Bramley RLFC was a rugby league club from the Bramley area of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England, that folded following the 1999 season. The club is a famous name in rugby league, having existed before the formation of the

Northern Union The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league in England, and until 1995 for the whole British Isles. The name Rugby Football League previously also referred to the main league competition run by the organisati ...

in 1895. The traditional nickname for the club was 'the Villagers'. Bramley Rugby League Community Club aka

Bramley Buffaloes Bramley Buffaloes RLFC is a rugby league club from the Bramley area of West Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. History At the end of the 1999 season Bramley RLFC resigned from the Northern Ford Premiership to become a feeder team for Leeds, b ...

was formed by the fans of the former club with the desire to return to the professional ranks as quickly as possible, continuing the Bramley name, traditions and history. However, The

RFL The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league in England, and until 1995 for the whole British Isles. The name Rugby Football League previously also referred to the main league competition run by the organisati ...

denied the Buffaloes applications twice while admitting other clubs. The second bid was unsuccessful after The

changed the application process after the submission date. The new 'phoenix club' was admitted to

National League Three The Rugby League Conference National Division (known as the National League Three From 2003 to 2003) was the fourth division of the British rugby league system. In 2012, it became the seventh tier of the system and was known as the National Confe ...

in 2004. A Junior club with the Bramley R.L. name was founded in 2015. Running From the Bramley Villagers Social Club, and playing on Pollard Lane, Bramley.

History

Early history

Bramley was founded in 1879. They played at Whitegate Farm and Pollard Lane from their founding and moving to the Barley Mow ground in 1890. The city of Leeds had an abundance of rugby football clubs and although members of the Yorkshire RFU (which was in turn a Constituent Body of the

RFU The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It pro ...

), it was decided to form a ‘more local’ association. It was for this reason that the Leeds & District organisation was formalised when a meeting took place at the Green Dragon Hotel, Leeds on 27 September 1888. The foundation clubs were Bramley,

Holbeck Holbeck is an inner city area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It begins on the southern edge of Leeds city centre and mainly lies in the LS11 postcode district. The M1 and M621 motorways used to end/begin in Holbeck. Now the M621 is the o ...

, Hunslet, Kirkstall,

Leeds Parish Church Leeds Minster, or the Minster and Parish Church of Saint Peter-at-Leeds (formerly Leeds Parish Church) is the minster church of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the site of the oldest church in the city and is of architectural and l ...

, Leeds St John’s (later to become Leeds) and Wortley. Bramley’s England international Harry Bradshaw, was the first test case at Twickenham, over "broken time payments" in 1893, two years before the "great schism" of 1895 that resulted in the formation of the Northern Union which in time would be renamed as the Rugby League. Bramley was admitted to the new

on 2 June 1896. The rugby league was then split into two county leagues, Lancashire and Yorkshire. James Lomas became rugby league's first £100 transfer from Bramley to Salford in 1901. On 9 October 1907, they became the first club to entertain a touring side when they played the New Zealand All Golds. On 9 November 1921, the Australian Kangaroos as part of the

1921-22 Kangaroo tour Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

, defeated Bramley 92-7 at Barley Mow. This would remain the highest ever score for an Australian team during a

Kangaroo Tour Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France, tours to New Zealand and the one-off tour to Papua New Guinea (1991). The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours to ...

. In 1942-43, Bramley dropped out of the wartime Yorkshire League, they did not return to league competition until 1945-46.

Post-war

In the 1960s, the club moved to a new ground on land adjacent to Barley Mow, which became known as

McLaren Field McLaren Field was a rugby league stadium in Bramley, Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of th ...

. Bramley developed the ground into a more modern stadium in 1966 with the hope that the new ground would help to take them up the leagues. In 1973, the clubs voted to split into two divisions.

Arthur Keegan Arthur Keegan (6 November 1938 – 3 November 2008), also known by the nickname of "Ollie", was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and coached in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at representa ...

became first team coach. Bramley defeated Wakefield Trinity, Castleford and St. Helens in order to reach the 1973

BBC2 Floodlit Trophy The BBC 2 Floodlit Trophy (also known as the BBC 2 Television Trophy) was a competition for British rugby league clubs held between 1965 and 1980. It was designed specifically for television, and the then director of BBC2, broadcaster David Att ...

. They won the trophy with a 15–7 away victory over Widnes on 14 December 1973. It was the first cup Bramley had won in their entire history. Ironically, due to power cuts resulting from the

Three-Day Week The Three-Day Week was one of several measures introduced in the United Kingdom in 1973–1974 by Edward Heath's Conservative government to conserve electricity, the generation of which was severely restricted owing to industrial action by coal ...

