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Liverpool Stanley was a semi-professional
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 from
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. It was renamed Liverpool City in 1951, but was otherwise unrelated to the original Liverpool club of the same name. The club's origins date back to 1880 when it was founded as Wigan Highfield. Although the club was best known for its years in Liverpool, the club relocated numerous times, and were known as London Highfield, Huyton, Runcorn Highfield, Highfield, and eventually Prescot Panthers throughout their existence before being eventually wound up in 1996.


History


The first Liverpool City – 1906–1907

A professional club first emerged in
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
, called Liverpool City, in 1906, playing at the Stanley Athletics Ground. They hold an unwanted record in the professional game in the United Kingdom as being a team who lost every game in the season. In 1906–1907, they lost 30 games – they drew one against Bramley which was expunged because the return game was not played and also lost to
Pontefract Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wake ...
, but that result was expunged after Pontefract withdrew from the league. At the end of that season, they were replaced by two
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
clubs,
Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
and
Ebbw Vale Ebbw Vale (; cy, Glynebwy) is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River in Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough. The Ebbw Vale and Brynmawr con ...
. The Liverpool City name would be resurrected by the Highfield franchise but there is no connection between the two clubs.


Wigan Highfield – 1880–1895 and 1902–1933

Highfield Rugby Football Club was formed around 1880 and went out of existence for a few years following the rugby schism of 1895. They reformed in 1902, the club originally playing in a league comprising the "A" teams of the major clubs. Although no colour photographs of the team exist, it is generally assumed that Wigan Highfield's colours were yellow and blue. Highfield Rugby Football Club played in the Parish of Highfield, in Pemberton, a neighbouring town adjacent to
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
. In 1921–22, the club made an application for full Rugby League status, but it was decided that their
Tunstall Lane Tunstall or Tunstal may refer to: Place names ;United Kingdom * Tunstall, East Riding of Yorkshire * Tunstall, Kent *Tunstall, Lancashire * Tunstall, Norfolk, in the parish of Halvergate * Tunstall, North Yorkshire * Tunstall, Stafford, near to Ecc ...
ground was not big enough. By incorporating a field, it was possible to increase the size of the ground and in the 1922–23 season the club entered the Rugby League as Wigan Highfield. Their first match was against Wigan on 2 September 1922, at Tunstall Lane, in which
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
beat Wigan Highfield 25–10. Highfield generally struggled in the lower half of the league tables but in 1927–1928 they managed to finish above Wigan in 7th place on points percentage. However, in their ten-year existence Wigan Highfield beat Wigan only once, 9–3 at
Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
on 13 September 1930. In the Challenge Cup, Wigan Highfield's best season was in 1925–1926 when they reached the semi finals. They saw off Wakefield, Huddersfield and Leeds at Tunstall Lane before losing 15–6 to Oldham in the Semi Final at Salford. They also reached the Quarter Finals in 1928–1929 but an 8–0 loss away at Castleford denied the chance of all
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
semi final or final. In the Lancashire Cup, Wigan Highfield never managed to progress beyond the first round of the competition. They forced replays against Oldham in 1922 and Leigh in 1931 but all in all, the competition was a pretty miserable experience for them. In 1926, the touring
New Zealand Rugby League The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year.Coffey and Wood ''T ...
side visited Tunstall Lane, winning 14–2 in front of approximately 2,000 spectators.


