The Hammersmith Hills Hoists are an amateur
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
club based in
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
founded at the end of 2008 by local
Australian expats to provide players of all nationalities, backgrounds and abilities the chance to play competitive rugby league in and around London, while also expanding their social networks in the process. The club usually play in the Southern Conference League – part of the fourth tier of Rugby League nationally.
The last parts of the name are an
eponym
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
that seems irrelevant at first glance to rugby –
Hills Hoist
A Hills Hoist is a height-adjustable rotary clothes line, designed to permit the compact hanging of wet clothes so that their maximum area can be exposed for wind drying by rotation.
For decades from 1945 the devices were mainly manufactured in ...
s are an Australian term for sturdy, rotary washing lines, particularly those with an advanced retraction mechanism – such is the nation's pride in these they are enrolled as of lasting heritage value in
that country's national library and featured as roving robots in the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
. One features in the club's badge.
2009
In 2009, the Hoists' inaugural season, the club blazed a trail through the London League, winning 64–16 against Guildford, 64–4 versus Hemel, a 64–14 win over South London Storm and trouncing St Mary's 74–10 on their way to the Grand Final. Here they were met by a Hemel Stags side trying to overturn the huge deficit between the teams from earlier in the season, but the Hoists, in a riproaring season for Brendan Crilly and Mick Quinn, easily accounted for them: 58–6. Other notable performances came from Dujon Jorgenson who converted 9 out of his 10, as well as James Quarmby and Matt Fownes with try-scoring doubles. The club also tasted success in the Skolars Rugby League Invitational
Nines tournament and the 2009 ANZAC Challenge. The team was victorious in the first-ever game of rugby league played in Belgium against the Belgium national team. The club also played Royal Navy, RAF and Metropolitan Police sides – the latter at the
Twickenham Stoop
Twickenham Stoop Stadium (informally referred to as The Stoop) is a sports stadium located in south-west London, England. The stadium is home to Harlequins rugby union team, who play in the Gallagher Premiership. The stadium has a capacity ...
as a curtain raiser for a
Harlequins Super League game in front of 12,982 fans. The Hoists ran in 10 tries to 1 in a 60–4 demolition with Mick Quinn earning man of the match honours.
2010
Due to their success in 2009, this team moved up to the
Rugby League Conference South Premier
The South Premier, also known as the London Premier, is a division in rugby league's tier 4. It was the highest level of amateur rugby league in the South of England until the creation in 2013 of Conference League South. It was first contested ...
division for the 2010 season, finishing 2nd on the competition ladder after recording a record of 10 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws, with St Albans Centurions capturing the minor premiership.
This saw the Hoists face the West London Sharks in the semi-final, for a chance to qualify for the season finale. Despite having home ground advantage the Hoists could not match the enthusiasm shown by their opposition in a see-sawing affair.
The Sharks opened the scoring in atrocious conditions, but the Hoists struck straight back through winger Tom Grigson who crossed in the corner. However, ill discipline and poor ball handling cost the home team, with repeat sets for the opposition stymieing the Hoists for the rest of the half, the Sharks running in several tries to go in to the break leading 24–4.
A different looking Hammersmith side came out in the second stanza, buoyed by an inspirational half time speech from coach Paul Farah and lead by halfback Wayde Kelly, who began controlling the forwards in the middle of the park. ‘Smoking’ Joe Riesterer finished off a classy back line move to score minutes after the break with Chris Peach converting to make it 24–10
This was followed by two tries to strike centre Michael Lieberum, split by one score to the Sharks, getting Hammersmith back into the game at 28–20. Unfortunately ball security once again let the side down, letting in another Sharks try, before Lieberum found his way across the try line for a third time to make the score 34-24 heading towards full-time.
A final push from the Hoists proved fruitless, with another turnover gifting the West London Sharks another try and the 2010 premiership with a final score of 38–24.
The Hoists seconds team once again competed in the London League and went on to win it for the club for the second year running. The side defeating Northampton Demons 36–12 in the semi-final, before going on to win in the Grand Final 50–18 over the Bedford Tigers. Man of the match of the Grand Final victory was Daniel Loader.
Team Awards
Best and Fairest - Michael Lieberum
Player's Player - Matt Scott
Most Improved - Lewis Jones
Coach's Award - Wayde Kelly
Clubman of the Year - Ben Andrews.
Top Try Scorers
Michael Lieberum 19
Joe Reisterer 10
Wayde Kelly 7
Tom Grigson 7
Dujon Jorgenson 5
Wayne Baker 5
Jamie Fraser 5
2011
2011 saw the Hoists go through the
Rugby League Conference South Premier
The South Premier, also known as the London Premier, is a division in rugby league's tier 4. It was the highest level of amateur rugby league in the South of England until the creation in 2013 of Conference League South. It was first contested ...
season undefeated, finishing with a 12–0 record while amassing 444 points on their way to the minor premiership.
