LOTS seems to happen to York Rugby League Club at the end of March - and it's fair to say the closure of Clarence Street, exactly 25 years ago, is right up there as momentous occasions.

As this column remembered last week, March 24 was the date of the famous 1984 Challenge Cup semi-final, the closest York have ever come to Wembley in the post-war era.

It was also this week in 1981 when the club signed Graham Steadman, who went on to get them to that semi-final with his heroics in the quarter-final against Castleford.

March 26, 2002, was an even more momentous day - the old York Wasps club was officially closed after efforts to save it were ended.

In better news, efforts immediately began to re-form a club, with the now famous packed public meeting at Huntington Stadium.

That same March 26 date in 1989 had also seen the end of another era - that of the aforementioned Clarence Street.

We mentioned in this column last week that Wednesday gone marked the 25th anniversary of the last-ever game played at the popular old ground. Here, thus, are a few stats and facts that may bring back happy memories.

The game in question produced a 26-17 victory over Hunslet in front of a crowd of 2,904, and saw a parade of former greats, some having played there as far back as the 1920s.

A group of fans also laid a wreath decorated in the old amber and black colours in the centre circle - and it's fair to say the old ground has been mourned ever since.

York, as we all know, were to move to the new purpose-built Ryedale Stadium, as Huntington Stadium was first known, in the following season.

The move was controversial at the time. The old club, having been forced to sell their training ground in 1986 to raise much-needed cash, were faced with a large bill for safety work at Clarence Street so sold the stadium to a housing developer for a cut-price £705,000, less than half what the land was supposedly worth.

The original plan had been to ground-share with York City but talks broke down, so the club joined in with the Monks Cross project, and the multi-purpose stadium financed by Ryedale District Council. The site was in that council's boundaries at that time - hence the stadium name and the club's new, but brief, moniker, Ryedale-York.

The move was meant to be a new start, but in many respects it backfired, not least with plenty of old fans vowing never to go two miles out of town to watch a game of rugby in a "soulless" arena.

To this day many say this was when York Wasps began to die, though it's worth noting both the old Wasps and the new Knights have several times topped the attendance that turned up for Clarence Street's swansong. Average crowds, though, only occasionally compared.

The old ground - known as both Clarence Street and Wigginton Road, given it occupied a corner plot between the two roads - had staged its first match in 1898.

It's record crowd was 14,689, for a Challenge Cup tie - and a rare 0-0 draw - against Swinton in 1934, while it also hosted matches against Australia and New Zealand tourists during 1970s tours.

Among its more bizarre moments was the sight of Keith Chegwin on site for an episode of the old children's programme Swap Shop, and as the landing pad for the helicopter that brought Prince Charles and Diana to York.

It also staged some 1970s wrestling featuring the legendary Big Daddy - otherwise known as Shirley Crabtree - who himself had played a bit of rugby league himself in his younger days. Big Daddy's father, also called Shirley Crabtree, had played for York at this ground.

Huddersfield and England star Eorl Crabtree, Big Daddy's nephew, continues the family links to rugby league.

The late great Vic Yorke, a star of the York team in the 1950s and 1960s and one of the club's inaugural Hall of Fame inductees a year ago, spoke to the Evening Press on the day Clarence Street saw its last match, 91 years after its first.

He said at the time: “York won't be the same without it. It's a bit of an institution here, and I can't imagine a new ground being the same. In a few years time I suppose they will get bedded down in the new ground, but it will take a while.

"We had some happy times here. I do feel a bit sad about it, I must admit.”

ANYWAY, back to the modern day and the Knights' super start to the season.

The four-wins-out-of-four run has been a team effort, but it's now time for individual praise - the first Player of the Month accolade for 2014.

As usual, the award will be decided by The Press readers, with the player who tops the poll getting both an award and three bonus points towards his The Press Player of the Year tally.

To vote, follow the link to the Knights on the Press website, www.thepress.co.uk, or email peter.martini@thepress.co.uk, leaving your full name and daytime contact number. Votes must be cast by noon on Wednesday.

The early front-runners in the Player of the Year leaderboard are Lee Paterson, whose good form was capped by selection in the Kingstone Press Championship One Team of the Week, and Jonny Presley, who was named Kingstone Press Championship One Player of the Week.

Three points are awarded to the Knights' man of the match in each game, two to whoever we deem the second best performer on the day, and one to the third.

Loose-forward Paterson, back at his home-town club this year, was our star man in the win at Hunslet (3pts), having been runner-up on the opening day against Gloucestershire All Golds (2pts).

Scrum-half Presley was deemed our second best player in both the Challenge Cup win over Whitehaven (2pts) and last week's demolition of South Wales Scorpions(2pts) in which he scored four tries.

In full, the player-of-the-year points against South Wales went to our man of the match, James Haynes (3pts), Presley (2pts) and second-row Ed Smith (1pt).

Against Whitehaven in the cup, they went to Austin Bell (3pts), Presley (2pts) and Jack Aldous (1pt).

Against Hunslet the winners were Paterson (3pts), Jack Lee (2pts) and Greg Minikin (1pt).

And against the All Golds they were Pat Smith (3pts), Paterson (2pts), Iain Morrison (1pt).

The Press Player of the Year leaderboard: Paterson 5pts, Presley 4, P Smith 3, Bell 3, Haynes 3, Lee 2, Minikin 1, Morrison 1, Aldous 1, E Smith 1.

 

• Anyone interested in sponsoring The Press Player of the Year can phone Peter Martini on 01904 567137 or email peter.martini@thepress.co.uk

KNIGHTS supporters are running a coach to Leigh Sporting Village for the Challenge Cup tie against Swinton on April 6.

It will depart Boroughbridge Road (opposite Ainsty) at 11am, Clarence Street at 11.15am, Huntington Stadium at 11.30am and York College at 11.40am.

The cost is £18 and fans can book seats by phoning 07443 564453 anytime or the Knights office on 01904 767404.