London Highfield – 1933

In 1932, Leeds played Wigan in an exhibition match at the
White City Stadium White City Stadium was a stadium located in White City, London, England. Built for the 1908 Summer Olympics, it hosted the finish of the first modern marathon and other sports like swimming, speedway, boxing, show jumping, athletics, stock car ...
in west London under floodlights. The owner of the stadium, Brigadier-General A C Critchley, was impressed enough to take over Wigan Highfield, who had finished second from bottom in the league, and agreed to pay off their debts. He moved the club to White City and renamed the club London Highfield. The club's old
Tunstall Lane Tunstall or Tunstal may refer to: Place names ;United Kingdom * Tunstall, East Riding of Yorkshire * Tunstall, Kent *Tunstall, Lancashire * Tunstall, Norfolk, in the parish of Halvergate * Tunstall, North Yorkshire * Tunstall, Stafford, near to Ecc ...
ground was sold off for housing. Highfield's first home game on 20 September 1933 was against
Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the c ...
in front of a crowd of around 6,000 spectators, which they lost narrowly 9 points to 8. Overall London Highfield played 38 games and finished in 14th position on the table that year, having won 20 games and lost 8. During the season, Highfield also played a match against the touring
Australians Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizens, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural. For most Australians, several (or all) ...
, who won 20 points to 5 in front of a crowd of 10,500 spectators, which was also London Highfield's highest attendance for the season. Despite this reasonable success, the White City Company deemed the venture unprofitable and decided not to continue with rugby league beyond the first season. Player's match fees and expenses, plus compensating other team's travel costs contributed largely to the club's loss that year of £8,000.


Liverpool Stanley – 1934–1950 and the second Liverpool City – 1951–1968

In 1934, Highfield returned north to the Stanley greyhound stadium in Liverpool and became Liverpool Stanley. Liverpool Stanley's colours were distinct yellow jerseys with a blue band around the midriff and also on the sleeves. However, later in their career, due to acute money shortages, the club relied upon handouts and donations, most notably from Mrs Rose Kyle and clothing coupons from supporters. During this period, the kit colours and designs varied drastically, including all-white shirts with black trim, white shirts with black Vs, and an all-blue kit. During their final season as Liverpool Stanley, the club turned out in a white shirt with 'Corporation Green' band around the waist, the same colours they would wear later when they became Liverpool City RLFC. In 1935–36, Stanley won the Lancashire League. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Liverpool Stanley continued playing, but in 1942 they dropped out, returning after the war in 1945–46. For the start of the 1950–51 season, the club moved to Mill Yard,
Knotty Ash Knotty Ash is an area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and a Liverpool City Council Ward. Historically in Lancashire, the population at the 2001 Census was 13,200, increasing to 13,312 at the 2011 Census. Knotty Ash is well known as the home o ...
and was renamed Liverpool City RLFC. City developed the Knotty Ash stadium within their meagre means, mainly by fencing it and erecting a small grandstand. The club jersey at that time was green and white hoops (similar to Glasgow Celtic FC), with white shorts and green and white hooped socks. The white jersey with a broad green chest band was adopted at the start of the 1954-55 season. In 1956, they hosted the touring Australian national team, losing 40–12 in front of a crowd of over 4,700.


Huyton – 1968–1984

In July 1964, the club's board were informed by the Carmelite convent that owned the land that their lease on Knotty Ash would not be renewed. Negotiations then took place with nearby
Huyton Huyton ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. Part of the Liverpool Urban Area, it borders the Liverpool suburbs of Dovecot, Knotty Ash and Belle Vale, and the neighbouring village of Roby, with which it f ...
local authority for a 21-year lease at the new Alt Park Ground. With Alt Park not ready, Huyton spent their first year of existence as homeless nomads. Most home matches were played at Widnes. Alt Park was eventually ready in August 1969. It was of a poor standard and often suffered from vandalism. During their tenure as Huyton RLFC the club's colours were primarily amber shirts with a red and black V and black shorts. In the latter part of the 1970s, the colours changed to red shirts with blue shorts and white socks for a brief period, and eventually an all-black shirt with red collar, white shorts and red socks. It was during this period that club diehard Geoff Fletcher joined Huyton in 1978. Fletcher would remain with the club as player-coach and then subsequently through their various changes as manager in later years. The club continued as Huyton RLFC and struggled in the second division until 1985, when the club moved to Runcorn FC's Canal Street Ground,
Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...
after Alt Park's main stand was declared unsafe. The club then became known as Runcorn Highfield.


