The Origins
The Origins of Wakefield Trinity
The Wakefield Trinity Football Club was formed at the beginning of 1873 by members of the young men's society connected with Holy Trinity Church. How many there are among us who can remember those far away days it is, of course, impossible to say. They must be few if any. But we know that one of our regular followers until a few years ago could claim to have been one of Trinity's earliest players.
He was Mr. John Flinch, of Horbury, who died in 1951 at the age of 99. Here is an excerpt from the Trinity Programme for August 26th 1950. Last Tuesday we paid a visit to our oldest member, Mr. John Finch, of Horbury, to offer him, on behalf of the Committee, honorary membership of the club for another season.
In expressing his appreciation, he became reminiscent, "Things are not what they used to be", he said. "I remember playing for Trinity against Outwood. That would be soon after Trinity ceased playing at Heath Common and came to Belle Vue. I was injured, unable to work for some weeks, and lost £20 in wages, but there was no compensation. But if conditions were not so good, the game was good, and it still is. The ground, of course, is much better".
His memory is remarkably clear and he brings to mind without hesitation many of the players of those earliest das – Bartram, Whitehead, B. Kilner, J.W. Kilner, A. Hayley and Harry Hayley. He recalls that in one season, when Joe Latham was captain, Trinity did not lose a home match.
Now it is interesting to not that there was a Rugby Football club in existence in Wakefield before the formation of Trinity, and this was called the Wakefield Club. They had played their first match in 1872, against Leeds Grammar School, at Leeds.
Then along came Trinity, and their opponents in their first match on Saturday, February 8th, 1873, were this Wakefield Team. The game was played at Eastmoor, with the following result:
Wakefield 3 touch-downs, Trinity 1 touch-down.
From Heath Common Trinity moved to a field near the Alexandra Hotel, belle Vue and finally in 1878-9 to the present field at Belle Vue. The secretarial duties during the first years appear to have been the care of one of the players – a name prominently associated with the club, T. Oliver Bennett.
THE FIRST COUNTY MAN
The team appear to have made their mark in that first decade sufficiently to establish themselves in the attention of the Rugby Union world. The first member of the club to attain count status was Harry Hayley, who had previously played with St. John's Training College, York. He played for Yorkshire (against Middlesex at Kennington Oval on February 25th 1878.) He had not at that time player cricket for Yorkshire, but this honour was to follow.
AND OTHERS
Twenty Eight other Trinity players gained County honours in those R.U. days. These were: Fred Ash, Paul Booth, Billy Binks, T. Oliver Bennett, C. E. Bartram, Jim Bedford, Harry Dawson, Bill Ellis, Herbert Fallas, J. Gomersal, H.O. Hamshaw, Arthur Hayley, Herbert Hutchinson, Tommy Harrison, G. Jubb, W. Jackson, Barron Kilner, J. W. Kilner, Joe Latham, Ben Longbottom, Fred Lowrie, O.G. Mackie, E. J. Spink, Geo. Steele, Herbert Ward, Tommy Wordsworth, Herbert Whiteley and J. H. Jones
C. E ("Teddy") Bartram never had the luck to play for England, but he took part in three North v. South representative matches, and played fourteen times for Yorkshire. In his prime,
his height and weight were 5ft. 8 1/2 in. and just over 11st. in the days when goals were of
greater importance, he perfected the art of the drop-kick.
Other players who took part in International trials, usually North v. South, were H. Hutchinson and J. H. Jones.
INTERNATIONALS
The first Trinity player to win an international cap was Barron Kilner, who played for England against Ireland at Dublin on January 30th 1880. Other English players on that day were from clubs as widely distant as Blackheath, Richmond, Cheltenham and Manchester.
Following this, Trinity had further honours through the selection of Herbert Fallas (England v. Ireland 1884) and Fred Lowrie (England v. Maoris 1889; England v. Wales 1890). Trinity player O. G Mackie was a member of the Cambridge University team when capped for England against Scotland and against Ireland in 1897 and 1898. After the formation of the Northern Union he was unable to play for Trinity.