Search results for ""Scratching Shed Publishing Ltd""

Tom Kitching is one of England's leading traditional fiddle players. He has worked as a solo performer, band member, dance caller, violin teacher, and street busker. That last element - the busking - was an afterthought, something to be phased out as he built a career in music. But the busking bug wouldn't go away. Beyond the music and the collecting hat, perhaps fiddling through the streets of England could be a key to finding out who the English really are, how they view themselves and how they deal with change. Is there anything that ties together people across England's many cultural divides, from neat Cotswold villages hugging village greens to former mining villages huddled beside abandoned pits, from multicultural city to Anglo-Saxon market town? Armed with a violin, a Northern sensibility and a love of life in all its troubling richness, Tom took an 18-month journey through England to find out. This isn't really a book about busking, though. It's about people, place, and that elusive beast - Englishness. On Tom's street-level odyssey, the lines between friend and stranger blur, informality reigns, and chance encounters make a mockery of careful planning. As the seasons change and the tally of busking towns grows, the complex mosaic called England confronts its fly-on-the-wall observer with the challenge - define me if you dare.

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Richie Barlow recently celebrated his 40th birthday, a landmark date he never thought he would reach. Many were the times – when struggling to survive a desperate childhood and adolescence – that he clinged to a dream of simply making it to 22. Abandoned by his abusive mother and stepfather and placed in an inadequate care system, he was sold into child prostitution and criminality while the state apparatus knowingly failed him. But for the love and hope shared by surrogate parents Pauline and Anna, Richie would have become just another tragic statistic. Yet released back into the world with few coping strategies, he was determined to make his mark and have his mistreatment at the hands of the local authority recognised in order to bring about the change necessary so others would not have to experience the sort of tribulations, tragedy and sorrow he had. Now in a loving relationship, married to Ben, a new family around him and an award winning dog walking business, Richie’s story is one of immense determination and inner strength against the longest odds. It is about hope, reclaiming the past and gaining justice. Harrowing yet uplifting, it is a must read.

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On four occasions the life of Georgina Hurst has been drastically changed by events outside her control – but she has dealt with the implications head-on. Most significant was the road smash that had apparently destroyed all her hopes and dreams, while as a passenger in a car driven by the man she thought she loved – and even returned to afterwards. Brought back to life four times, George suffered injuries in the crash so horrific and shocking her friends and family were told by surgeons to expect the worst. Yet it turned out to be the making of her – she would never have discovered a passion and talent for pole dancing otherwise. This is George Hurst’s story of facing pain and the truth as physical rehabilitation forces her down a revelatory path of self-discovery; one which is still going on today and that sepsis in the time of Covid-19 nearly put an end to. She can’t change her past, but with a defiant two fingers to self-pity, George’s future remains fearless – and her outlook on life inspirational.

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From the early cup-winning Bramley National and Hunslet Carr teams, through some outstanding representative sides, to the modern-day national girls’ champions of Corpus Christi, there is a rich & proud history of schools’ rugby league in the city of Leeds. This catalogues the story of the game in words and photographs

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Beware of the Bull - The Enigmatic Genius of Jake Thackray is the critically-acclaimed first biography of the late, great singer-songwriter. Admired by Neil Gaiman, Jarvis Cocker, Alex Turner and Thea Gilmore, among others, Jake was one of the greatest and most original artists of the twentieth century; a unique talent and master storyteller whose songs are full of wit, poetry, irreverence and humanity. The book reveals a life as extraordinary as his writing: difficult upbringing in the terraces of Leeds; strict Catholic education; transformative experiences in France and Algeria; time as an inspirational, unorthodox and highly creative teacher; meteoric development as a writer and performer; subsequent discovery by the BBC; Abbey Road recordings and influence on The Beatles; fame, fortune and remarkable television career... and Jake's rejection of it all. It is a story of a complex, charismatic and self-effacing man whom many loved, but few understood. Beware of the Bull was written with the full support of the Thackray family. Exclusive access to personal papers has allowed for the inclusion of a wealth of rare poems, photographs and 'lost' lyrics. This paperback edition comes with a new foreword by the comedian Jon Richardson, an afterword by the authors, and further appendices with author Neil Gaiman and the distinguished conductor and composer Sir William Southgate.

