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

Bill Whiteley

OVERALL STATISTICS

BIRTHAGESIGNED ONFROM
21-11-1870
N/A
Date unknown.
Unknown.
DEBUTLAST MATCHLEFT
2-9-1893 v Holbeck
Widnes
1895-
CAREERAPPEARANCES (SUBS)
1893-1895
68 (0)
TRIESGOALSDGOALSPTS
16
1
0
43

Biography of Bill Whiteley



HERITAGE NO :
Bill Whiteley

MAINSTAY OF THE PACK

There have been many great forward signings from what is now called Cumbria, with the likes of Dick Huddart, John Tembey and Jon Neill springing to mind. One of the best was William ‘Bill’ Whiteley, who came south in 1893 and ended up having a 47-year connection with the St. Helens club, as player, turnstile checker and Groundsman!

Bill was born on the 21st of November 1870 in Stanley near Kendal, Westmorland. His father, Thomas, was a plasterer. He married Margaret Baines in 1894 and they went on to have three children. The family lived in Henry Street, St. Helens and Bill earned a crust by working as a labourer for the St. Helens Corporation.

Bill first played as a full-back for Kendal Town RFC at the age of 17, before moving to the famous Kendal Hornets club, where he became a county representative. In June, 1893, he followed his old club-mate Billy Cross to St. Helens and quickly established a reputation as one of the hardest and fastest forwards in the north of England.

He made his debut for the Saints in the first match of the season against Holdback on the 2nd of September 1893. It proved to be a winning start for Bill. Whiteley was a key member of the side that won the Lancashire County Second Division title in 1894. He was virtually an ever-present force for the next two seasons up to the commencement of the Northern Union. Inn that period he played 68 matches and scored an unbelievable fifteen tries for the Saints, at a period when packmen rarely crossed the try line. Bill even kicked a goal in a match against Rochdale St. Clements in December 1893.

NORTHERN UNION ERA

played on the wing in the first-ever Rugby League match at Knowsley Road against Rochdale two years later. As a 25 year old, Bill was in the second row for the first-ever Challenge Cup Final, played at Headingley against the eventual winners Batley in 1897.

The early years of the 20th century were not easy for the Saints, as they endured a ‘yo-yo existence’ between the First and Second Divisions. Yet Bill Whiteley would always give nothing less than 100% commitment to the cause. He was a member of the team that won the South West Lancashire and Border Towns Cup Final, against Leigh, at Widnes, in 1900. Yet in truth, the team rarely challenged for major honours, although Bill helped the team to promotion back into the First Division at the end of the 1903/04 campaign and played against the visiting New Zealand and Australian touring teams.

On Saturday, 7th May 1910, a Benefit Match was staged for Bill at his beloved Knowsley Road, with the Saints taking on the might of Turtill’s Colonials, a side assembled from New Zealanders in England, including famous names such as George Smith, Charlie Seeling and Lance Todd. Captained by Saints’ full-back ‘Jum’ Turtill, the visitors won a spectacular match by 40-24 and travelled to St. Helens at their own expense to pay tribute to a marvellous rugby stalwart. The programme for this match, very much a collectors’ item, is shown above. The game took place despite the death of the reigning Monarch, Edward VII earlier in the day.

Bill made 320 appearances for the Saints, scoring 23 tries. His last match was on Christmas Day at Runcorn, when the visitors lost 0-19. During Bill’s time, the players from both sides stripped at the Talbot Hotel in Duke Street for home matches. They then boarded a horse-drawn wagonnette for the journey to Knowsley Road and Bill would often run back to the dressing rooms instead of returning on the wagon. By 1940, he had to resign as Groundsman because of bad arthritis in his legs undoubtedly caused by lingering too long in cold, wet playing togs! Bill was devoted to the club and was made a Life Member, together with his former team-mates Tom Foulkes and Bill Briers. No-one deserved it more than him!

