John Appleton | |||||||
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OVERALL STATISTICS | |||||||
BIRTH | AGE | SIGNED ON | FROM | ||||
DEBUT | LAST MATCH | LEFT | |||||
CAREER | APPEARANCES (SUBS) | ||||||
TRIES | GOALS | DGOALS | PTS | ||||
Biography of John Appleton |
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HERITAGE NO : 3 John Appleton by Alex Service and Dave Dooley John was a local lad who began his rugby career with the Saints before the advent of the professional Northern Union in 1895. John was playing as a threequarter in the 1893-94 season when the Saints won promotion to the First Division of the Lancashire and Border Towns Rugby Union at a canter. In fact, he made over 40 appearances and seemed to be one of the stalwarts of the team. He continued as a threequarter in 1894-95 before staying with the Saints for their first season in the Northern Union, when he started well and faded somewhat in terms of appearances. By 1896-97 he had gone to rivals the Recs, who had initially stayed with the RFU in 1895-96, but had turned by this time and actually took part in the inaugural Challenge Cup. By 1897-98 he had returned to Knowsley Road and for the next six seasons, he played a dominantly utility role, filling in at left centre, but also in both half-back positions. John seemingly retired at the end of the 1902-03 campaign, when the Saints had an established pair of half-backs called Banks and Hall in the First Team. John played the most matches in the pre-Northern Union days and as far as his completed record goes, he played in 135 matches from 1891-92 to 1894-95, scoring 27 tries. He made 70 appearances in the Northern Union itself. His combined total would therefore exceed 200 for the club. He was obviously a splendid servant to St.Helens RFC. He appears on a team picture as one of the backroom staff in 1907-08, so perhaps that was the role he adopted when his playing career came to an end. Appleton is a common name in St Helens and it has proved difficult to confirm which John Appleton in the late nineteenth century played for the Saints. Our best efforts have identified the most likely suspect. Our John had joined the South Lancashire Regiment at the age of 19 in 1890 but matters did not suit him. He was stationed in Farnborough, Hampshire where he ended up embroiled in trouble. The following year he returned to St Helens where his energies were channeled into playing rugby. Like his father he found employment in the coal mines where he was a stoker. John had married Margaret and they had six daughters and a son who sadly died aged just two years old. For twenty years John and his brood lived with his parents and several siblings at 98 Dunriding Lane St Helens. Tragedy struck in 1911 when his wife Margaret died. When John finished his toils down the coal mines as a Colliery Fireman John retained the lure of the Saints and Dunriding Lane must have been irresistible. John relocated across the road to spend the rest of his days at 55 Dunriding Lane in and close to the Knowsley Road ground. he died in October 1943 in St Helens at the age of 72. |
SEASON STATISTICS | ||||
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Season (Official Matches) | Tries | Goals | DGoals | Matches |
1895~96 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 22 |
