Reading this chronicle of events at the time www.independent.co.uk/sport/how- ... 15884.html we were a lot closer than you say to a merger.

Sky were not interested in the detail of which teams were in or out, just the number of teams in the league and the money. The Warrington/Widnes merger was proposed early during the discussions (the whole thing from offer to deal with BSkyB lasted 4 days) Jim Mills and Peter Higham objected.

However the official statement, made jointly by Lindsay and BSkyB, at 1.15pm on 8th April 1995 at Central Park was that a five-year deal with News International Ltd had been unanimously approved. The list of teams for the Super League were read out and included the merger between Widnes and Warrington.

Reading this chronicle of events at the time www.independent.co.uk/sport/how- ... 15884.html we were a lot closer than you say to a merger.

Sky were not interested in the detail of which teams were in or out, just the number of teams in the league and the money. The Warrington/Widnes merger was proposed early during the discussions (the whole thing from offer to deal with BSkyB lasted 4 days) Jim Mills and Peter Higham objected.

However the official statement, made jointly by Lindsay and BSkyB, at 1.15pm on 8th April 1995 at Central Park was that a five-year deal with News International Ltd had been unanimously approved. The list of teams for the Super League were read out and included the merger between Widnes and Warrington.

Im still not sure we were that close...... the details of all that are a bit sketchy to be honest.

So on the 7th of April Lyndsay announces the proposed mergers "required", including the particular one I earlier stated as being the ridiculous 80+ mile spread of Workington, Whitehaven, Barrow and Carlisle. wires and widnes both want to go it alone so Warrington are included and Widnes left out ( Jim Mills away at the races!!!).
there is absolutely no mention of the chairmen's reaction of not just two clubs proposed to merge as in Wire and widnes, but of three to four clubs requiring to merge!!
are we to believe Cas Fev and Wakey were skipping off arm in arm... who was this mysterious second French Club...?

the following day the 8th Lyndsay announces the deal and the teams involved, though he admits Warrington widnes could be a problem (despite the stadiums being only ten miles apart, but the Cumbrian merger is a stone cold breeze of an idea...!!!)

It looks to me that people just saw the numbers signed it first and then would argue the details later.....And I find that astonishing if those turn of events are true.....

So this massive corporation BSkyB get a load of chairmen to sign contracts to merge clubs in exchange for a 77 million pound deal.
they all sign it and the might of the rugby league chairmen renege on every deal of the contract and Sky are happy with it......??? No chance.....

I would argue in reality an idea was signed for TV coverage, for the rights to the league, for certain control, and for an ideal league "look and feel"

why else would the piece end with:
"Just four days after the phone rang in Chapeltown Road, the deal is done - and the real arguing can begin."



interesting piece though ......nice of the Swinton chairman to tell us we should merge but no suggestion of his team merging with Salford and Oldham.

Im still not sure we were that close...... the details of all that are a bit sketchy to be honest.

So on the 7th of April Lyndsay announces the proposed mergers "required", including the particular one I earlier stated as being the ridiculous 80+ mile spread of Workington, Whitehaven, Barrow and Carlisle. wires and widnes both want to go it alone so Warrington are included and Widnes left out ( Jim Mills away at the races!!!).
there is absolutely no mention of the chairmen's reaction of not just two clubs proposed to merge as in Wire and widnes, but of three to four clubs requiring to merge!!
are we to believe Cas Fev and Wakey were skipping off arm in arm... who was this mysterious second French Club...?

the following day the 8th Lyndsay announces the deal and the teams involved, though he admits Warrington widnes could be a problem (despite the stadiums being only ten miles apart, but the Cumbrian merger is a stone cold breeze of an idea...!!!)

It looks to me that people just saw the numbers signed it first and then would argue the details later.....And I find that astonishing if those turn of events are true.....

So this massive corporation BSkyB get a load of chairmen to sign contracts to merge clubs in exchange for a 77 million pound deal.
they all sign it and the might of the rugby league chairmen renege on every deal of the contract and Sky are happy with it......??? No chance.....

I would argue in reality an idea was signed for TV coverage, for the rights to the league, for certain control, and for an ideal league "look and feel"

why else would the piece end with:
"Just four days after the phone rang in Chapeltown Road, the deal is done - and the real arguing can begin."



interesting piece though ......nice of the Swinton chairman to tell us we should merge but no suggestion of his team merging with Salford and Oldham.

Lets get the facts right Superblue Warrington and Widnes are not in Cheshire but in Real Lancashire - its your lack of Geographic Knowledge

www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/you ... confusion/ The boundary is still The River Mersey and both Warrington and Widnes are North of the Mersey - I take it your South of the Mersey and probably descendant of 1970s Southern Imported influx to expand the New Town -

Lets get the facts right Superblue Warrington and Widnes are not in Cheshire but in Real Lancashire - its your lack of Geographic Knowledge

www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/you ... confusion/ The boundary is still The River Mersey and both Warrington and Widnes are North of the Mersey - I take it your South of the Mersey and probably descendant of 1970s Southern Imported influx to expand the New Town -

I have long been convinced by the argument that Warrington is in Lancashire. However, don't forget, for the vast majority of our existence we have played south of the river!! Our first ground, the majority of our early venues, and of course the HJ are north. But at the time of the formation of SL the club played in Cheshire, and had been based there for nearly a century.

I have long been convinced by the argument that Warrington is in Lancashire. However, don't forget, for the vast majority of our existence we have played south of the river!! Our first ground, the majority of our early venues, and of course the HJ are north. But at the time of the formation of SL the club played in Cheshire, and had been based there for nearly a century.

Well if we go back a little further to 270 million years I think you will find the Wire club was in fact pretty close to the equator on a land mass called Pangaea. www.openculture.com/2014/07/map- ... angea.html

Following a bit continental drift and a few years later we drifted away from Eurasia and ended up moored on the eastern side of what we now call the Atlantic Ocean. As an aside, just to the SW of Warrington was a large volcano belching out malodorous sulphurous fumes and steam. The volcano is now extinct of course but it's name lives on in the settlement of Widnes. But anyway, can we still say Warrington was in Lancashire, when in truth we were part of the Eurasia land mass ?

Well if we go back a little further to 270 million years I think you will find the Wire club was in fact pretty close to the equator on a land mass called Pangaea. www.openculture.com/2014/07/map- ... angea.html

Following a bit continental drift and a few years later we drifted away from Eurasia and ended up moored on the eastern side of what we now call the Atlantic Ocean. As an aside, just to the SW of Warrington was a large volcano belching out malodorous sulphurous fumes and steam. The volcano is now extinct of course but it's name lives on in the settlement of Widnes. But anyway, can we still say Warrington was in Lancashire, when in truth we were part of the Eurasia land mass ?

The true purist knows that Warrington played their first game on the spot that was originally part of the historic gas and dust cloud, before those bureaucrats at city hall merged all the gas and dust and rocks, re-drew the boundaries, and called it Earth.

The true purist knows that Warrington played their first game on the spot that was originally part of the historic gas and dust cloud, before those bureaucrats at city hall merged all the gas and dust and rocks, re-drew the boundaries, and called it Earth.

Sort of get your drift, so if Warrington and Widnes aren't in Cheshire then my point stands, that Cheshire cannot offer Super League a Big team

Sort of get your drift, so if Warrington and Widnes aren't in Cheshire then my point stands, that Cheshire cannot offer Super League a Big team