, the final against Widnes at Naughton Park took place on a mid-week afternoon. The club played in the First Division in that 1973-74 season. Though relegated the club had some excellent league wins including an away victory at Headingley against Leeds. The loss of fixtures against Leeds, Wakefield Trinity and Bradford Northern cost the club financially. On 1 September 1974, Bramley defeated Doncaster 52–17 at McLaren Field in a Yorkshire

County Cup The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...

, first round tie, this broke the club record which had stood since 1946. The resources of the Villagers could not sustain this success, results and attendances flagged, and Keegan was sacked in September 1976. Bramley won promotion to Division One, under Peter Fox, in the 1976-77 season. Bramley almost went into liquidation in October 1983 but survived. In 1990, the club was faced with an estimated bill of £250,000 to carry out comprehensive safety work at McLaren Field, for the start of the 1991–92 season.

John Kear John Kear (born 25 November 1954) is an English professional rugby league coach who is the head coach of the Widnes Vikings in the Betfred Championship and the Wales national rugby league team. He also works as a pundit for BBC Sport and is a f ...

was appointed coach in 1992. Bramley RLFC Blue Plaque (7906766342)

In January 1994, Bramley announced plans to leave McLaren Field and move in with Northern Premier League Association football club

Farsley Celtic Farsley Celtic Football Club is a football club based in Farsley, West Yorkshire, England. The club was founded in 1908, but folded in 2010 and were reformed as Farsley AFC before returning to the name Farsley Celtic in 2015.

. In June 1994, they changed their minds and decided to stay at McLaren Field until the end of the 1994–95 season as Hunslet discussed playing games at McLaren Field instead of Elland Road. The following seasons they played at Clarence Field,

Kirkstall Kirkstall is a north-western suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, on the eastern side of the River Aire. The area sits in the Kirkstall ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds West parliamentary constituency, represented by Rachel Reeves. Th ...

, the home of Headingley rugby union club after the previous directors sold McLaren Field for housing and then moved to Headingley in 1997. Crowd numbers were affected, and the team became ever more overshadowed by Leeds. Leeds players such as

Barrie McDermott Barrie "Baz" McDermott (born 22 July 1972) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a in the 1990s and 2000s. A Great Britain international representative , he played his club football at Oldham ( Heritage № 970), the ...

and Leroy Rivett turned out for Bramley on the way back from injury. In 1999, a possible merger between Hunslet and Bramley was debated. At the end of the 1999 season Bramley resigned from the Northern Ford Premiership to become a feeder team for Leeds, but this never materialised. Bramley applied to rejoin the Northern Ford Premiership in 2000 but was rejected while a similar bid from Gateshead Thunder was accepted. They had planned to play games at the home of soccer club

and progressively upgrade the ground; this may have been the cause of the rejection. The club (Bramley RLFC (1984) Ltd) retained associate membership of The Rugby Football League for a while, and continues to exist as a dormant company.

Past coaches

Also see '' :Bramley R.L.F.C. coaches.'' *

Ted Spillane Edmund Timothy Spillane (5 January 1905 – 2 December 1991) was a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s, and coached in the 1930s. He played at representative level for Dominion XIII and Canterbury, ...

19?? * David Jenkins 1951-57 * Don Robinson 1964 * Keith Holliday 1966-68 *

1973–75 * Don Robinson * Peter Fox 1976–77 *

Dave Stockwell Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

1978 -1979 *

Keith Hepworth Keith Hepworth (born c. 1942), also known by the nickname of 'Heppy', is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and coached in the 1980s. He played at representative level for Great Brit ...

1980-82 *

Maurice Bamford Maurice Bamford (20 April 1936 – 23 May 2019) was an English professional rugby league footballer and coach. He also went on to write several books on rugby league. Early life Bamford was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. He ...

1982-83 * Peter Jarvis 1984-85 * Chris Forster 1985 *

Allan Agar Allan Agar (born 11 June 1949) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He played at club level for Featherstone Rovers ( Heritage № 483) (two spells), De ...

1986-87 * Tony Fisher 1988-89 * Barry Johnson 1990 *

Roy Dickinson Roy Dickinson (born ) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 1990s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, and at club level for Leeds and Halifax, as a , ...