Runcorn Highfield – 1984–1990

Around the time of Huyton's proposed move to
Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...
, the then tenants of the Canal Street ground, Runcorn FC, and its board of directors had mooted the idea of gaining extra income by establishing a rugby league club. That year saw applications from new clubs
Mansfield Marksman Mansfield Marksman was a rugby league team based at various times in Mansfield, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Alfreton and ultimately Nottingham. The club changed its name to Nottingham City in 1989, and folded in 1994 a year after exiting the Rugby Fo ...
and
Sheffield Eagles The Sheffield Eagles are a professional rugby league club that play in the Championship (rugby league), Betfred Championship. The club play their home games at the Olympic Legacy Park (OLP) on the former site of Don Valley Stadium, their forme ...
. When these clubs were elected into the
Rugby Football League 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 ...
, Runcorn FC withdrew its application and decided to allow ''Huyton RLFC'' to move to their ground instead. Geoff Fletcher remained on initially as player-manager, and then moved unto a role on the board of directors when he retired from playing. As Runcorn Highfield represented the new towns of
Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...
and Halton, the club adopted the green and yellow colours of the football club as well. The first game Highfield played was an exhibition game against local rivals
Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...
. They lost 40–8. Much of their tenure at Runcorn was generally unsuccessful and they drew little local support which was a contributing factor to their eventual departure from Canal Street. Bill Ashurst coached Runcorn between 1987 and 1989. When Runcorn Highfield drew
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
at home in the
John Player Trophy The John Player Trophy was a golf tournament on the European Tour that was played in England. It was played twice. The first event in 1970 at Notts Golf Club in Nottinghamshire was the 36-hole qualifying event for the John Player Classic. In 19 ...
on 13 November 1988, the club's supporters saw it as an ideal opportunity to persuade the people of
Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...
to come and give Highfield a try. However, the directors had the game switched to Central Park in exchange for a fee from Wigan, on the grounds that Canal Street did not have the capacity. The players, seeing that the club would receive more money, asked for a greater share. However the directors refused, leading to a massed players' strike. The team that faced Wigan comprised a number of trialists and reserves together with the coach, Bill Ashurst, who had come out of retirement. Highfield lost 92–2 in front of a crowd of 7,233 at
Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
and Ashurst was sent off after 11 minutes. The club never seemed to recover from this blow, and they went on to lose every game in the 1989–90 season, finishing eight points behind second bottom club
Nottingham City Mansfield Marksman was a rugby league team based at various times in Mansfield, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Alfreton and ultimately Nottingham. The club changed its name to Nottingham City in 1989, and folded in 1994 a year after exiting the Rugby Foo ...
.
Dave Chisnall Dave Chisnall (born 12 September 1980) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He began his career in the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and was the runner-up in their World Champion ...
became head coach of Runcorn in June 1989, he quit in October 1990 after losing all his 38 games in charge. When Runcorn Football Club increased the rent for Canal Street, Runcorn Highfield signed a 99-year agreement with St Helens Town FC in August 1990 and moved to Hoghton Road,
Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...
. The move was opposed by St Helens R.F.C. and the Rugby League Board but approved by the full Rugby League Council by 26 votes to 6 on 5 October 1990. The club was renamed Highfield for the 1991–92 season. Highfield's playing colours were a representative combination of the past incarnations of the club, which consisted of yellow socks, black shorts and predominantly red shirts with yellow, blue and green stripes across the shoulders and sleeves.


Players of Note

Paul Woods was a Welsh rugby union and league player, who turned out for Runcorn Highfield towards the end of his career.
Robin Whitfield who, after completing his playing career, became a top class referee
Geoff Fletcher who went from player to coach to manager to board member
Bill Ashurst was a player coach, another who completed his playing days with Runcorn Highfield