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Alfie Bennett is going to be a superstar. He is absolutely sure of it. Every second of his life is dedicated to football. And when he gets signed up by the famous Borough Academy, it looks as if he’s well and truly on the way to achieving his dream. Yet life at Borough isn’t all that it seems…

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Iby Knill is a simply remarkable woman. An Auschwitz holocaust survivor originally from Bratislava, she married a British army officer and set out to make a new life in England, arriving in Cornwall in 1947 to set up home. Dealing with the problems of integration as an immigrant in post-war Britain, raising a family and making careers in civil defence, education, international textile design and manufacture and as linguist, amongst others, she also gained an MA at the age of 80.Passionate about music and art, the loss of her beloved Bert prompted her to return to writing but always hitting a stumbling block, 60 years of suppressed memories. Eventually, despite several breakdowns, she unlocked that part of her life and became determined to tell of her experiences to future generations.Even now, she is in constant demand to talk to various groups, schools and within the media. This eagerly-awaited 'The woman with nine lives' picks up where her best-selling first book 'The woman without a number' ends, evoking changing times through a life that has constantly embraced challenge and opportunity.Included in it is the growing realisation that the past cannot be avoided, the difficulty of facing up to it and of how, eventually, Iby returns to some of the places that brought tragedy and despair to her young and formative years. Interspersed within her story, she tells those of her brother, father and mother - the woman whose determination she has inherited.Poignant, moving and searingly honest, this account reconfirms the very best of human nature and is a truly uplifting sequel.With a foreword by Fabian Hamilton, MP

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The late1980s. Robindreams of becoming Jim Kerr, singer in the best band in the world, SimpleMinds, despite having no talent whatsoever. Fliss is a musical genius, perhaps the East Midlands'answer to Kate Bush, if only she had more confidence.An acclaimed novel by comedy writer Lee Stuart Evans

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Paul Byrne joined London's Metropolitan Police by mistake. By day a Detective Inspector, by night a stand-up comedian, this is a memoir of law enforcement not exactly going to plan. Sucked into a dark and troubling whirlpool of police corruption, eventually he would be forced out of the service a broken man.

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Beyond a Little Learning is a collection of biographies of 25 of the most distinguished Old Boys of Leeds Grammar School, charting their education there as the foundation for the impact they have made nationally and internationally in later life. Written by the former English teacher and senior librarian at the school, Neill Hargreaves, who is currently the joint-archivist of its successor GSAL – where the motto is ‘Be Inspired’ – this is a collection of lives humbling and inspiring in equal measure. The book covers such fields as medicine and engineering, science, politics and law, the military and religion, art and music, literature and journalism. From John Harrison, John Smeaton and Field Marshal William Gustavus Nicholson – who all have school Houses named after them – through Barons and Knights of the realm, to modern-day entertainers Barry Cryer and Ricky Wilson, all aspects of the school’s 450 years of known history are celebrated in these pages. The portraits – encompassing astonishing feats that include lighthouse building, composition, horology, heart surgery and intelligence – offer fascinating insight into a group of men of vision, entrepreneurial spirit and deep-rooted commitment to others that made an impact that is felt far beyond the boundaries of Leeds

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No-one gave a second’s thought to the victims of a mining disaster near the small Yorkshire village of Cawthorne in 1821, even though two were children of just eight-years-old. Former MP David Hinchliffe’s exploration of his family history inadvertently led to the discovery of his collier ancestors’ involvement in the barely recorded and long-forgotten pit tragedy, which occurred amidst of the turbulence of the industrial revolution.The exploration of these two intertwined strands – and a passionate interest in local history in Yorkshire – has enabled him finally to reveal the full details of a melancholy event which devastated the families of the ten who were killed - but caused barely a ripple further afield. Using contemporary reports to help piece the jigsaw together, historical context and detailed genealogical research into the backgrounds of those involved, this account offers a fascinating insight into the lives of working class families across the period, when children as young as five were forced to work underground in order to supplement the household income. The research also illustrates how the split between the businessmen operating local pits, and landowners like the Spencer-Stanhopes of Cawthorne's Cannon Hall, led to an apparent disregard for the safety and wellbeing of the local workforce. The unforgiving inhumanity of the time is underlined by the way the local ‘Overseers of the Poor’ endeavoured to eject two of the victims’ families from the area when they had fallen on hard times after the disaster. And, most ironically of all, how the lauded death of Sir Walter Spencer- Stanhope is recorded in the parish register directly opposite that of the young and until now unheralded John Hinchliffe.

