Bradford Salem
“There is much to admire about the fine set-up that Bradford Salem RFC
currently has in place and this is thanks to all of the hard work that has gone into
making them a success over the years.”
Members participated in a number
of sporting activities other than rugby
including cricket, football, tennis, crown
green bowling and water polo. Then in
the Autumn of 1923 a group of young
men approached Dudley about starting
up a rugby club.
He took to the idea and offered them
a spare field in Heaton to use as a pitch,
before building them a new pavilion with
showers at Leyland Lane. They initially
experienced difficulties attracting players
to a ‘church’ side but eventually got a team
together. They played their first match on
the 6th September 1924 against Bradford
‘E’ and emerged victorious.
The club has certainly come a long
way since then, putting together a history
of which they have every right to be
proud. At present they play their home
games on Shay Lane in West Yorkshire
and their first team currently competes in
Yorkshire Division One. They are led by
Chair John Dobson who is supported by
Secretary Bruce Strachan and are looking
to progress under their guidance.
Their first team put together a steady
if unspectacular campaign this time
around as they compiled a record of eight
wins and eighteen defeats from their 26
matches. This saw them finish in a safe
mid-table position in the league with 46
points on the board.
They will now be working hard during
the summer with a view to improving
next season. As long as they are able
to retain their current group of players
and perhaps make one or two quality
additions they should be in with a good
chance of pushing on up the league.
One of the highlights of the team’s
performances last season was the
attacking brand of rugby that they were
able to produce. This will certainly have
meant that any supporters attending their
matches will have been well entertained
and should encourage more of the local
community to get behind the side in the
future. This in turn has the potential to
provide them with a valuable source of
additional revenue which may prove
particularly important in the current
financial climate.
In total they racked up 559 points at a
rate of more than 20 points a game which
saw them finish as the top scores in the
bottom half of the table. This potency
should provide them with a good platform
from which to build heading into the new
season.
There is much to admire about the fine
set-up that Bradford Salem RFC currently
has in place and this is thanks to all of
the hard work that has gone into making
them a success over the years. Hopefully
they will be able to continue in the same
manner for many years to come and
everyone at Rugby Club Magazine wishes
them the best of luck.
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