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Wigan Album

Wigan RLFC Challenge Cup Winners

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Challenge Cup Trophy 1958
Challenge Cup Trophy 1958
Photo: Keith
Views: 3,401
Item #: 29789
Three of Wigan's great rugby players proudly display the Challenge Cup Trophy won in 1958 against Workington Town. I'm afraid I cannot name the fourth gentleman in the photo, but the players left to right are John Barton, Frank Collier and the fantastic Brian McTigue.
Please note the "muddy" pitch, or as we commonly referred to it the "slutchy" conditions underfoot! I was lucky enough to visit Belfast this summer and the guide on our tour bus (it was a one day visit), referred to the fact that the reason Belfast does not have particularly tall buildings was on account of the underlying soil conditions which were muddy, she said the locals called it "sleetchy", a word I had never heard before and could only compare to "our" local term of "slutchy".

Comment by: P on 15th October 2017 at 11:48

Lots of slorrin abawt on that pitch Keith. Favvers Somme.

Comment by: WILLY WACKUM on 15th October 2017 at 14:08

When Rugby League was a PROPER game.

Comment by: tuddy on 15th October 2017 at 19:57

when Alex Murphy was commentating on a rugby league game for the BBC he mentioned that he couldn't identify a certain player because the number on his shirt was covered in slutch. The BBC received hundreds of letters from viewers in the south of England all wanting to know what slutch was.

Comment by: Keith on 15th October 2017 at 20:22

Great story Tuddy - I was hoping something like that might emerge - fantastic.

Comment by: GeorgeB on 17th October 2017 at 09:31

If you trawl the early Census records (1850's and 1860's) for certain Wigan districts, every 2nd or 3rd household seemed to have one or more occupants who were born in Ireland, highly probable then that "their" word "sleetch" could have become "slutch" over time.

Comment by: JimE on 18th October 2017 at 21:25

Just for the record, the definition from the online Collins English Dictionary for "slutch" is:-
1. slutch - noun (Northern English, dialect) mud
Derived Forms : slutchy, adjective
Looks as if they aren't aware of the probable Northern Ireland influence.

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