1897~98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
1898~99 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
1899~00 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
1900~01 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
1901~02 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
1902~03 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
TOTALS: | 11 | 1 | 1 | 71 |
Season (Other Matches) | Tries | Goals | DGoals | Matches |
1895~96 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
1896~97 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
1897~98 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
1899~00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
1901~02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
TOTALS: | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
ALL MATCHES |
Date | Match | Pos | Opponents | Comp | Venue | FT | FTO | T | G | DG | ||
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7th Sep 1895 | 1 | W |
3 | Rochdale Hornets | L | H | 8 | 3 | VIEW | |||
14th Sep 1895 | 2 | W |
3 | Runcorn | L | H | 5 | 0 | VIEW | |||
21st Sep 1895 | 3 | D |
3 | Batley | L | A | 3 | 3 | 1 | VIEW | ||
28th Sep 1895 | 4 | L |
3 | Stockport | L | H | 0 | 3 | VIEW | |||
5th Oct 1895 | 5 | W |
3 | Broughton Rangers | L | A | 5 | 3 | VIEW | |||
7th Oct 1895 | 6 | L |
3 | Bradford | L | A | 4 | 15 | 1 | VIEW | ||
12th Oct 1895 | 7 | W |
3 | Warrington | L | H | 3 | 0 | VIEW | |||
19th Oct 1895 | 8 | W |
3 | Hull | L | H | 3 | 0 | VIEW | |||
26th Oct 1895 | 9 | D |
3 | Tyldesley | L | H | 3 | 3 | VIEW | |||
2nd Nov 1895 | 10 | D |
1 | Leigh | L | H | 6 | 6 | VIEW | |||
16th Nov 1895 | 11 | D |
14 | Wigan | L | H | 0 | 0 | VIEW | |||
23rd Nov 1895 | 12 | W |
3 | Leeds | L | H | 9 | 0 | VIEW | |||
30th Nov 1895 | 13 | W |
3 | Huddersfield | L | H | 11 | 3 | VIEW | |||
21st Dec 1895 | -- | W |
3 | Broughton Rangers * | Fr | H | 13 | 10 | VIEW | |||
1st Jan 1896 | 14 | L |
10 | Manningham | L | H | 3 | 8 | VIEW | |||
4th Jan 1896 | 15 | L |
11 | Brighouse Rangers | L | A | 4 | 6 | VIEW | |||
11th Jan 1896 | 16 | W |
11 | Halifax | L | H | 6 | 3 | VIEW | |||
18th Jan 1896 | 17 | L |
3 | Stockport | L | A | 3 | 18 | VIEW | |||
25th Jan 1896 | 18 | W |
11 | Batley | L | H | 11 | 5 | VIEW | |||
1st Feb 1896 | 19 | L |
11 | Hull | L | A | 0 | 9 | VIEW | |||
14th Mar 1896 | 20 | L |
10 | Leigh | L | A | 3 | 11 | VIEW | |||
21st Mar 1896 | 21 | L |
11 | Wigan | L | A | 0 | 10 | VIEW | |||
16th Apr 1896 | 22 | W |
4 | Liversedge | L | H | 14 | 7 | VIEW | |||
16th Apr 1897 | -- | W |
2 | Halifax * | Fr | H | 11 | 3 | 1 | VIEW | ||
30th Oct 1897 | 23 | L |
4 | Runcorn | L | A | 0 | 11 | VIEW | |||
6th Nov 1897 | -- | W |
3 | Hull Kingston Rovers * | Fr | A | 24 | 13 | 1 | VIEW | ||
27th Nov 1897 | 24 | L |
3 | Oldham | L | H | 4 | 6 | VIEW | |||
4th Dec 1897 | -- | W |
3 | Birkenhead * | Fr | H | 8 | 3 | VIEW | |||
11th Dec 1897 | 25 | L |
3 | Stockport | L | A | 7 | 14 | VIEW | |||
18th Dec 1897 | 26 | W |
3 | Morecambe | L | A | 3 | 2 | VIEW | |||
27th Dec 1897 | 27 | L |
3 | Warrington | L | A | 0 | 8 | VIEW | |||
1st Jan 1898 | 28 | L |
3 | Broughton Rangers | L | H | 6 | 23 | VIEW | |||
8th Jan 1898 | 29 | L |
1 | Swinton | L | H | 5 | 13 | VIEW | |||
8th Apr 1899 | 30 | W |
4 | Morecambe | L | H | 7 | 2 | VIEW | |||