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The long-awaited collection of some of the best columns, principally on sport, written by Martin Kelner, gathered together for the first time with some memoires and unpublished material. With a foreword by Gary Lineker.

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There has always been fascination with crime, deviance and punishment; from the days of the highwayman to the Luddites and in the foul deeds of Peter Sutcliffe. Add to that, the continuing allure of the unsolved case, which has long provided material for true crime and fiction writers. In Stephen Wade’s casebook, Murder in Mind he looks at his favourite investigations in his home county of Yorkshire, rich with villainous acts, painstaking investigations and outright injustices. Read about Leeds’ most notorious female killer Louie Calvert and why he believes her conviction and hanging could have been a travesty; famous hangmen, Chartist rebels, and the many cases open to fresh investigation such as those of Bill o’ Jacks, Mr Blum and Emily Pye. Murder in Mind brings together Stephen’s journeys into the criminal underworld, including his work as a writer in prisons and his research in the murder archives as he attempts to uncover and understand why such heinous acts are committed. The basis for this book was created in the `Yorkshire Ripper’ years, when the impact of that series of murders sparked the crime writer in him and his tutor, Stanley Ellis, worked on the notoriously misleading `Ripper Tapes.’ Since then Stephen has written over 70 non-fiction titles - many of them on the history of crime and the law - but this is something different, a mixture of memoir, reflection and the realisation that murder often happens down the street.

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Richard Hines seemed destined for a life without academic achievement until he read TH White's The Goshawk. His schoolboy love of hawks inspired older brother Barry to write A Kestrel for a Knave. But time moves on. Richard and Jackie are about to pull up their Yorkshire roots to live near their family in Hove. Will their heritage let them go?

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It's Britain's hottest summer since 1976 and English cricket is in a sweat of transformation. The public is no longer interested in County Championship games, traditional touchstone of the calendar. Fans prefer a bit of flash, bang, wallop – or so the experts tell us. Where though does that leave the twenty minor counties – strung out from Northumberland to Norfolk to Cornwall – who for the past one hundred and twenty-five years have fancied themselves the stepping-stone between regional club and first class county competitions? A level of the game seen as either an ex-professionals' graveyard or the last refuge of blazered old duffers is in a struggle for its very existence. And come 2020, the venerable Minor Counties Championship will indeed be blown away, like dandelion seeds on the breeze, replaced by the newly-branded and 'more marketable' National Counties Championship. At least that was the plan. In 2018, no-one has yet heard of Covid-19. What they do know is that this threat to their competition is existential and the modernisers at Lord's are to blame, far more interested in such innovations as a proposed new 'Hundred' than bolstering that which has stood the test of time. Granted full access to committee and squad, Tony Hannan, author of Underdogs – A Year in the Life of a Rugby League Town, spent a season with Cumberland CCC amid the lakes, fells and mountains of Cumbria. And as might have been expected in such dramatic terrain, he tells a story full of ups and downs – complete with one or two surprises. Skippered by former Durham player Gary Pratt – who as substitute fielder ran out Australia captain Ricky Ponting during the 2005 Ashes – Cumberland's expenses-only nomads are nevertheless just one important thread in a yarn stretching well beyond the boundaries of Cumbria. The Wicket Men is a cricket book unlike any other. It draws stumps on a small but fascinating aspect of a pastime whose rhythms and rituals, while endlessly evolving, are rooted firmly in the English folk tradition.

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The Catalan Dragons’ stunning 2018 Wembley Challenge Cup victory came against a backdrop of well over half a century of both triumph and turbulence in French rugby league. Re-emerging from the iniquitous ban under the Vichy government, le rugby à treize was rebuilt from scratch after World War II – so successfully that the Tricolores were recognized as unofficial world champions after their dazzling, ground-breaking tour of Australia, and were at the forefront of international innovation, including the World Cup. Together with the acclaimed 'The Forbidden Game', which explored the story of the Vichy ban, 'The Struggle and the Daring' makes up the first-ever complete history of French rugby league. Based on extensive research and interviews, the book highlights the many great players France has produced and analyses key events as the game emerged from the chaos of post-Liberation France, continued to grapple with the threat posed by rugby union and, after a long decline, returned to the mainstream of professional rugby league.