This saw Hammersmith begin their finals campaign with a quarter final match up against Bridgend Blue Bulls in Swindon, easily dispatching of the Welsh side in a 10 try, 58-6 performance. Tries were scored by Wade Cairns (2), Murray Crapp (2), Richie West (2), Joe Riesterer (2), George Smibert and Albin Malguy. Best on ground were Cairns, Crapp and Taylor Sorenson.
The victory earned the Hoists a home semi final against the team that dashed their premiership hopes a season before, the West London Sharks. Hammersmith were never going to take this game lightly and after an initial arm wrestle, got out to a 16-0 half time lead through tries from a trio of the team's European contingent in Albin Malguy, Lewis Jones and Judd Greenhalgh.
The second half saw the Hoists consolidate the lead built in the first through more tries from James Sharpe, Joe Reisterer and Brenton Winnell to run out 32-0 winners, booking a place in the Grand Final. Best on ground was Luke Bolster who was immense in defence, stopping the Sharks attack dead on more than once occasion.
The Grand Final saw the Hoists match up against the team that finished third on the competition table, St Albans Centurions. In a tight affair played all the way down the wire, Hammersmith emerged victors by an 18-16 scoreline.
The London League team also repeated their achievement of the previous two seasons, by winning the London League competition over West Norfolk Wildcats 34–16, making it three premierships in a row.
The club's success saw many players selected for representative honours, with Michael Lieberum and George Smibert representing Scotland 'A', Daniel Marzella and Daniel Shembri represent Malta, and 5 players, Jason Wren-Patterson, Michael Lieberum, Wayde Kelly, Luke Morris and Michael Crosby selected to play in the inaugural Commonwealth Ex Pats team against the
Great Britain Community Lions. Kelly captained the team and Lieberum picked up the man of the match award.
2019
2019 saw a fresh approach to the competition structure, with Hammersmith now competing in the newly founded Southern Conference League, launched by the RFL with the aim of bringing together the best community rugby league teams across the south of England and Wales.
Hammersmith finished the regular season in second position, only conceding 84 points in 8 regular season games while scoring a mammoth 328. A late season falter in the East Division Playoffs due to injury and player availability sent the Hoists off to Wales, where they fought a close encounter with the
Torfaen Tigers
Torfaen Tigers are a rugby league team based in Pontypool, Torfaen, Wales. They play in the Southern Conference League division, which is the 4th tier in the Rugby league pyramid
Torfaen Tigers runs 4 junior teams U12’s,14’s,16’s and 19’ ...
, eventually running out 24-22 victors.
This meant for the third year running Hammersmith would face off against Wests Warriors in the semi-finals, renewing their rivalry for a qualification into the inaugural Southern Conference League Grand Final. A huge team defensive effort and a dominant two-try performance from dummy half Matthew Romano, saw the Hoists run out resounding victors 32–6, booking a place against
London Chargers
London Chargers R.L.F.C. are a rugby league side based in South West London who currently (2022) compete in the Southern Conference League, a tier 4 competition. They were known as the South West London Chargers up until November 2015. They ...
in the finale for a third straight year.
The Southern Conference League Grand Final was played at the
Aldershot Military Stadium
Aldershot Military Stadium is a sports complex in Aldershot, England comprising a combined football and athletics stadium and a smaller adjoined rugby stadium. It is the home ground of the British Army's football and rugby teams, Aldershot, Farn ...
in
Aldershot
Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...
on 14 September 2019. It was a tight match. London Chargers led 4-0 deep into the second half. Tries from Nathan Mann, Jordan Darkwa and Blake Waterhouse saw Hammersmith win 16-10 and secure their third successive premiership. Man of the Match was awarded to fullback Dane O'Hehir who was a constant threat in attack and rock solid at the back.
Team Awards
Player's Player - Dane O'Hehir
Best Forward - David Kitenge
Best Back - Lynton Allen
Clubman of the Year - Darren Ackroyd
Life Membership for 5 years service - Jared Warren, Fred Cook
Challenge Cup
Hammersmith have qualified for the RFL
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
on three occasions in the club's history, but cold winter afternoons in the middle of the offseason have not been fruitful for the Hoists, having bowed out in the first round of all 3 appearances.
*2018:
London Chargers
London Chargers R.L.F.C. are a rugby league side based in South West London who currently (2022) compete in the Southern Conference League, a tier 4 competition. They were known as the South West London Chargers up until November 2015. They ...
18-0 Loss
*2019:
West Bowling A.R.L.F.C. 42-12 Loss
*2020:
York Acorn
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a m ...
36-14 Loss
References
External links
*
{{British and Irish Rugby League links
Rugby League Conference teams
Rugby league teams in London
Sport in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
Rugby clubs established in 2008
2008 establishments in England
Hammersmith
Diaspora sports clubs
Australian diaspora in Europe