Highfield – 1991–1996

In their first season, Highfield finished 14th out of 20 clubs in Division Two, and reached the second round of the
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 ...
. Two years later they managed 11th place, above such teams as
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
,
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
,
Workington Town Workington Town R.L.F.C. is a semi-professional rugby league club playing in Workington in west Cumbria. Their stadium is Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team. They became Rugby League Champions in 1951 and ...
and
Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...
. However, Highfield only had an average attendance of 331, rising to 515 the following season. Chief Executive Maurice Lindsay wanted to reduce the number of clubs in the lower division of the league in 1993. The three clubs finishing bottom of the second division would be demoted to the
National Conference League The National Conference League (known as the Kingstone Press National Conference League for sponsorship reasons) is the top English amateur rugby league competition in the Rugby Football League pyramid, and as such is the leading amateur rugby l ...
. It went to the wire with
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
and
Nottingham City Mansfield Marksman was a rugby league team based at various times in Mansfield, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Alfreton and ultimately Nottingham. The club changed its name to Nottingham City in 1989, and folded in 1994 a year after exiting the Rugby Foo ...
already relegated, the crucial last match at Nottingham on 12 April 1993, between
Nottingham City Mansfield Marksman was a rugby league team based at various times in Mansfield, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Alfreton and ultimately Nottingham. The club changed its name to Nottingham City in 1989, and folded in 1994 a year after exiting the Rugby Foo ...
and Highfield saw Highfield, under Geoff Fletcher, win 39–6 and Highfield survived at the expense of Chorley Borough. The 1994–95 season was a disaster for Highfield. They won only two games all season – against amateurs
Ovenden Ovenden is a village in West Yorkshire, England, next to Boothtown and Illingworth about a mile from Halifax town centre. It is also a Calderdale Ward whose population at the 2011 Census was 12,351. Ovenden railway station on the Halifax and ...
12–6 in the first round of the Regal Trophy and against Barrow 14–12 in the league. They lost to amateurs
Beverley Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...
27–4 in the
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 ...
and their final game (played at
Rochdale Hornets The Rochdale Hornets are a professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, competing in the Championship, the second tier of European rugby league. The Rochdale Hornets are one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs ...
' ground on 23 April 1995) was a humiliating 104–4 defeat by
Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...
. Their final home game was on 17 April 1995 when they lost 34–8 to Barrow in front of a crowd of 195. Needless to say they finished bottom of the Second Division with only two points. They conceded a grand total of 1,604 points in 30 league games. Despite all this, Highfield survived into the
Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
era but fared even worse in the 1995–96 season, gaining just 1 point all season (a 24–24 draw against
York 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 ...
), their only win coming against amateurs
Hemel Hempstead Hemel Hempstead () is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of London, which is part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2011 census was 97,500. Developed after the Second World War as a ne ...
in the first round of the Regal Trophy. Their final game was an 82–0 defeat away at
Hunslet Hawks Hunslet R.L.F.C. is a professional rugby league club in Hunslet, South Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, who play in Betfred League 1. The club was founded in 1973 as New Hunslet, they became Hunslet in 1979 and the club were the Hunslet Hawks ...
on 21 January 1996.


Prescot Panthers – 1996–97

Highfield moved to
Valerie Park IP Truck Parts Stadium, traditionally known as Hope Street, is a stadium in Prescot, Merseyside. It is located on Eaton Street in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley. It is home to Prescot Cables of the Northern Premier League. A.F.C. Liverp ...
in
Prescot Prescot is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, it lies about to the east of Liverpool city centre. At the 2001 Census, the civ ...
during the 1994–1995 season, a move that was made due to the landlords of Hoghton Road, St Helens Town FC deciding to increase the rent on the ground. Highfield RLFC played there until the start of the 1996 season, when they were then renamed Prescot Panthers to coincide with the start of the
Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
. As the Prescot Panthers the club colours were predominantly black shirts with gold checks and band across the shoulders and sleeves, black shorts and black/gold hooped socks. They enjoyed by their standards a comparatively successful season winning two games. They struggled on for the 1997 season again winning two games but bowed to the inevitable and resigned from the league at the end of the season. Ironically the club's final game was a 72–10 defeat by
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
, who were also playing their final league game. Prescot finished at the bottom for a fifth successive season. A brewery loan which had kept the club afloat both at Sutton (Highfield) and later on at Prescot changed hands and the new creditors wanted the loan to be repaid immediately. With this loan, Geoff Fletcher had managed to sustain a social club at Valerie Park which provided the club with a small but sufficient income. When the brewery loan was recalled, the Prescot Panthers went into administration and then ultimately receivership. Chairman Geoff Fletcher accepted a one-off payment of about £30,000 for the club to resign from the
Rugby Football League 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 ...
. Equitable payments were then made from the £30,000 to the club's bankers and also to the few remaining Huyton-with-Roby RLFC Ltd Co. shareholders.