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The first-ever Forty20 Annual featuring all your favourite columnists in festive mood together with a full expose on Bradford, welcome Sonny Bill, that World Cup draw video, Kelner's Almanac, California dreaming, 2020 into view & much more - perfect with a truffle log

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Salford Red Devils are one of Rugby League's most celebrated clubs, claiming a history going back to 1873. During the 150 years since, it has claimed numerous honours including six championship successes and eight Challenge Cup final appearances, four of them at Wembley. In 1934, the team achieved legendary status when touring France, their adventurous attacking play earning the accolade Les Diables Rouges – the Red Devils, a sobriquet officially appended in 2014. Some of rugby's most most revered names have worn the famed red jersey including Harry Eagles, who played in every match of the inaugural British rugby tour to Australasia in 1888; Welsh greats Gus Risman and David Watkins, both of whom are included in Rugby League's Hall of Fame; and Jimmy Lomas and Chris Hesketh who – along with Risman – share the honour of captaining a Great Britain touring side. The club continues to produce exciting, entertaining rugby, evidenced by recent prestigious Man of Steel awards to half-backs Jackson Hastings and Brodie Croft. Rugby League historian Graham Morris pays due homage to all of Salford's heroes, past and present, via a comprehensive and wide-reaching set of facts and figures covering every match and every player known to have represented the club since its formation. Backed by over 80 superb photographs and images, several in colour, this is the perfect reference book for Salford Red Devils supporters and Rugby League fans in general.

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Royston Mayoh was one of the biggest names in British television production. In a career spanning seven decades, he went from sweeping the studio floor at ABC TV to being responsible for such household names as Opportunity Knocks, This Is Your Life and The Kenny Everett Video Show. His memoirs are a treat for any TV aficionado.

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What would you do if you were a professional road cyclist and, due to a run of bad injuries and loss of form, were told that your career would be over tomorrow, if you didn't do well in one of the world's toughest races? Welcome to the world of Daniel Williams. Daniel's dream of being a leading professional cyclist is nearly over but, far from being worried, he believes he has the answer. The only thing he's got to do is remember it. To do that, he needs to go back to the very beginning of his journey as a 14 year old bike rider, which began in the leafy lanes of Wales' Gower Peninsula and then made a shock detour to the empty roads of rural Italy. It was there that he first came across what was to become his mantra - "to be the best that you can be" - by an eccentric man he had never met before. The stranger introduced Daniel to the world of legendary Italian racer, Fausto Coppi, and inspired the teenage boy with stories of Coppi's excellence, bravery, success but ultimate heartbreak. But the eerie man with the detailed knowledge hides a dark secret. Once before he had tried to inspire a teenage cyclist and the horror of that episode is slowly revealed to Daniel. In a story that threatens to tear Daniel's family apart, will he be able to navigate this journey and call on the reasons that led him to be a professional cyclist in the first place. If he can, he might just be able to deliver a performance in the infamous Milan-San Remo race that may save not only his career but everything his life has meant to this point. Will the memories be too painful, or will they lead to ultimate success?

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"My story is in no way all sweetness and light, cute and slushy. It's earthy, gritty and heartbreaking, yet also rewarding,challenging, life-changing and vital." Kath Padgett was a naive, newly qualified graduate teacher of modern languages just as Dawn were topping the charts with 'Knock Three Times,' Spangles were the sweets of choice and orange miniskirts with shoes from Freeman, Hardy & Willis all the rage. This is the tale of those teaching years ...the characters and dark humour, the rawness, deprivations and instilling of hope as much as education. Sharing a social history of the time - including original letters received from parents - Kath deals with playground tragedy, first foreign trips and staff room politics, emerging on a career path that saw her ultimately spend 46 years as a teacher. "I never taught anywhere other than Yorkshire, but those formative years were my grounding, as empowering as they are poignant."

