Photos of Wigan
Photos of Wigan
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CHALLENGE CUP 1st ROUND, 1949 WIGAN v LEIGH
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Leigh rugby league players preparing to meet Wigan
Photo: Keith
Photo: Keith
Views: 3,004
Item #: 31921
Item #: 31921
A collection of Leigh RL players who, as part of their preparation for their challenge cup match against Wigan in February 1949, are spending time at the Palace Hotel in Birkdale, Southport which is seen behind them. My father took this photo (he spent his 11th and final year playing Rugby League for Leigh, after his 10 year contract with Wigan was completed).
The players are, left to right, Benny Coffey, George Harris (a Welshman like my father), next I believe is a Leigh Director, name unknown, the next I’m also not sure about but it could be Frank Alder?, followed by Alf Edge. Front, left to right, Peter Riley, Norman Harris (grandfather of Iestyn), and Jimmy Ledgard.
The results of the matches were remarkable considering Leigh were well down the league table while Wigan were top. The attendances were also fantastic, a total of 87,500 watched the 3 games. Here are the details,
Challenge Cup 1st Round, 1st Leg
February 12th 1949 at Central Park Wigan 11 Leigh 12 Attendance 30,000
Challenge Cup 1st Round, 2nd Leg
February 19th 1949 at Hilton Park Leigh 4 Wigan 5 Attendance 28,000
Scores were level at full time but the referee failed to play extra time, the match was declared void, a replay was held.
Challenge Cup 1st Round, 2nd Leg REPLAY
February 26th 1949 at Hilton Park Leigh 4 Wigan 10 Attendance 29,500
Wigan won on Aggregate Leigh 16 Wigan 21.
The Palace Hotel was built in Birkdale Southport in 1868 and was demolished in 1969. The Birkdale Palace Hotel, with its 1,000 rooms and about 200 bedrooms and suites, was Southport’s biggest, and was once so important that it boasted its own railway station. The hotel had a huge ballroom, three bars, restaurant, tennis courts and pavilions. Its extensive garages housed guests’ Rolls-Royces, Daimlers and Bentleys.
It was labelled Britain’s most haunted hotel. Details of its history are available on the internet with such sentences as “The stunning Palace Hotel in Birkdale hosted Hollywood legends including Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra, Peter Sellers and Boris Karloff, as well as the Hungary team during the 1966 World Cup. Frank Sinatra stayed at the Palace Hotel while performing for five nights at the Liverpool Empire in 1953
But it also hid some very dark secrets, including the murder of a child by a night porter, as well as several stories of it being Britain’s most haunted hotel. The lifts were said to move of their own accord, despite all power being cut during demolition.
A link to it on the internet is https://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/news/history/britains-most-haunted-hotel-once-12362496
The players are, left to right, Benny Coffey, George Harris (a Welshman like my father), next I believe is a Leigh Director, name unknown, the next I’m also not sure about but it could be Frank Alder?, followed by Alf Edge. Front, left to right, Peter Riley, Norman Harris (grandfather of Iestyn), and Jimmy Ledgard.
The results of the matches were remarkable considering Leigh were well down the league table while Wigan were top. The attendances were also fantastic, a total of 87,500 watched the 3 games. Here are the details,
Challenge Cup 1st Round, 1st Leg
February 12th 1949 at Central Park Wigan 11 Leigh 12 Attendance 30,000
Challenge Cup 1st Round, 2nd Leg
February 19th 1949 at Hilton Park Leigh 4 Wigan 5 Attendance 28,000
Scores were level at full time but the referee failed to play extra time, the match was declared void, a replay was held.
Challenge Cup 1st Round, 2nd Leg REPLAY
February 26th 1949 at Hilton Park Leigh 4 Wigan 10 Attendance 29,500
Wigan won on Aggregate Leigh 16 Wigan 21.
The Palace Hotel was built in Birkdale Southport in 1868 and was demolished in 1969. The Birkdale Palace Hotel, with its 1,000 rooms and about 200 bedrooms and suites, was Southport’s biggest, and was once so important that it boasted its own railway station. The hotel had a huge ballroom, three bars, restaurant, tennis courts and pavilions. Its extensive garages housed guests’ Rolls-Royces, Daimlers and Bentleys.
It was labelled Britain’s most haunted hotel. Details of its history are available on the internet with such sentences as “The stunning Palace Hotel in Birkdale hosted Hollywood legends including Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra, Peter Sellers and Boris Karloff, as well as the Hungary team during the 1966 World Cup. Frank Sinatra stayed at the Palace Hotel while performing for five nights at the Liverpool Empire in 1953
But it also hid some very dark secrets, including the murder of a child by a night porter, as well as several stories of it being Britain’s most haunted hotel. The lifts were said to move of their own accord, despite all power being cut during demolition.
A link to it on the internet is https://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/news/history/britains-most-haunted-hotel-once-12362496
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