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

Jim Cunliffe

OVERALL STATISTICS

BIRTHAGESIGNED ONFROM
16-05-1918
N/A
30 -11-1936
Unknown.
DEBUTLAST MATCHLEFT
18-02-1937 v Hull K.R.
Liverpool Stanley
1938-
CAREERAPPEARANCES (SUBS)
1936-1937
42 (0)
TRIESGOALSDGOALSPTS
3
0
0
9

Biography of Jim Cunliffe



HERITAGE NO : 461
Jim Cunliffe was a hard working and very tough prop forward. He was virtually an ever-present force in the side between February 1937 and October 1938. He scored four tries for the Saints against Broughton Rangers, Bramley and Featherstone Rovers on two separate occasions. His career was foreshortened when he joined the Police Force in Warrington.

In 1921 Jim lived in Elephant Lane, Thatto Heath, St Helens with his parents and three brothers. His father, a local man also named James, was a miner at the Sutton Heath and Lea Green Colliery. Jim remained in Elephant Lane, in Thatto Heath. He was captain of rugby at Cowley School, originally, before signing for the Saints, in the mid 1930s. Jim was a mobile front-rower, who made his debut on 18th February 1937 in the number 10 jersey, at home to Hull Kingston Rovers. His fellow team-mates up-front that afternoon were Stan Hill and hooker James Farrar. His last peacetime game was also at Knowsley Road, on 16th April 1938, when the Saints lost 4-14 to a deceptively powerful Liverpool Stanley outfit. Another Thatto Heathen, big Les Garner was his fellow front-rower, with Pat Dullard in the number 9 jersey. Jim could also lay claim to have played in the same team as the great Alf Ellaby, who had returned to Knowsley Road from Wigan for a last hurrah.

Yet that was not the end of his Saints` story. Soon after he joined the Police at Warrington and did his military service. He did manage to fit in a few matches in the War Emergency League, playing his last match on 18th November 1944, against Keighley, at Lawkholme Lane. Saints lost 8-15 and that was that as far as rugby league was concerned.

Jim worked for Fibreglass as a sales rep and this brought him over to live in Melton Mowbray, in 1960. He was an active member of the Swimming Baths Association, which helped to raise funds towards the building of Melton Swimming Pool. In 1972, he and his wife moved to Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, where he was a founder member of the Burnham-on-Sea Lions Club. A final move back to Leicestershire came about in 1988, to Stathern, where Jim joined the Vale of Belvoir Lions club, served on the Stathern Village Hall committee and worked as a welfare volunteer for Pilkingtons, visiting retired Pilkingtons employees in the locality. Unfortunately, he suffered a stroke in 1976 and passed away on 1st November 1999. He was 81.

We are grateful for the extra details of Jim`s life from his obituary in the Melton Times, 18th November 1999.

Thanks to Hilary the daughter of Jim for the splendid photograph and accurate date of birth.

Alex Service and Dave Dooley

PLAYER HONOURS

SEASON STATISTICS

Season (Official Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
1936~372 0 0 14
1937~381 0 0 28
1944~45 1 0 0 4
TOTALS:4 0 0 46
Season (Other Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
TOTALS:

ALL MATCHES

DateMatchPosOpponentsCompVenueFTFTOTGDG
18th Feb 1937 1
W
 10 Hull Kingston Rovers L H 9 2 VIEW
20th Feb 1937 2
W
 10 Featherstone Rovers L H 32 2 VIEW
27th Feb 1937 3
L
 10 Bramley L A 7 10 VIEW
6th Mar 1937 4
L
 8 Swinton L H 2 6 VIEW
13th Mar 1937 5
W
 8 Halifax L H 19 0 VIEW
20th Mar 1937 6
L
 8 Barrow L A 5 34 VIEW
26th Mar 1937 7
L
 8 Wigan L A 3 16 VIEW
27th Mar 1937 8
L
 8 Warrington L A 11 19 VIEW
29th Mar 1937 9
W
 8 Broughton Rangers L H 15 5 1 VIEW
3rd Apr 1937 10
L
 8 Swinton L A 5 15 VIEW
10th Apr 1937 11
W
 10 Bramley L H 20 0 1 VIEW
17th Apr 1937 12
W
 10 Dewsbury L A 2 0 VIEW
19th Apr 1937 13
L
 10 Liverpool Stanley L H 3 5 VIEW
24th Apr 1937 14
W
 10 Newcastle L H 41 10 VIEW
28th Aug 1937 15
W
 10 Widnes L H 11 7 VIEW
2nd Sep 1937 16
W
 10 Broughton Rangers L H 7 6 VIEW
4th Sep 1937 17
L
 10 Widnes L A 2 14 VIEW
11th Sep 1937 18
L
 10 Broughton Rangers LC1 H 0 11 VIEW
25th Sep 1937 19
W
 10 Bramley L H 18 9 VIEW
2nd Oct 1937 20
W
 10 Dewsbury L A 18 7 VIEW
9th Oct 1937 21
W
 10 Oldham L H 4 3 VIEW
23rd Oct 1937 22
D
 10 Featherstone Rovers L H 16 16 1 VIEW
30th Oct 1937 23
L
 10 Rochdale Hornets L A 11 17 VIEW
27th Nov 1937 24
L
 10 Salford L H 0 31 VIEW
4th Dec 1937 25
L
 10 Oldham L A 5 18 VIEW
11th Dec 1937 26
L
 10 Barrow L H 7 8 VIEW
25th Dec 1937 27
W
 10 St. Helens Recs L A 10 2 VIEW
27th Dec 1937 28
L
 10 Wigan L H 6 15 VIEW
1st Jan 1938 29
W
 10 St. Helens Recs L H 8 3 VIEW
3rd Jan 1938 30
L
 10 Salford L A 5 12 VIEW
8th Jan 1938 31
W
 10 Bramley L A 24 14 VIEW
15th Jan 1938 32
W
 10 Dewsbury L H 11 5 VIEW
22nd Jan 1938 33
D
 10 Leigh L A 10 10 VIEW
29th Jan 1938 34
W
 10 Swinton L H 10 2 VIEW
5th Mar 1938 35
L
 10 Halifax L A 8 19 VIEW
19th Mar 1938 36
L
 8 Warrington L A 8 28 VIEW
26th Mar 1938 37
L
 8 Broughton Rangers L A 12 19 VIEW
2nd Apr 1938 38
W
 8 Batley L H 15 9 VIEW
4th Apr 1938 39
L
 10 Swinton L A 0 19 VIEW
9th Apr 1938 40
L
 8 Featherstone Rovers L A 5 12 VIEW
15th Apr 1938 41
L
 10 Wigan L A 12 27 VIEW
16th Apr 1938 42
L
 8 Liverpool Stanley L H 4 17 VIEW
14th Oct 1944 43
W
 10 Featherstone Rovers WEL H 18 3 1 VIEW
21st Oct 1944 44
L
 10 Barrow YC1(1) H 8 22 VIEW
11th Nov 1944 45
L
 10 Leeds WEL H 3 23 VIEW
18th Nov 1944 46
L
 10 Keighley WEL A 8 15 VIEW
*Unofficial Match. **Non Playing Sub.
WINS : 19 | LOSSES : 25 | DRAWS : 2

GALLERY





Copyright © Saints Heritage Society 1999-2025.