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Growing up on one of Scarborough's toughest estates, Paul Ingle pulled on his first pair of boxing gloves at the age of seven. Known by fans, foes and friends as 'The Yorkshire Hunter' he fought almost 200 times as an amateur, representing his country in every major international tournament and, in November 1999, beat Manuel Medina for the IBF featherweight world title. Months later, in front of a packed crowd at Madison Square Garden, Paul came off the canvas and stopped Junior Jones in an eleven-round epic to add the IBO belt. In December 2000, he fought Mbulelo Botile in what ought to have been a straightforward defence. But then, knocked down in the twelfth, Paul was rushed to hospital where he had emergency surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain. The Yorkshire Hunter tells the story of an endearing and enduring man who never left his roots. With a foreword by Kellie Maloney, this is the tale of a fighter whose fiercest battle came outside the ring.

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Rarely seen without a rolling pin in hand, Sandy Docherty appeared on the treasured television show The Great British Bake-Off in 2015 and has been a regular go to on local radio and Channel 4 since – especially about the food and traditions of the region that she is so proudly from. She achieved the legendary 'Hollywood Handshake' on the show for her rich chocolate indulgent Yorkist Tart – among the recipes featured here - in this her first collection of culinary treasures specific to the history and traditions of the north of England. Each mouth-watering suggestion comes with a potted history behind the name, with the deliciously moreish creations perfect for any time of day and whether a sole indulgence or for the unexpected arrival of family and friends. With the sounds and smells of her mum's kitchen as an inspiration, learn the delights of making Sandy's Leeds soup, Swaledale lamb and mint pies, Whitby chowder, Helvellyn butter, Batley truffle, Moggy and so much more – and, of course, the perfect, definitive recipe for Yorkshire Puddings.

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Rugby is full of mysteries on and off the pitch It is played with an odd-shaped ball. There are two versions. The rules seem to change regularly. Fans of the two games still argue about things that happened over a century ago including who invented it. Award-winning sports history professor Tony Collins cracks many such enigmas.

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A 90-year record of both teams and scorers of every match played from season 1925-6 to 2016. Players statistics for every season, players total career records plus over 500 photographs. A must for every Castleford supporter and an invaluable reference work

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Lost in Spain is the result of the dying wish of author Dave Hadfield's oldest friend's wife, Barb, to have her ashes scattered along the route traced by Laurie Lee when he walked from Gloucester to the Mediterranean in the 1930s.That original journey provided the material for As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, the book upon which, as well as Cider with Rosie, Lee's glittering reputation rests.Lost in Spain is a story of friendship and late-flowering love that is by turns informative, poignant, elegiac and laugh-out-loud funny.These days freed from the constraints of daily journalism, Hadfield has no plans to stop writing. Of his ten books so far, five have been written since he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2008.

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Hull in 1980. The fishing industry is in terminal decline, the Humber Bridge still unfinished. A depraved killer is on the loose and Hull City FC look doomed to another relegation. But, on a long Bank Holiday weekend in May, all thoughts turn to Wembley...and the chance for ultimate bragging rights. Against a backdrop of a dramatically changing city, Last One Out...traces the story of how Hull's two rugby league teams emerged from mid-seventies gloom to take their place at the very top of the game - exerting a dominance over the sport that others would follow. Featuring first-hand interviews with players, officials and supporters, this is the definitive history of the ultimate rugby league derby; the early rounds and the draw that kept them apart,the clamour for tickets, the divided families and that famous sign on the road heading south. It tells of Roger's joy, Sammy's despair and the story behind 'that try'. Later, there was the pride and emotion of the homecoming. Later still, the game enteredhistory, spelling joy for one side, despair for the other and encapsulated in a song the losers were taunted with until another dramatic Wembley victory more than three decades on. More than just a derby, more than just a cup final, this is the story of an exodus: the day Hull invaded Wembley. Perfectly timed for the city being UK capital of culture in 2017.

