GORTON STREET GAZETTE Today our 1XV entertain the Liverpool St Helens club who can trace its origins to 1857 when Liverpool Football Club was formed, making it the oldest open rugby club in the world and its proud player history is able claim three of the England XX that played Scotland in the first ever International in 1871. St Helens RUFC was founded in 1919 as St Helens Old Boys, originally students of Cowley School. The St Helens club also boasted many internationals over the years including its current President Ray French. Liverpool and St Helens merged in 1986, playing at the St Helens ground at Moss Lane in the early years in National Division One but sinking to Division Four and spending much of the 1990s attempting to come to tearms with the new age of professionalism. When Eccles visited Moss Lane last Autumn, the LSH officials believed it to be the very first time the two clubs had ever met. Remarkable considering Eccles RFC is celebrating its 125th anniversary this season and our recent research shows our club origins stretch beyond 1897 back to 1878. A delve into our own club archives has provided records of two events: On Saturday 10th November, 1951 a new fixture between Eccles v Liverpool ‘A' , corroborated by the Eccles Journal the following week, 16th November, with a match report under the heading "16-3 win for Eccles against Liverpool "A”. Eccles fielded an unchanged team for the third successive week when they defeated Liverpool "A" at Guilford Road by 2 goals, 2 tries to 1 try (16-3).The game, though a hard one, failed to produce constructive rugby, both sides relying on individual efforts. Eccles took the lead in the first minute when Miller collected a loose ball and raced through from the half way line to score an unconverted try. The home team kept up the pressure and increased their lead with an unconverted try by Waller. After the interval Liverpool opened their score when Martin scored a grand individual try. Eccles went further ahead when Davies scored under the posts, Miller converting. Miller collected a loose ball to outpace the visitors defence to score a try which he converted." From the 1939/40 membership book, is a hand written record of a Wimslow Sevens Competition. 20th April, 1940 - Eccles v St Helens Old Boys. First Round. Win for Eccles 10-5. Eccles lost to Birkenhead Park in the 2nd Round 0-10. The Committee minute book 15th April, 1940 records the Eccles v St Helens Old Boys game kicked off 3pm and the Hon. Sec. reported Postal Order was sent value 10 shillings for ticket. Fixtures for the 1939/40 Season were abandoned but the club’s war-time committee organised some local away games such as this sevens competiton and also played games against Army sides as the nation prepared itself for news of an evacuation from Dunkirk, May 1940.
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