In a League of Their Own - Castleford Museum

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In a League of their own

Courtesy of Castleford Museum

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We Are West Yorkshire

Castleford Museum’s new exhibition tells the story of rugby league, the sport that is born and bred in West Yorkshire. From its beginnings in Huddersfield in 1895 to the Super League superstars of today, In A League of Their Own celebrates over 120 years of blood, sweat and tears.

This special exhibition takes a close look at the clubs within the Wakefield district, Castleford Tigers, Featherstone Rovers and Wakefield Trinity, as well as their local West Yorkshire rivals.

The exhibition includes fantastic rugby-related objects from kits, balls and trophies, to programmes, tickets and fan equipment. Highlights include the rugby shirt of legendary 1880s Wakefield Trinity player, Harper Oliver Hamshaw, the ball with which Castleford’s Arthur ‘Brus’ Atkinson broke the record for the longest penalty kick in 1929, and the iconic Slazenger Torpedo rugby ball from the 1960 Rugby League Challenge Cup final at Wembley, when Wakefield Trinity beat Hull 38-5!

Many West Yorkshire stars also represented their country and we are proud to display the 1974 Great Britain shirt of Featherstone Rovers legend, Jimmy Thompson, which is signed by the player himself.

Throughout the year, the exhibition will also highlight a series of extra special rugby league objects. The opening star item is the Odsal ball – kindly loaned from Rugby League Cares. It was used in a match at Bradford’s Odsal stadium watched by 102,000 fans- rugby league’s biggest ever attendance.

This exhibition is run in partnership with the West Yorkshire Local Authority Museum Partnership (WYLAMP) as part of We Are West Yorkshire. WYLAMP exists to champion culture and museums in West Yorkshire through a variety of mutually beneficial activities.

In a League of Their Own brings together clubs from across the region and shows how proud we are in West Yorkshire that rugby league was created right here in our county and remains a strong part of our local identity today.

For opening times and more information, visit Experience Wakefield:
https://www.experiencewakefield.co.uk/thedms.aspx?dms=3&venue=2192828&feature=1094