Brighouse Rangers was a rugby league club in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England.

The club was involved in the meeting at the George Hotel, Huddersfield in 1895, and after the schism became founder members of the Northern Rugby Football Union (now Rugby Football League), playing for eleven seasons from 1895–96 to 1905–06.

After a break, a new club, also called Brighouse Rangers, appeared in 1915 and played in the Emergency War Leagues in 1915–16, 1916–17, 1917–18 and 1918–19.

History

Early history Brighouse Rangers Football Club were founded in the 1870s, and joined the RFU in 1879.

After the 1890-91 season, Brighouse along with other Yorkshire Senior clubs Batley, Bradford, Dewsbury, Halifax, Huddersfield, Hull, Hunslet, Leeds, Liversedge, Manningham and Wakefield decided that they wanted their own county league starting in 1891 along the lines of a similar competition that had been played in Lancashire. The clubs wanted full control of the league but the Yorkshire Rugby Football Union would not sanction the competition as it meant giving up control of rugby football to the senior clubs.

In 1895, on 20 April, Brighouse Rangers won "T'owd Tin Pot", beating Morley R.F.C. 16–4 in the Yorkshire Cup Final at Headingley, Leeds before a crowd of in the region of 20,000.

Northern Union

Brighouse Rangers, like many other clubs from Lancashire (and Yorkshire), had suffered punishment by the RFU for "broken time" payments. After their annual general meeting in London, the RFU issued a decree banning the playing of rugby at grounds where entrance fees were charged, and so Brighouse Rangers, represented by H H Waller, attended a meeting at The George Hotel, Huddersfield, together with the representatives of 21 other clubs, and agreed to form a Northern Rugby Football Union.

After the Great Schism in 1895, Brighouse Rangers were one of the founder members of the new league and the same H H Waller of Brighouse Rangers was elected the first Northern Rugby Football Union chairman.

In the first season 1895–96 the league consisted of 22 clubs and Brighouse Rangers, continuing their recent Rugby Union form, finished in 5th position.

In season 1896–97 the league was divided into Yorkshire and Lancashire. Brighouse Rangers, playing in the former section, finished in 1st position out of 16 teams, 2 points ahead of second placed Manningham and a full eight points above third place Halifax. Brighouse Rangers were crowned Yorkshire Champions.

In the following four seasons, still in the Yorkshire section, seasons 1897–98, 1898–99, 1899–1900 & 1900–01 the club finished in 13th, 10th and 12th before moving up to a mid-table 7th in the respective seasons, each time out of the 16 clubs.

For the next season, 1901–02 the top seven clubs in each of the County Senior Leagues decided to break from the rest of the clubs and form "The Northern Rugby League". This is the first time these terms had been used. Brighouse Rangers, after finishing 7th (and beating Hull Kingston Rovers team with the same points by a better points scoring difference of 6), were included to this first division.

Brighouse Rangers finishing 14th and bottom with a playing record of 5 points (4 wins and 1 draw) out of 26 matches played.

The Rugby League made yet another change to the league structure for the next 1902–03 by renaming the top league as the 1st Division and increasing the number of clubs to 18, thus preventing any threatened relegations. Brighouse remained in the first division. In this following season, Brighouse Rangers again finished bottom out of the 18 teams, but this time only 2 points adrift of second bottom St. Helens and 8 points away from third bottom Wigan. This time both Brighouse Rangers and St. Helens were relegated.

For the next two seasons 1903–04 and 1904–05, Brighouse Rangers in the 2nd Division where they finished 6th out of 17 and then 11th out of 14 respectively.

The following season 1905–06 the two leagues were combined into one. Also, clubs arranged all their own fixtures with the condition that any team they played they did so twice, both home and away. This meant that the league positions were decided on a % basis (i.e. the actual points gained divided by the number of points possible if the club had won every game – the answer multiplied by a hundred). In this, Brighouse Rangers' last season, they finished bottom equal with Morecambe, bottom with 8 points out of a possible 52 and bottom with a 15.38% winning percentage.

