921- 1971
HISTORY OF THE CLUB
Though this was the Jubilee Year of this Club, Rugby Union Football was played in Bramley as long ago as the 1870’s when a Club was formed by the then Vicar of Bramley, the Rev. Cope.
The original ground was situated where the present Library now stands and eventually the Club moved to the Barley Mow ground where Rugby Union was played until the commencement of the professional code, then known as Northern Union in 1895 due to payment for broken time.
After the 1914 - 18 War it was felt that facilities for amateur rugby should be provided for the returning young men.

The formation of any club must of necessity owe its origin to the thoughts and ideas of a few, and the formation and subsequent development of the present Club under its original name — Bramley Old Boys, is no exception.

It was in the year 1921 that those hose thoughts and ideas became a reality and in an inaugural meeting held in Bramley Conservative Club, Messrs. W. L. Haley, W. R. Mathers, I R. Huggan, B. Crossley and J. R. H. Greaves formed what was to be one of proudest possessions of Bramley and district, its Rugby Union Club.

The first match was played against a club from New Edlington, near Doncaster, and the honour of being Bramley's first captain fell to Revil Gaunt. That such a sensational start was to be made could not have been anticipated, for in 1921 - 1922 -1923 seasons, the Boys were to fight their victorious way through to the Yorkshire Cup semi-finals and, as many of our older supporters will remember, were to defeat Headingley a notable team of our County which had then been establish 43 years. It is recorded that the move to defeat our opponents was worked out in the ‘Globe’, and subsequently worked to perfection on the field.

The success of the team, of course, was bound to have effect on individual players, and several names spring to mind, among them such stalwarts as C. Mathers, R. Neumann and the late H. Fletcher & W. Jackson. Many of our leading players transferred their affections to the more fashionable clubs of that era. Indeed, H. Fletcher, our most prominent player, went over to the League code, and it is interesting to note that several of our players left us to join the club we now know as our most friendly rivals— West Leeds H.S.O.B. Also about this time the Club were to suffer the tragic loss of Frank Haley, son of W. L. Haley who was killed in a motor accident.

And so towards the 1927/28 season, the fortunes of the Old Boys were beginning to flag, but it is to the credit of all concerned, that hard work and team work kept the Club in the forefront of Yorkshire rugby, as is evident from the fixture lists for that period. However, fixture lists could not finance the Club, and the players themselves took on a greater share of the burden. They inaugurated their own insurance scheme, paid for all their own transport, and by all means possible, kept the Club going. To players of more recent times it may be of interest to note that the playing fee of those years was two and sixpence per player per match.

The Club was now settling down a little as far as playing strength was concerned, and a very useful side was in evidence. Once again, however, success brought to the Club the loss of experienced players, and many were to turn professional in the early 30’s. It is also of interest to note that about this time our closest rivals Pudsey were to disband and that was quite a blow, for it was said that anyone who had played in one of these ‘Derby’ matches was a man indeed.

The Committee, of course. were working hard at this time to stem the tide against the club, and one of their ideas was to change the Club colours, and it was in this way that the now famous ‘Green, Black and Gold’ jersey came into being. The club was also honoured at this time, 1935/1936, by the appointment of its President W. L. Haley to the Presidency of the Yorkshire Union, after many years as a County Committee member.

However misfortune again hit the Club when one of its most valuable clubmen, John Crabtree lost his life in a road accident.

Once again the Club fortunes changed, and with a steady influx of new players, and the maturing of many‘A’ XV players, the Club went forward to one of their best seasons ever from a playing point of view. No fewer than 13 consecutive wins were registered in a record breaking season.

By this time however, the war clouds were gathering and the Club found itself temporarily disbanded, as far as football was concerned. However, the Committee was still to function, and as in many other clubs social efforts were held by those at home, and much good was done by the Ladies section of that time, as many a serviceman will appreciate. Many long hours were devoted to these comforts which helped so many through those trying times.

