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