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Oscar Caplan, Headingley Rugby Voices: becoming a Leeds - and League - fan in the 30s

I got interested in following Rugby league through going to Bus Vale in the early twenties to see amateur matches.

From there we moved up the road to Headingley to watch Leeds play in what was still the Northern Union. The rules were very primitive compared to today but there were wonderful players and characters like Joe Thompson and Jeff Moores, who we were in awe of. they were all extremely fit considering the full-time jobs they had and the lack of training facilities.

The same was true of the trainers, whose techniques were very basic because they worked through the day as well they didn't even get to pick the team. By the thirties Leeds had gathered an exceptional side together that played some spectacular rugby. The game attracted us because we didn't know anything else: soccer was always second place, it was rugby or nothing.

We still went to Bus Vale on Sunday mornings to keep the interest going, especially as some of our friends and contemporaries turned out and professional scouts used to come and watch them. One, called Maurice Bush, whose career we followed and supported went on to sign for Bramley

Oscar Caplan

Originally published in 'Headingley Rugby Voices' Recollections of supporters, compiled by Phil Caplan.

www.scratchingshedpublishing.com Twitter @scratchingshed2


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Memory added on September 18, 2012

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