Ralph Fairhurst | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OVERALL STATISTICS | |||||||
| BIRTH | AGE | SIGNED ON | FROM | ||||
| DEBUT | LAST MATCH | LEFT | |||||
| CAREER | APPEARANCES (SUBS) | ||||||
| TRIES | GOALS | DGOALS | PTS | ||||
Biography of Ralph Fairhurst |
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 HERITAGE NO : 286 Ralph Fairhurst by SHS When Ralph Fairhurst signed for the Saints, his address was Cleveland Street, in the heart of Peasley Cross. The 1911 census sees young Ralph employed as a ‘stenciller in a chemical works’ aged just 13. At the time, he was one of 8 siblings. He can best be described as a utility back, serving the seniors at wing, centre and full-back in those formative years after the First World War. A stalwart of the A team, Ralph made his debut on 28th March 1921 against Broughton Rangers, on the right wing, with Cumbrian William Ashburner as his centre. Although he was not among the scorers, the Saints won 9-7. An occasional goal kicker, Ralph had a run of matches at full-back during the latter stages of the 1921-22 campaign and his last game for the club was at Widnes at the start of the 1922-23 season. On the right wing was Charlie Crooks, who was soon to make the full-back position his own for almost the next ten years. We do not know much about his rugby career from that point. By 1939, Ralph lived in Beresford Street with his wife, Elizabeth, who was originally from Crossley Road and he was listed as a collier. It is believed that Ralph died in 1963 aged 65. If anyone has an image of Ralph, or any other personal or playing details, we would be most grateful to receive them. We have been in contact with Ralph’s grandson, David Smith, who passed on the following information on his grandfather. The story starts during WWI where my granddad was a stretcher bearer. He was given an honourable discharge after being gassed and shot through the ankle. After WWI I understand it was common practice for teams to ask if anyone wanted to have a game due to the huge losses of the war. As my granddad had been shot and had a limp he never took them up on the offer. However, one day, the ball was kicked into the crowd and granddad kicked the ball back onto the field, clicking his ankle back in place and the rest as they say is history. He died before I knew him, so don`t have any real memories of him. Many thanks to David Smith for the great account and the splendid photo of Ralph. |
SEASON STATISTICS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season (Official Matches) | Tries | Goals | DGoals | Matches |
| 1920~21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1921~22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| 1922~23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTALS: | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| Season (Other Matches) | Tries | Goals | DGoals | Matches |
| TOTALS: | ||||
ALL MATCHES | ||||
| Date | Match | Pos | Opponents | Comp | Venue | FT | FTO | T | G | DG | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28th Mar 1921 | 1 | W |
2 | Broughton Rangers | L | H | 9 | 7 | VIEW | |||
| 2nd Apr 1921 | 2 | W |
2 | Salford | L | A | 10 | 5 | VIEW | |||
| 17th Sep 1921 | 3 | L |
4 | Rochdale Hornets | L | A | 5 | 13 | VIEW | |||
| 7th Jan 1922 | 4 | L |
4 | Salford | L | A | 3 | 5 | VIEW | |||
| 21st Jan 1922 | 5 | L |
4 | Batley | L | A | 11 | 16 | VIEW | |||
| 4th Feb 1922 | 6 | L |
3 | Huddersfield | L | H | 5 | 27 | VIEW | |||
| 25th Feb 1922 | 7 | L |
1 | Broughton Rangers | CC1 | A | 0 | 13 | VIEW | |||
| 4th Mar 1922 | 8 | W |
1 | Broughton Rangers | L | H | 14 | 9 | VIEW | |||
| 18th Mar 1922 | 9 | W |
1 | York | L | H | 17 | 8 | 1 | VIEW | ||
| 25th Mar 1922 | 10 | W |
1 | Featherstone Rovers | L | H | 24 | 13 | VIEW | |||
| 1st Apr 1922 | 11 | L |
1 | Featherstone Rovers | L | A | 4 | 11 | 2 | VIEW | ||
| 8th Apr 1922 | 12 | D |
1 | Warrington | L | H | 5 | 5 | VIEW | |||
| 14th Apr 1922 | 13 | L |
1 | Wigan | L | A | 5 | 8 | VIEW | |||
| 16th Apr 1922 | 14 | L |
1 | York | L | A | 3 | 6 | VIEW | |||
| 26th Aug 1922 | 15 | L |
1 | Widnes | L | A | 3 | 11 | VIEW |
| *Unofficial Match. **Non Playing Sub. |
| WINS : 5 | LOSSES : 9 | DRAWS : 1 |
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GALLERY |
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