At their annual general meeting in summer 1906 Brighouse Rangers took the decision to disband.

Successor clubs After a break, another club with the same name Brighouse Rangers appeared during the First World War and played in the Emergency War League in season 1915–16, 1916–17, 1917–18 and the 1918–19 (Jan) wartime league but not in the shortened 1919 (Feb – May) Victory League.

Brighouse Rugby League club have reformed numerous times since. The current club are amateurs Brighouse Rangers ARLFC.

In the 1970s Brighouse Rangers (ARLFC) were reformed by former Luddenden and Ovenden player Jeff Greenwood and former Bradford Northern player John Chase they played at Wellholme Park, near the Brighouse Cricket Club. Towards the end of the new millennium 2000, Tesco bought the site including the Brighouse ARLFC clubhouse and with the money, the club built a new ground on Russell Way, off Bradford Road. As at 2022 they play in the Premier Div, Yorkshire League also run a ladies team and a number of age group teams .

Honours Yorkshire League: 1 1896–97

Club name According to the official Rugby League records the Club was called Brighouse Rangers Some sites and books refer to the club as Brighouse Rovers though.

Player earning international caps while at Brighouse Rangers William "Billy" Nicholl (b 30/10/1868 in Rastrick — d 10/04/1922 in Brighouse)) played for England, in 1892 against Wales, and Scotland and for Brighouse Rangers, at both Rugby Union and Rugby League.

Ground The club's first ground was at Fink Hill. In 1883 they moved to Waterloo Road, Lane Head (now the site of St Andrews Junior School and adjacent allotments), where they stayed until their demise in 1906.

Colours

The club's colours were red, black, and amber.

Records

Club league performance In a SeasonDetailsSeasonCompetitionCommentsNotesRefHighest League Position51895–96RLout of clubs or11896–97Yorks Senout of clubs Lowest League Position311905–06RLout of clubs and141901–02RLout of clubs and181902–031st Divout of clubs Most League Points561895–96RLout of possible 84 = 67% or 48 1896–97Yorks Senout of possible 60 = 80% Least League Points71901–02RLout of possible 52 = 14% Most Points Scored (PF)2471895–96RLIn 42 games = 5.88/game or2131896–97Yorks SenIn 30 games = 2.18/game Most Points Conceded (PA)3331905–06RLIn 26 games = 3.35/game Least Points Scored (PF)741901–02RLIn 26 games = 2.85/game or (PF)791902–031st DivIn 34 games = 2.32/game Least Points Conceded (PA)681896–97Yorks SenIn 30 games = 7.1/game Best Points Difference1451896–97Yorks SenIn 30 games Worst Points Difference−2501901–02RLIn 26 games

Club trophies Yorkshire Cup (Rugby Union) winners: 1895 Brighouse Rangers were the first Champions of the 1896–97 Yorkshire Senior Competition.

Club league record SeasonCompetitionPosTeam NamePlWDLPWPADiffPts%No of teams in leagueNotesRef1895–96RL5Brighouse Rangers4227213247129118561896–97Yorks Sen1Brighouse Rangers30224421368145481897–98Yorks Sen13Brighouse Rangers309516143172−9231898–99Yorks Sen10Brighouse Rangers3012216114191−77261899–1900Yorks Sen12Brighouse Rangers30931880231−151211900–01Yorks Sen7Brighouse Rangers301601419416232321901–02RL14Brighouse Rangers26312274324−25071902–031st Div18Brighouse Rangers34742379270−191181903–042nd Div6Brighouse Rangers321931019213656411904–052nd Div11Brighouse Rangers268117111169−58171905–06RL31Brighouse Rangers26322187333−246815.38 Heading Abbreviations Pl = Games played; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Lose; PF = Points for; PA = Points against; Diff = Points difference (+ or -); Pts = League points League points: for win = 2; for draw = 1; for loss = 0.