Hostilities over, the Club was rarin’ to go, and activities were resumed and old acquaintances renewed on the Resorvoir Field. It was good to see many of the old faces of pre - war years returning, and they were very welcome as they were to form the backbone of the team. The fortunes of the Club were entrusted to a very energetic Committee, many of them old players, who were so ably led by the President, C. W. Mathers, who had succeeded the late W. L. Haley. Team building was the most important feature of Club activity, and the Club was very fortunate in selecting Jim Gaunt as captain. Jim was a personality who possessed great powers of leadership, and for four consecutive seasons he welded the team together, and put Bramley back on the right track. Success came gradually, but it was soon evident that the Club was determined to win one or more of the trophies offered to Yorkshire rugby teams. Indeed the year 1949 saw Bramley fight for six and a half hours with Old Hymerians, on four different grounds, to decide finally in our favour by one point.

This spirit was maintained, and with patient coaching and training by ‘Johnty’ Burnett, the Club went to three consecutive Shield semi - finals, eventually winning the Shield and being runners - up to Morley in the Yorkshire Cup in 1955. This success was consolidated by the ‘A’ XV, who won the Yarnbury and Bridlington ‘Sevens’, a great season by a great team.

The success of the team was in no small measure due to wonderful leadership and example shown by our captains. In Arnold Saville and the late Peter Clayton we had men of high skill as players, and high example off the field and in Club service. Tragedy, however, once again struck, and our most successful captain ever, Peter Clayton, was taken from us by illness, and that grand clubman, Ken Edmundson, was lost to us in a motor accident. During this period we saw the true spirit of Yorkshire rugby, for our opponents were among the first to offer their condolences.

However the mould of success had been cast. We were on the move to greater things, and the Committee were concerned about our Headquarters. We had never had a permanent home or ground — indeed, four grounds had been used since the formation of the Club. If we were to establish ourselves, we had to have a permanent ground. Much effort and hard work was put in by a most energetic and successful committee, and their efforts became well rewarded with the purchase of the Warrels ground.
Following the move to the Warrels ground the Club consolidated its position in Yorkshire Rugby. Fixtures were extended to include Clubs in Lancashire, the North East, the Midlands and London. Exemption to the fifth and sixth rounds of the Yorkshire Cup marked the status recognised from a playing point of view and in these rounds many stirring games were played against more senior sides.
Perhaps the main development on the playing side was the formation of a Colts XV in 1966. Ian Benton did great work in getting this valuable asset to the Club off the ground, and it can be said that we were one of the pioneers in this field. For many years at least one Bramley Colt has appeared in the Yorkshire Colts XV. Several County Colts trials and coaching sessions have been held at the Warrels.

Also in 1966 and following current fashion, the Club dropped the “Old Boys” tag from its name, much to the disappointment of many older members. At the same time the “A” team was re named the Barbarians, the idea being to develop it as an extra first XV and get similar fixtures. This idea was not too popular with many of the Clubs we had played over several seasons, when they found their “A” team against what was virtually Bramley’s third team, so some reversal of thought has been necessary in order to keep long made friendships.

All this time, improvements and progress were made in the Club house. The kitchen and beer cellar had attention and in 1967 another major project was completed when the Lord Mayor of Leeds. Colonel Lawrence Turnbull, opened new Changing Rooms and a new Lounge which had been built into the existing building.

HISTORY OF THE GROUND

The first ground in 1921, was known as the Reservoir Field at the top of Bramley Park. After five seasons it was decided to move to Whitegate Farm, which was more central. Unfortunately, the extra cost of transporting teams from the changing rooms, which were at Bramley Baths, caused them to leave this ground after only a short stay. The next move was to a field near Bramley Baths, known as the Police Station Field. Here, too, the stay was a short one, due to the previous owner keeping pigs in the field, which had left behind an aroma, which combined with mud, had made playing conditions very bad indeed. So - back to the Reservoir field. A further six years went by before yet another move - this time to a field in Lower Calverley Lane, which proved to be much better. The Club made their home here until the outbreak of World War II, at which time playing activities ceased.In 1946, after the war had finished, Rugby Football resumed when the Reservoir Field was again used. However, the following season saw yet another move - this time to the Park. Conditions on both these fields were still not satisfactory and so in 1949 a Ground Fund scheme was started and in 1950 a hunt was instigated, by a newly formed sub-committee, to find a suitable site for a permanent ground. Their efforts were eventually rewarded when the Warrels ground was purchased in 1953. Hitherto this area had been occupied by allotment holders and belonged to the executors of the late W.L. Haley. After much litigation, which included a question in the House of Commons, they were able to buy sufficient land for the development of a Rugby Union Football Field and Clubhouse. At that time C.W. Mathers gave the Club a large wooden building, and a team of workers went up to Stonegate Road every weekend for. seven months to dismantle this building and make it ready for erection at the new Warrels ground. Meanwhile, the field was being prepared, levelled out and had 1,500 tons of topsoil tipped on the ground to give it decent coverage. The ground was then seeded in October and November 1955. The total cost of this work amounted to £1,350. Work continued on the erection of the building and the roof was on by October 1956. Unfortunately, nature then took a hand in the proceedings when, for a period, terrific gales ensued, and the whole building collapsed like a pack of cards! As you can imagine, this was a real blow to those who had given so much of their time and effort to get things to this point.