Seasons


Former players


Players earning international caps while at Wigan Highfield and Liverpool Stanley

* Raymond "Ray" Ashby won caps for ''Great Britain'' while at Liverpool City 1964 France * Gordon A. Aspinall won caps for ''England'' while at
Liverpool Stanley Liverpool Stanley was a semi-professional rugby league club from Liverpool, England. It was renamed Liverpool City in 1951, but was otherwise unrelated to the original Liverpool club of the same name. The club's origins date back to 1880 when i ...
1943 Wales * William "Billy" Belshaw won caps for ''England'' while at
Liverpool Stanley Liverpool Stanley was a semi-professional rugby league club from Liverpool, England. It was renamed Liverpool City in 1951, but was otherwise unrelated to the original Liverpool club of the same name. The club's origins date back to 1880 when i ...
1935 Wales, 1936 Wales, 1937 France, while at
Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
1938 France, Wales, 1939 France, Wales, 1940 Wales, 1941 Wales, 1943 Wales, 1945 Wales, and won caps for ''Great Britain'' while at
Liverpool Stanley Liverpool Stanley was a semi-professional rugby league club from Liverpool, England. It was renamed Liverpool City in 1951, but was otherwise unrelated to the original Liverpool club of the same name. The club's origins date back to 1880 when i ...
1936 Australia (3 matches), New Zealand (2 matches), 1937 Australia, while at
Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
1937 Australia (2 matches) * Nathan "Nat" Bentham won caps for ''England'' while at
Wigan Highfield Liverpool Stanley was a semi-professional rugby league club from Liverpool, England. It was renamed Liverpool City in 1951, but was otherwise unrelated to the original Liverpool club of the same name. The club's origins date back to 1880 when i ...
1928 Wales (2 matches), while at Halifax 1929 Other Nationalities, while at
Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
1930 Other Nationalities (2 matches), and won caps for ''Great Britain'' while at
Wigan Highfield Liverpool Stanley was a semi-professional rugby league club from Liverpool, England. It was renamed Liverpool City in 1951, but was otherwise unrelated to the original Liverpool club of the same name. The club's origins date back to 1880 when i ...
1928 Australia (3 matches), New Zealand (3 matches), while at Halifax 1929–30 Australia (2 matches), while at
Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
Australia (2 matches) * Harry Woods won caps for ''England'' while at
Liverpool Stanley Liverpool Stanley was a semi-professional rugby league club from Liverpool, England. It was renamed Liverpool City in 1951, but was otherwise unrelated to the original Liverpool club of the same name. The club's origins date back to 1880 when i ...
and the second Liverpool City 1935 France, Wales, while at
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 the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
1937 France won caps, and won caps for ''Great Britain'' while at
Liverpool Stanley Liverpool Stanley was a semi-professional rugby league club from Liverpool, England. It was renamed Liverpool City in 1951, but was otherwise unrelated to the original Liverpool club of the same name. The club's origins date back to 1880 when i ...
1936 Australia (3 matches), New Zealand (2 matches),
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 the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
1937 Australia


Honours

* Lancashire League: 1 **1935-36


References


Full List of Wigan Highfield Results

Rugby League Records


* Runcorn Highfield RLFC
Remember Runcorn Highfield on Facebook
*{{cite book , author = Brocken, Mike , year = 2008 , title = Liverpool City RLFC: Rugby league in a football city , publisher = London League Publications Ltd , isbn = 978-1-903659-40-3


External links


Huyton Bulldogs RLFCLiverpool Buccaneers RLFC

Liverpool Lions Junior RLFC

Liverpool Storm Junior RLFC

Runcorn RLCImages of Wigan Highfield RLFCRUGBY LEAGUE SEASON – SWINTON V. LIVERPOOL STANLEY video newsreel film 1937Huyton vs Bradford Northern 1971
Defunct rugby league teams in England Rugby clubs established in 1906 Rugby league teams in Cheshire Rugby league teams in Greater Manchester Rugby league teams in London Rugby league teams in Merseyside Runcorn Sports organisations based in Liverpool 1906 establishments in England