Several fixtures and results The following a selection of Brighouse Rangers' fixtures in the seasons in which they played (semi) professional Rugby League:-

SeasonDateCompetitionOpponentVenueH/AResultScore AttNotesRef1895–96Mon 14 October 1895RLWiganLane HeadHDraw3–3 1895–96Sat 2 November 1895RLHullBoulevard ALost0–5 1895–96 23 November 1895RLWidnesLowerhouse LaneAWon3–0 1895–96 14 December 1895RLWarringtonunknown?Won13–3 1895–96Sat 28 December 1895RLWiganFolly Fields ADraw0–0 1895–96Sat 4 January 1896RLSt. HelensLane HeadHWon6–4 1895–96 14 March 1896RLWidnesLane HeadHWon11–0 1895–96 28 March 1896RLWarringtonunknown?Won13–7 1895–96Mon 6 April 1896RLSt. HelensKnowsley RdADraw0–0 1895–96Mon 20 April 1896RLHullLane HeadHWon6–3 1896–97Sat 31 October 1896YSCHullBoulevard ADraw3–3 1896–97Wed 10 March 1897YSCHullLane HeadHWon6–0 1896–97Sat 20 March 1897CC R1??1896–97Sat 27 March 1897CC R2Wakefield TrinityLane Head 13–4 1896–97Sat 3 April 1897CC R3?? lost to 1897–98Sat 13 November 1897YSCHullBoulevard ADraw0–0 1897–98Sat 19 February 1898YSCHullLane HeadHWon7–3 1898–99Sat 24 September 1898YSCHullBoulevard ALost0–14 1898–99Sat 31 December 1898YSCHullLane HeadHLost0–21 1899–1900Sat 23 September 1899YSCHullLane HeadHLost5–10 1899–1900Sat 30 December 1899YSCHullBoulevard AWon5–3 1900–01Sat 1 September 1900YSCHullBoulevard ALost0–13 1900–01Sat 15 December 1900YSCHullLane HeadHWon7–4 1901–02Sat 21 September 1901RLHullBoulevard ALost0–3 1901–02 2 November 1901RLWarringtonWilderspool ALost 2–7 1901–02 15 February 1902RLWarringtonLane HeadHLost 0–2 1901–02Sat 1 March 1902RLHullLane HeadHWon4–3 1902–03 13 September 19021st DivWarringtonWilderspoolALost 0–3 1902–03Sat 27 September 19021st Div St. HelensLane HeadHLost3–4 1902–03Sat 8 November 19021st Div HullLane HeadHWon5–3 1902–03Sat 13 December 19021st Div WiganFolly Fields ALost0–12 1902–03 20 December 19021st Div WidnesLane HeadHLost2–5 1902–03 10 January 19031st Div WarringtonLane HeadHWon 7–0 1902–03Sat 24 January 19031st Div St. HelensKnowsley RdAWon7–0 1902–03Sat 11 April 19031st Div WiganLane HeadHWon3–0 1902–03Mon 13 April 19031st Div HullBoulevardALost2–23 1902–03 18 April 19031st Div WidnesLowerhouse LaneADraw5–5 1903–04Sat 31 October 19032nd Div St. HelensKnowsley RdALost0–10 1903–04Sat 27 February 19042nd Div St. HelensLane HeadHWon3–0 1905–06Sat 16 December 1905RLHullHLost7–13 1905–06 23 December 1905RLWidnesLane HeadHDraw0–0 1905–06Sat 24 March 1906RLHullBoulevardALost2–30 1905–06 7 April 1906RLWidnesLowerhouse LaneALost0–22 Heading Abbreviations CC Rx = Challenge Cup Round x; TSC = Yorkshire Senior Competition;

See also T'owd Tin Pot British rugby league system The Great Schism – Rugby League View The Great Schism – Rugby Union View Rugby league county leagues List of defunct rugby league clubs Brighouse Rangers

References

External links 1896–97 Northern Rugby Football Union season at wigan.rlfans.com Hull&Proud Fixtures & Results 1896/1897 Widnes Vikings – One team, one passion Season In Review – 1896–97 Saints Heritage Society rugbyleagueproject: Swinton Lions Warington History

RL All time records International Statistics at scrum.com Search for "Nicholl" at rugbyleagueproject.org