All Golds v York City Knights KPL1 2017 Final

1931 Challenge Cup Final at
Wembley and three Yorkshire
Cup Finals (two wins) plus a
highest ever league position
of third in the 1932/3 season.
The team was packed with
Welshmen such as Norman
Fender, Dai Prosser, Arthur
Lloyd, Mel Rosser, Billy Thomas
and winger Harold Thomas
the scorer of both York’s tries
at Wembley. (Many Welshmen
“came north” in the 1930s as
the economic depression of
the 1920s and 1930s hit South
Wales badly). A gradual decline
in fortunes was punctuated
only by two losing Yorkshire
Cup Finals in 1957/8 and 1978/9.
From the 1973/4 season the
league was split into firstly two
and later three divisions which
gave some of the less famous
clubs a chance of silverware.
York duly won the 2nd Division
in 1980/81 finishing three points
above Wigan in the famous
Lancashire club’s only season in
a lower division.
Sadly York were relegated back
to the 2nd Division the season
after from where the club
reached the semi finals of the
Challenge Cup in 1984, gallantly
losing to Wigan 14-8.
1989 was a landmark year for
the wrong reasons when the
York v Wigan - 1984 Challenge Cup Semi Final
club had to sell its old Clarence
Street ground and move out
of the city to Monk’s Cross in
the Ryedale district, changing
their name to Ryedale York. On
the advent of summer rugby
league in 1996 they changed
their name to York Wasps but
this had little effect on their
fortunes.
In the 2000s things went
from bad to worse as the
club suffered a 10-6 defeat
to amateurs West Hull in the
Challenge Cup and in March
2002 the club folded, resigning
from the league that month.
Happily, the club returned
the next season as York City
Knights with new colours of
blue and white and a mix of
success and failure, promotions
and relegations, a League 2
(third tier) Grand Final win and
the disappointment of finishing
top of the third tier in 2014 but
losing out on promotion in the
play offs.
Homeless in 2015 having
moved out of Monk’s Cross,
the threat of closure once more
loomed over York with doubts
as to their participation in the
2017 season. Thankfully the
club made it to the starting
line with new owners, reverting
back to their traditional amber
and black colours and with
respected coach James Ford
at the helm and settled at the
Bootham Crescent Ground
shared with the local football
club.
York in all its many guises has
been a nursery for up and
coming players. The likes of
Kevin Harkin and Graeme
Steadman graced their colours
while latterday Super League
stars Greg Miniken at Castleford
and Kris Brining at Salford owe
their current success to the
club.
7
entertaining newcomers Fulham in 1981
Hopefully, better times will soon
be round the corner for the club
from the wonderful city of York.
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