15th Apr 1899 | 31 | L |
4 | Runcorn | L | A | 8 | 11 | VIEW | |||
2nd Sep 1899 | 32 | D |
14 | Warrington | L | H | 3 | 3 | VIEW | |||
9th Dec 1899 | 33 | W |
7 | Oldham | L | H | 17 | 14 | 2 | VIEW | ||
23rd Dec 1899 | 34 | W |
7 | Warrington | L | A | 11 | 0 | 1 | VIEW | ||
25th Dec 1899 | 35 | W |
7 | Broughton Rangers | L | H | 4 | 0 | VIEW | |||
26th Dec 1899 | 36 | L |
6 | Millom | L | A | 8 | 10 | VIEW | |||
30th Dec 1899 | 37 | W |
7 | Tyldesley | L | A | 14 | 3 | VIEW | |||
1st Jan 1900 | 38 | W |
7 | Leigh | L | H | 26 | 0 | 1 | VIEW | ||
6th Jan 1900 | 39 | D |
7 | Swinton | L | A | 0 | 0 | VIEW | |||
20th Jan 1900 | 40 | W |
7 | Rochdale Hornets | L | H | 6 | 0 | VIEW | |||
27th Jan 1900 | -- | W |
6 | Birkenhead * | Fr | A | 15 | 0 | 1 | VIEW | ||
17th Feb 1900 | 41 | L |
7 | Runcorn | L | A | 0 | 9 | VIEW | |||
24th Feb 1900 | 42 | W |
7 | Runcorn | L | H | 3 | 2 | VIEW | |||
27th Feb 1900 | 43 | D |
7 | Leigh | L | A | 0 | 0 | VIEW | |||
3rd Mar 1900 | 44 | L |
7 | Oldham | L | A | 6 | 35 | VIEW | |||
10th Mar 1900 | 45 | L |
7 | Salford | L | A | 0 | 8 | VIEW | |||
17th Mar 1900 | 46 | L |
7 | Warrington | CC1 | H | 0 | 6 | VIEW | |||
13th Apr 1900 | -- | L |
6 | Birkenhead * | Fr | A | 5 | 8 | VIEW | |||
14th Apr 1900 | -- | W |
6 | Lancaster * | Fr | A | 15 | 8 | VIEW | |||
26th Apr 1900 | 47 | W |
7 | Widnes | BTCSF | A | 3 | 0 | 1 | VIEW | ||
30th Apr 1900 | 48 | W |
7 | Runcorn | BTCF | N | 6 | 0 | 1 | VIEW | ||
29th Dec 1900 | 49 | L |
6 | Widnes | L | A | 0 | 8 | VIEW | |||
19th Jan 1901 | 50 | W |
6 | Swinton | L | H | 6 | 3 | VIEW | |||
9th Feb 1901 | 51 | W |
7 | Widnes | L | H | 7 | 5 | VIEW | |||
16th Feb 1901 | 52 | L |
5 | Runcorn | L | A | 0 | 5 | VIEW | |||
2nd Mar 1901 | 53 | W |
6 | Goole | CC1 | A | 12 | 2 | VIEW | |||
9th Mar 1901 | 54 | D |
6 | Stockport | CC2 | H | 0 | 0 | VIEW | |||
13th Mar 1901 | 55 | W |
6 | Stockport | CC2(rep) | A | 11 | 5 | 2 | VIEW | ||
16th Mar 1901 | 56 | L |
6 | Swinton | L | A | 2 | 19 | VIEW | |||
23rd Mar 1901 | 57 | L |
6 | Batley | CC3 | H | 5 | 7 | VIEW | |||
15th Apr 1901 | 58 | W |
6 | Widnes | LPO | N | 3 | 0 | VIEW | |||
14th Sep 1901 | 59 | W |
6 | Lancaster | L | H | 4 | 0 | VIEW | |||
21st Sep 1901 | 60 | L |
4 | Widnes | L & SWLL | H | 2 | 5 | VIEW | |||
28th Sep 1901 | 61 | W |
6 | Rochdale Hornets | L | A | 9 | 2 | 1 | VIEW | ||
5th Oct 1901 | 62 | W |
6 | Barrow | L | H | 7 | 3 | 1 | VIEW | ||
12th Oct 1901 | 63 | L |
6 | Stockport | L | A | 0 | 3 | VIEW | |||
1st Mar 1902 | 64 | W |
7 | Morecambe | L | H | 3 | 2 | VIEW | |||
8th Mar 1902 | 65 | W |
7 | Widnes | L & SWLL | A | 3 | 2 | 1 | VIEW | ||
15th Mar 1902 | 66 | L |
7 | Hull Kingston Rovers | CC1 | A | 0 | 7 | VIEW | |||
29th Mar 1902 | -- | W |
7 | Oldham * | Fr | A | 26 | 2 | VIEW | |||
31st Mar 1902 | 67 | L |
7 | Runcorn | SWLL | A | 3 | 11 | VIEW | |||
27th Dec 1902 | 68 | L |
3 | Widnes | L | A | 0 | 8 | VIEW | |||
1st Jan 1903 | 69 | W |
3 | Batley | L | H | 7 | 5 | VIEW | |||
3rd Jan 1903 | 70 | L |
7 | Bradford | L | A | 2 | 14 | VIEW | |||
13th Apr 1903 | 71 | L |
6 | Salford | L | A | 3 | 11 | VIEW |
*Unofficial Match. **Non Playing Sub. |
WINS : 39 | LOSSES : 32 | DRAWS : 8 |
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GALLERY |
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