With the Black & Whites originally due to face Warrington this weekend, Club Historian Bill Dalton recalls one famous fixture against the Cheshire side that can be esteemed as one of the proudest results in Hull FC’s history back in April 1956.
Warrington have boasted among their ranks some of the finest players the game has ever seen, from Jack Fish, an early ‘superstar’, through to Jack Arkwright in the 1930s.
There was Brian Bevan who scored 796 tries in his career and there was also Gerry Helme, the first player to win the Lance Todd Trophy twice, and the Australian forward Harry Bath in their post-war teams which consistently achieved success, including their Championship in 1954 and 1958. Bearing Warrington’s sheer superiority in mind, I want to relate to one of the finest hours in Hull history.
Former coach Roy Francis had brought together a team which would bring success to Hull, based on a pack of forwards who ran like backs, and backs who tackled like forwards.
The Airlie Birds finished fourth in the Championship in 1955-56, secured on the final day of the regular season with a revenge 30-11 win at Barrow. Therefore Hull were tasked with the prospect of facing top-placed reigning champions Warrington at Wilderspool in the semi-final on 21st April 1956.
It should be noted that not a single Yorkshire team has won at Warrington since Castleford won there on 14th January 1939 (27-13), so the task was indeed huge.
However, the whole side, particularly the forward pack with the back-row of Harry Markham, Bill Drake, and Johnny Whiteley reigninig supreme, turned in a towering performance to shatter the current champions’ dream of retaining the title with a stunning 17-0 victory in front of 20,148 in attendance.
Markham was magnificent that day, scattering the Warrington defence time and time again at a period when Hull looked in danger of cracking.
Brain Cooper, Drake and Tommy Harris scored tries, with the reliable Colin Hutton adding four goals. Many of the Hull players that day felt it was one of the most complete performances the team had ever constructed.
Hull sealed their championship triumph three weeks later, with a 10-9 success over Halifax at Maine Road.
Hull: C.Hutton, B, Darlington, B. Cooper, J. Watkinson, K. Bowman, C. Turner, T. Finn, M. Scott, T. Harris, R. Coverdale, H. Markham, W. Drake, J. Whiteley.
Warrington: Fraser, B. Bevan, A. Naughton, Challinor, Horton, Price, Helme, Bath, McKinney, O’Toole, Ryan, White, Heathwood.
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