Bill passed away in St. Helens in June 1950 at the age of 79.
DateMatchPosOpponentsCompVenueFTFTOTGDG
2nd Sep 1893 1
W
 13 Holbeck* FR H 17 4 VIEW
9th Sep 1893 2
W
 13 Wigan* FR H 6 0 VIEW
16th Sep 1893 3
W
 13 Birkenhead Wanderers* FR H 17 4 VIEW
23rd Sep 1893 4
L
 13 Runcorn* FR A 0 10 VIEW
30th Sep 1893 5
L
 13 Lancaster* LCC A 0 6 VIEW
7th Oct 1893 6
W
 13 Aspull* LCC H 8 5 VIEW
14th Oct 1893 7
W
 13 Walkden* LCC A 3 0 VIEW
21st Oct 1893 8
W
 13 Mossley* LCC A 16 0 VIEW
28th Oct 1893 9
W
 13 Widnes* LCC H 3 0 VIEW
4th Nov 1893 10
W
 13 Morecambe* FR H 8 0 VIEW
11th Nov 1893 11
W
 13 Blackley* LCC A 11 0 VIEW
18th Nov 1893 12
W
 13 Tuebrook* FR H 25 3 VIEW
25th Nov 1893 13
D
 13 Swinton* FR A 6 6 VIEW
2nd Dec 1893 14
L
 13 Ulverston* LCC A 3 18 VIEW
9th Dec 1893 15
W
 13 Rochdale St. Clements* LCC H 9 0 1 VIEW
16th Dec 1893 16
W
 13 Kendal* FR A 10 0 VIEW
23rd Dec 1893 17
W
 13 Tuebrook* FR A 8 4 VIEW
25th Dec 1893 18
D
 13 Leigh* LCC H 0 0 VIEW
26th Dec 1893 19
L
 13 Wigan* FR A 3 5 1 VIEW
29th Dec 1893 20
L
 13 Stockport* FR A 0 6 VIEW
1st Jan 1894 21
W
 13 Runcorn* FR H 8 0 VIEW
13th Jan 1894 22
W
 13 Blackley* LCC H 21 5 VIEW
20th Jan 1894 23
W
 13 Lancaster* LCC H 21 0 2 VIEW
27th Jan 1894 24
D
 13 Leigh* LCC A 3 3 VIEW
3rd Feb 1894 25
W
 13 Tyldesley* FR A 4 0 VIEW
10th Feb 1894 26
W
 13 Ulverston* LCC H 11 0 VIEW
17th Feb 1894 27
W
 13 Rochdale St. Clements* LCC A 3 0 1 VIEW
24th Feb 1894 28
W
 13 Widnes* LCC A 14 0 VIEW
3rd Mar 1894 29
W
 13 Aspull* LCC A 17 0 VIEW
10th Mar 1894 30
W
 13 Mossley* LCC H 56 3 VIEW
17th Mar 1894 31
W
 13 Walkden* LCC H 18 0 1 VIEW
23rd Mar 1894 32
L
 13 Warrington* FR A 3 5 VIEW
24th Mar 1894 33
W
 13 Barton* FR H 5 4 VIEW
26th Mar 1894 34
W
 13 Kendal* FR H 38 0 2 VIEW
31st Mar 1894 35
W
 13 Birkenhead Wanderers* FR A 8 0 VIEW
5th Apr 1894 36
W
 13 Swinton* FR H 6 3 VIEW
7th Apr 1894 37
W
 13 Warrington* FR H 3 0 VIEW
11th Apr 1894 38
W
 13 Aspull* LCC A 9 3 VIEW
19th Apr 1894 39
W
 13 Stockport* FR H 15 10 VIEW
21st Apr 1894 40
W
 13 Broughton Rangers* LCCPO N 12 5 1 VIEW
28th Apr 1894 41
W
 13 Tyldesley* FR H 11 0 VIEW
15th Sep 1894 42
W
 12 Ulverston* FR H 27 0 VIEW
22nd Sep 1894 43
W
 9 Tranmere Wanderers* FR H 20 0 1 VIEW
29th Sep 1894 44
L
 12 Broughton Rangers* LSC A 8 13 VIEW
6th Oct 1894 45
W
 12 Tyldesley* LSC H 16 0 1 VIEW
13th Oct 1894 46
W
 12 Warrington* LSC H 9 0 VIEW
20th Oct 1894 47
L
 12 Oldham* LSC A 0 6 VIEW
27th Oct 1894 48
L
 12 Broughton Rangers* FR H 0 3 VIEW
3rd Nov 1894 49
W
 12 Morecambe* FR H 17 10 2 VIEW
7th Nov 1894 50
L
 4 Swinton* LSC A 0 3 VIEW
17th Nov 1894 51
D
 12 Ulverston* FR A 0 0 VIEW
24th Nov 1894 52
W
 12 Broughton Rangers* FR A 10 3 VIEW
1st Dec 1894 53
W
 12 Millom* FR H 24 0 VIEW
15th Dec 1894 54
D
 4 New Brighton* FR A 0 0 VIEW
19th Jan 1895 55
W
 12 District* FR H 23 0 1 VIEW
26th Jan 1895 56
D
 12 Leigh* FR A 5 5 1 VIEW
2nd Feb 1895 57
L
 12 Runcorn* FR H 0 7 VIEW
2nd Mar 1895 58
W
 12 Stockport* FR H 13 0 VIEW
9th Mar 1895 59
W
 12 Oldham* LSC H 8 3 VIEW
16th Mar 1895 60
W
 4 Salford* FR A 8 6 VIEW
23rd Mar 1895 61
D
 12 Swinton* LSC H 0 0 VIEW
30th Mar 1895 62
W
 12 Rochdale Hornets* LSC A 11 5 1 VIEW
1st Apr 1895 63
W
 4 Warrington* LSC A 11 0 VIEW
12th Apr 1895 64
L
 12 Tyldesley* LSC A 0 11 VIEW
13th Apr 1895 65
W
 4 Morecambe* FR A 8 0 VIEW
20th Apr 1895 --
L
 12 Runcorn* FR A 0 10 VIEW
25th Apr 1895 --
L
 12 Wigan* FR H 3 7 VIEW
27th Apr 1895 --
W
 12 Widnes* FR H 18 0 1 VIEW
*Unofficial Match. **Non Playing Sub.
WINS : 47 | LOSSES : 14 | DRAWS : 7




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