History was made in Salford 50 years ago today when Salford Rugby Club switched on their brand-new floodlights for a night match against Widnes.
On Friday 11 March 1965 I was still a schoolboy and the idea of an evening rugby game was a great novelty.
I can still recall school-age lads climbing over the cricket ground end on Edward Avenue to gain free admission into the ground.
They’d slip into the large wooden cabin which served as a refreshment hut, cooing over already-stale pies, tea and hot Bovril in which the lady behind the counter would wallop a spoonful of salt into an already well-seasoned beverage.
The only other Friday night game under floodlights that I vaguely recall was David Watkins’ debut in October 1967.
A club record signing of £15,000 proved money well spent when Watkins became Salford’s record points scorer and steered them to victory in the Lancashire Cup Final in 1972 by beating local arch-rivals Swinton.
The Salford City Reporter covered this first match and the grand switching-on but to be honest, the report is a little sketchy on the details.
I seem to recall a pipe band parading around the pitch before kick off, possibly from Mount Carmel’s school in Ordsall, but no mention of that is made in the piece.
A crowd of 7,000 fans was expected for the big night.
Only 4,500 actually turned up – this was perhaps due to the bad weather: a drizzle had been coming down all day and there were numerous reports of thunder and lightning.
Huge new stanchions holding the floodlights in place would surely have been a lightning rod, and the more sensible fan may have waited for another night to see an evening match, avoiding possible electrocution.
Well-respected journalist Tom Bergin covered the match, but unusually his report doesn’t even mention what the final score was, or who scored.
Our readers – via our 16,000 member Facebook group – tell us Salford got the better of Widnes by 7 points to 5.
Bergin instead reports on the lights themselves, how little illumination was shed on the far corners of the pitch or the entrance on Weaste Lane, and how the main stand lights shone in everyone’s eyes.
Among the guests were Gus Risman, Barney Hudson, Albert Gear, Emlyn Jenkins, Cliff Evans, and Jack Feetham, all members of the 1938 Cup winning team.
We learn that a marquee had been erected for 500 guests on the Weaste Cricket Club ground and admittance was through the boundary fence, so no expense spared there!
The reason for this was that the Social Club that helped swing the financial fortunes of the club would not open until June 1966.
Mr Bergin continues that this “would be the new dawning of a rewarding future for the club” by playing under floodlights.
History would prove him right, as Friday night matches were a huge draw in Salford with several thousand fans at each game.
So, then were you there on this momentous evening and what are your memories? Please contact tonyflynn@salfordonline.com if you’re recollections are any clearer than mine.
Main image: © Salford Local History Library
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