THE LADIES COMMITTEE

The committee was formed just after the war, they proved conclusively that its formation was a worthy one, as it came to the rescue with an offer of £200 to enlist the services of a builder to reconstruct the building.There were varying opinions as to whether this would prove to be a ‘sound’ job, especially after what had happened previously. Builders were approached but were unwilling to tackle the job - at any price!Naturally, this caused some concern to the Ground Committee, and after several meetings it was decided that a builder be approached with a view to putting up a brick structure. An emergency meeting was called and it was passed that they should proceed with the building of a brick clubhouse. This proposal met with severe opposition from certain members, and unfortunately led to the resignation of the President, C.W. Mathers, who had, to this point, put in an awful lot of work and time into the scheme.However, it was felt that they had to go forward and a new Ground Committee was formed under the leadership of Jack Poppy and Jack Longbottom. They started, as it were, from the foundations once more. New plans had to be rushed through for approval, and eventually the services of J.W. Dufton & Sons Limited, were enlisted to put up’~ the building, which was to be ready for the volunteer party to put on the roof in May1957.Having completed the work it was decided to concentrate on the playing area and to have it ready for the 1957-8 Season. The grass was growing well. Johnty Burnett organised a party to put up the railings down each side of the ground, and to have goal posts extended so that they could be seen all over Bramley! The ground was ready for play at the beginning of the season and the next big task was to get the dressing rooms finished as soon as possible. After various delays the task was eventually completed in time for use in November 30th. So it was farewell to Bramley Baths for use as their changing rooms, which they had been using since 1921, and on to their brand new Clubhouse and Bathroom! With the team changing and playing at the Warrels, the next target was to make the Club Rooms ready for use at Christmas. The Bar Committee got to work and informed the Genera! Committee that they had the necessary licence to sell liquid refreshment (can you imagine both the sigh of relief coupled with the feeling of joyful anticipation at this news?). A bar was quickly installed and a good job was made of it too.The Ladies section was now a thriving group. They were keenly interested in the development of the Club, and were willing to help in any way they could. The ladies raised money by having Whist Drives, Jumble Sales, Raffles, etc., and were interested in getting the kitchen fitted out so that meals could be given after the matches - pie & peas were a great success!What about the cost? The making of the ground and purchase of the land was £1,350. Building and fitting out of the Clubhouse was about £3,000. It is remarkable to think that they were only in debt to the extent of £1,000. All this had been possible by the many friends of the Bramley Old Boys, who had given quite a lot in the way of materials, money and time; also staunch supporters who had never flagged in their efforts to see a job well done. It is difficult to name all names, but not to forget Mr. A. Cain for the work and supervision of the drainage, Mr. Jack Poppy of the Ground Committee with his supporters, including Mr. Eric Clayton, also Messrs. F. Ayers, Alf Bateson, Johnty Burnett, Doug Hunton, Walter Lightowler, J. Longbottom, Fred Sowden, Tom Wagner, and so many more.In September 1958, the new Clubhouse was formally opened by Sir Frank Shires, the captain of Bramley Old Boys in 1923 and a member of the original team. Mr. Philip Gaunt - the President, and the past President - Mr. Charlie Mathers were also at the celebrations.

Parts taken from the souvenir brochure commemorating the opening of the WARRELS Ground in September 1958.