
 6 Manningham L A 5 9 VIEW
22nd Feb 1896 21
L
 6 Runcorn L A 0 3 VIEW
29th Feb 1896 22
D
 6 Warrington L A 5 5 VIEW
21st Mar 1896 23
L
 7 Wigan L A 0 10 VIEW
28th Mar 1896 24
L
 6 Tyldesley L A 10 11 VIEW
3rd Apr 1896 25
L
 6 Widnes L A 4 16 VIEW
18th Apr 1896 26
L
 6 Oldham L H 3 5 VIEW
20th Apr 1896 27
W
 6 Rochdale Hornets L A 4 0 VIEW
25th Apr 1896 28
L
 6 Liversedge L A 3 13 VIEW
30th Apr 1896 29
W
 6 Broughton Rangers L H 26 0 VIEW
5th Sep 1896 --
W
 6 Crompton * Fr H 23 3 VIEW
12th Sep 1896 30
W
 6 Rochdale Hornets L H 6 5 VIEW
26th Sep 1896 31
W
 6 Tyldesley L H 3 0 VIEW
3rd Oct 1896 32
L
 6 Oldham L A 0 11 VIEW
10th Oct 1896 33
W
 6 Morecambe L A 8 5 VIEW
17th Oct 1896 --
L
 6 Rochdale St. Cuthberts * Fr A 4 6 VIEW
24th Oct 1896 34
W
 6 Widnes L H 14 0 VIEW
31st Oct 1896 35
L
 6 Runcorn L H 3 7 VIEW
7th Nov 1896 36
W
 6 Rochdale Hornets L A 14 11 VIEW
14th Nov 1896 37
D
 6 Warrington L H 0 0 VIEW
28th Nov 1896 38
W
 10 Leigh L H 11 3 VIEW
5th Dec 1896 39
L
 14 Swinton L H 0 3 VIEW
12th Dec 1896 40
L
 6 Broughton Rangers L A 0 3 VIEW
19th Dec 1896 41
L
 6 Stockport L A 6 13 VIEW
1st Jan 1897 42
L
 6 Oldham L H 5 17 VIEW
16th Apr 1897 --
W
 6 Halifax * Fr H 11 3 VIEW
4th Sep 1897 43
L
 6 Salford L A 0 8 VIEW
11th Sep 1897 44
W
 4 Leigh L H 10 5 VIEW
18th Sep 1897 45
W
 4 Rochdale Hornets L A 3 2 VIEW
25th Sep 1897 46
W
 4 Tyldesley L H 11 0 VIEW
2nd Oct 1897 47
W
 4 Wigan L A 17 7 VIEW
9th Oct 1897 48
W
 4 Broughton Rangers L A 8 0 VIEW
16th Oct 1897 49
L
 4 Widnes L H 3 13 VIEW
23rd Oct 1897 50
L
 6 Warrington L H 3 8 VIEW
13th Nov 1897 51
L
 3 Swinton L A 0 13 VIEW
8th Jan 1898 52
L
 6 Swinton L H 5 13 VIEW
15th Jan 1898 53
L
 6 Tyldesley L A 3 8 VIEW
22nd Jan 1898 54
W
 6 Wigan L H 9 8 VIEW
29th Jan 1898 55
W
 6 Leigh L A 3 0 VIEW
5th Feb 1898 56
L
 6 Rochdale Hornets L H 3 6 VIEW
12th Feb 1898 57
L
 6 Oldham L A 0 11 VIEW
19th Feb 1898 58
W
 6 Stockport L H 27 0 VIEW
26th Feb 1898 59
L
 6 Batley CC1 A 7 12 VIEW
12th Mar 1898 60
D
 6 Salford L H 14 14 VIEW
26th Mar 1898 61
W
 6 Runcorn L H 11 0 VIEW
2nd Apr 1898 62
L
 6 Widnes L A 6 7 VIEW
5th Nov 1898 63
L
 6 Leigh L H 0 8 VIEW
18th Mar 1899 64
W
 7 Whitworth CC1 H 12 3 VIEW
17th Feb 1900 65
L
 3 Runcorn L A 0 9 VIEW
1st Dec 1900 66
L
 8 Stockport L A 0 5 VIEW
8th Dec 1900 --
L
 15 Batley* Fr A 0 5 VIEW
15th Dec 1900 67
L
 8 Oldham L H 5 15 VIEW
24th Dec 1900 68
L
 8 Warrington BTCSF A 5 6 VIEW
26th Dec 1900 69
L
 8 Leigh L H 0 12 VIEW
29th Dec 1900 70
L
 8 Widnes L A 0 8 VIEW
5th Jan 1901 71
L
 8 Barrow L A 5 14 VIEW
12th Jan 1901 72
L
 6 Leigh L A 0 5 VIEW
19th Jan 1901 73
W
 8 Swinton L H 6 3 VIEW
23rd Mar 1901 74
L
 8 Batley CC3 H 5 7 VIEW
*Unofficial Match. **Non Playing Sub.
WINS : 29 | LOSSES : 42 | DRAWS : 8

GALLERY





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