First game of RL I went to was at the old Crown Flat when the two Stephensons were playing it finished 2-0!! Rugby was so good in those days

It was indeed the very first game of the 85/86. The day before I started High School. Reason I remember is that I backed my Homework Diary Book in the YEP report from the game!

Hull KR Leigh looks good as well

[url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/seasons/championship-1985/round-1/dewsbury-vs-leeds/summary.html[uProbably this game - opening fixture of the 1985/86 season[/u[/url

And the Heavy Woollen Derby.

I don't recall which year it was but my first trip to Crown Flatt, I'm sure Leeds were playing in their white away strip. It will have been in the mid to late 70's sometime.

I remember being bored and more interested in monitoring cloud formations or the far more interesting water tower situated in nearby Ossett which was visible from the ground.

Another home draw for Leeds in the CC.

The laws of probability don't seem to apply to them.

As does Leigh-HKR. Wouldn't be too upset to see the lower league underdog win this.

Leeds also drew Doncaster in the CC in the same season 1985/86 of the Dewsbury game alluded to above, except on that occasion, Leeds were actually drawn away to Doncaster at Tattersfield.

However, the game was switched to Headingley for reasons which I cannot recall. Could have been weather concerns therefore Headingley's undersoil heating was taken advantage of. It also could have been Doncaster's decision (with some encouragement from Leeds of course) in order to profit from a larger attendance.

Leeds played in seven CC fixtures that season (against Swinton, Halifax, Doncaster, Widnes and Hull KR) and still didn't make it to Wembley. Drawn in the Preliminary Round, plus a couple of replays after draws against Widnes and Hull KR.

That'd be the year we lost the semi replay to Hull KR, would it not?

Indeed.

You beat me to my edit

It was that game that drew me back to RL, I went to the replay that we lost at Elland Rd & I've been hooked ever since.

drew with with widnes as well, pretty convinced we would have won the first semi if it had gone to extra time. we were well beat in the replay. my first trip to elland road.

That was the game being discussed but I now realize it wasn't Leeds last visit to the old Crown Flatt as they were back there again a couple of weeks later for a Yorkshire Cup tie. This time it was another Leeds winger's debut - Friday night hero Stormin Norman Francis. Routine result this time 2-48 away win fir Leeds.

It was moved due to the state of Tattersfield. It really was a quagmire back then. It was the the flood plain of the River Don. I remember one year playing in an amateur final on it, after it had been under water for weeks, there were strange marsh grasses growing out of it all over.
Back to the game, Dons were actually winning, maybe even at half time but my memory is too sketchy. I do remember the great Kevin Parkhouse crashing over in the corner of the West Stand & North stand.

The answer was all of the above.
1 - weather. Headingley was almost single handedly saving that CC round. The Leeds - Doncaster game went ahead on the Sunday, the day before Bradford played their tie V Wakefield at the ground, then on Monday it hosted Dewsbury V St Helens. Leeds themselves were back out there on Thursday V Salford for a League fixture. Even Bradford City V Millwall was pencilled in for the Wednesday at one point.

2 - financial inducement. Although originally turned down, Doncaster finally accepted the £2,500 on offer from Leeds and were rewarded with a share of the £14,407 gate receipts from the 7,268 that attended.

That's alarmingly correct.

Doncaster were up 4-10 at the break and Leeds didn't get into the lead until the hour mark when a lucky rebounded kick collected by Roy Powell allowed Cliff Lyons to send David Creasser over. Cliffie then took control to see Leeds home but all the glory went to Doncaster.

That rings a bell, yes.

Leeds were expected to demolish Donny that day but had a reality check instead.

Do you remember Don Robson and the late and great Tony Banham from a decade earlier?

Banham was later landlord of the late and great Fforde Grene boozer IIRC.

What a long and winding Cup year that was for Leeds - 7 ties and still no appearance at Wembley



Swinton (prelim) 30-8
Halifax (a) 24-4 (great win in a year in which Halifax won the title)
Doncaster (away tie but switched to home, 28-10)
Widnes (a) 10-10
Widnes (H, replay) 5-0
HKR (Ell. Rd) 24-24
HKR (replay Ell.Rd) 0-17

Total attendance for those 7 CC ties above was 96,608.

I attended every one of them.

Robson I remember as a name but cannot place him. Banham was a Dons legend, despite being from Hull IIRC but with a cockney accent. In the dark days of the late 70s/early 80s he was virtually the only Dons player capable of scoring a try. He was incredibly mobile for such a huge bloke. The last time I saw him was in a pub in London prior to a CC Final in mid 80s. He died not too long after.

Robson and Banham appear in the following superb documentary...

[url=http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-another-bloody-sunday-1981/[uAnother Bloody Sunday[/u[/url

Hi..Dons fan here:

On the subject of Another Bloody Sunday and Tony Banham. We had reunion in the mid 00's with pretty much everyone from the original film, including opposition players and coaches, Tony's kids were there as guess of honour. Had a good drink and all watched the Documentary together (after months of arguing with Yorkshire television over rights to show it, they agreed to a one off showing if they could cover the event on Calendar). it's still worth a watch. Stewart Piper, the local winger who coined the phrases "Another Bloody Sunday" is still very much associated with the club today. As is Don Brooks, who even by then was the old physio with the sponge.

On the CC draw...am I right in thinking you usually play your cup games on Friday nights?

We have a game on Monday and then a game the Thursday after so assume it'll be Friday.