1991 *

1992 *

1993 * Ray Ashton 1994-96 * Mike Ford 1999

Former players

Players earning international caps while at Bramley

* Harry Bradshaw won caps for ''England (RU)'' while at Bramley in 1892 against Scotland, in 1893 against Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, and in 1894 against Wales, Ireland, and Scotland * T. Cheshire won a cap(s) for '' Other Nationalities'' while at Bramley * C. Forster won a cap(s) for '' Other Nationalities'' while at Bramley * Louis Marshall won a cap for ''England'' while at Bramley in 1923 against Wales *

Rom Pomering Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * R ...

won a cap(s) for '' Other Nationalities'' while at Bramley * Terence "Terry Robbins won a cap for ''Wales'' while at Bramley in 1963 against France * W. Bobby Whiteley won a cap for ''England (RU)'' while at Bramley in 1896 against Wales

Other notable players

Syd Abram Sydney Abram (14 June 1906 – 4 February 1988) was a professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s. He played at club level for Wigan ( Heritage No. 320), and Bramley (captain), as a , or . Background Syd Abram was ...

captain * Peter Astbury *

Mark Aston Mark Aston (born 27 September 1967) is the head coach of Sheffield Eagles in the Betfred Championship. He is an English rugby league coach, and former rugby league who spent the majority of his playing career with Sheffield Eagles. He also had ...

* 'Fiery' Jack Austin 1973–74

* Robert "Bob" Bartlett (to Leeds) *

Leslie Chamberlain Leslie "Les" Chamberlain (10 February 1934 – 2 March 2015) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played at club level for Wakefield Trinity ( Heritage No. 625), Bramley, Hull Kingston Rover ...

* Geoffrey "Geoff" Clarkson *

Terry Crook Terry Crook), also known by the nickname of "TC", is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1980s. He played at representative level for Yorkshire, and at club level f ...

* Paul Drake * Steve Durham * Paul Fletcher ( Testimonial match 1990) * Neil Fox * James "Jim" Hainsworth * Keith Holliday *

Terry Hollindrake Terry Hollindrake (21 December 1934 – 29 January 2015) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1970s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and Yorkshire, and at ...

Dave Horn Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

Graham Idle Graham Idle (10 March 1950) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at club level for Bramley, Wakefield Trinity ( Heritage № 812), Bradford Northern, Hunslet, Rochdale Hornets, ...

Peter Lister Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

( Testimonial match 1990) try-scoring record 1985-86 * James "Jimmy" Lomas 1899…1901 *

Charlie Mathers Charles Mathers (second ¼ 1860 – 1926) was an English rugby union footballer who played in the 1880s. He played at representative level for British and Irish Lions, British Isles and Yorkshire Rugby Football Union, Yorkshire, and at club lev ...

1888 British Isles tourist (RU) *

Seamus McCallion Seamus McCallion (born 10 April 1964) is an Irish former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played at club level for Halifax, Leeds and Bramley, as a . Playing career Early career McCallion started his ...

Terry Newton Terry Newton (7 November 1978 – 26 September 2010) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Lancashire, and at club level for the L ...

* David Sampson *

Garry Schofield Garry Edward Schofield OBE (born 1 July 1965) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and is a member of the British Rugby League Hall of Fame. At the time of his retirement he was the most ...

* Joseph "Joe" Sedgewick * Stanley "Stan" Smith * Jeffrey "Jeff" Tennant ( Testimonial match 1987) *

Dennis Warrior Dennis Warrior (1922 – 9 July 2011) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s. He played at club level for Leeds, Castleford (as a wartime guest) and Bramley as a . Background Dennis Warrior was b ...

( Testimonial match 1955) * John "Johnny" Wilson *

Johnny Wolford Johnny Wolford (birth registered third ¼ 1945) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1980s. He played at representative level for Great Britain (Under-24s) and Yo ...

* Wayne (Danny) Thornton

Seasons

Summer era

Honours

: 1 (1973-74)

Records

Player records

*Most tries in a match: 7 by Joe Sedgewick vs Normanton, 16 April 1906 *Most tries in a season: 34 by

, 1985–86 *Most career tries: 140 by

, 1982–91 *Most career goals: 926 by Johnny Wilson, 1953–64 *Most career points: 1903 by Johnny Wilson, 1953–64 *Most career appearances: 410 by

1962–76 *Most consecutive appearances: 100 by Jim Hainsworth, April 1960 - December 1962

Club records

*Highest score against: 92-7 vs

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, 9 November 1921 (Tour Match) *Highest attendance at Barley Mow: 12,600 vs Leeds, 7 May 1947 *Highest attendance at McLaren Field: 7,500 vs Bradford Northern, 17 February 1972

References

External links

Gateshead and Bramley sweat

Bramley apply to rejoin RFL

The All Golds

Bramley Rugby League Football Club 1984 Ltd.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bramley Rlfc Sport in Leeds Rugby clubs established in 1879 Defunct rugby league teams in England Rugby league teams in West Yorkshire Leeds Blue Plaques English rugby league teams