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The Yorkshire Dales are dominated by majestic mountain Ingleborough and its neighbours Penyghent and Whernside. Familiar to charity fund-raisers as the 'Three Peaks' of marathon walks, their inner secrets remain largely unknown. In A Three Peaks Up and Under Stephen C. Oldfield explores every corner of this enigmatic landscape in riveting detail. No stone is left unturned - revealing the awe-inspiring shafts of great potholes, the legendary caves and waterfalls, as well as archaeological treasures that inspired explorers of years gone by. After outlining the origins of these karst masterpieces, life-long walker and caver Oldfield examines Britain's finest limestone area with fresh eyes. He uncovers hundreds of highlights from the Boggart of Hurtle Pot to the bone crunching giant of Yordas Cave, from the vastness of Gaping Gill to the ribbending confines of the Cheese Press. Laced with humour and personal touches that are bound to have even serious cave explorers chuckling into their beers, its chapters take the reader up onto the peaks and plateaus, and then down into the easiest 'wild' caves of the area - resulting in a new level of intimacy with this great landscape. A Three Peaks Up and Under will sow the seeds for many years of adventure in this magical area.

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Batley and Dewsbury are the professional rugby league clubs whose grounds are in closest proximity. John Roe brings together a collection of colourful reminiscences of the supporters, administrators and players of both clubs

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Runcorn was a hotbed of rugby in the late Victorian era, the town’s club a proud founder member in 1895 of the Northern Union – the breakaway game that became known as Rugby League. Yet that great rugby tradition was ended by the First World War, with devastating effects for many Runcornians, including members of the rugby club, who served and lost their lives. Runcorn nurtured ten international rugby players in total, all but one born within a few hundred yards of the Irwell Lane ground. Respected sports writer and historian Michael Latham recreates those far-off days when the oval ball dominated and the town’s heroes included Harry Speakman, a member of the first rugby tourists to Australia, Sam Houghton, Jimmy Butterworth, Jimmy Jolley and Dick Padbury, among just a few in a gallery of colourful characters, the rugby league superstars of their day. With a detailed biographical and records section to complement the deeply researched narrative, this is one of the most comprehensive histories ever written about the Northern Union and contains around three hundred photographs. Harry Price was once a promising Runcorn player, snapped up by Wigan in 1906, where he became a highly regarded and popular player and captain. The report announcing his signing in the Wigan newspaper had a simple, approving testimonial: “Price was born in Runcorn, the home of footballers.” Hence the book’s title.

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The rich archive history of Batley Cricket, Athletic and Football Club - from its birth in 1880 through joining the breakaway Northern Union, which subsequently became rugby league, to the current Bulldogs. All of which makes the 'Gallant Youths' one of the oldest clubs in the world, playing on a ground that is among sport’s most historic venues.

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Harvey the Hippo is excited as he prepares for sports day at school. He’s ready to throw, jump, run, climb and swim - but what will be he good at? An uplifting rhyming tale of perseverance and belief written and illustrated by professional rugby league players George Griffin and Bureta Faraimo as they too reveal their hidden talents!

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Always prepared to work the hardest to achieve his goals, four times he faced life-changing decisions; to leave Wakefield who gave him his chance, depart from Leeds when part of the club’s ‘golden generation’, turn his back on the NRL when at Wests Tigers despite being the club’s player of the year on three consecutive occasions, and to choose Hull on his return to Super League. On each occasion, as he reveals in candid detail, he never took the easy option, the story of his glorious career, including the brave decision to come out of retirement in 2019. Unashamedly open and honest, he defines the nebulous concept of what is ‘culture’ at a club, reflects on his sacrifices to become one of the most revered, how the international game – where he won 38 caps – must be improved, and that his sole aim in over 480 career appearances was to be the kind of player others wanted beside them. This is a rare insight into what it takes to be a professional sportsman.

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TV producer Ewan Phillips presents a collection of over 1,500 questions about his favourite rugby league team, Wigan Warriors, fresh from their 2018 Grand Final triumph. Prepare to recall the big matches, classic tries and amazing players, as well as foul play, urban myths and bizarre signings, that tell the incredible Cherry and White story.

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They were among the sporting elite of 1914 – the stars of the Northern Union – idolised by thousands of enthusiastic men, women and children up and down the land. Yet despite their heroic status in what was soon to become known as rugby league, these warriors of the playing field were willing to sacrifice their careers – and then lives – on the World War One killing fields, for King and Country. Other sports have honoured their Great War fallen over these past 100 years, producing Rolls of Honour to ensure that their ultimate bravery is never forgotten; not so rugby league – until now. The Greatest Sacrifice – Fallen Heroes of the Northern Union – rights that wrong. It tells the story of talented sportsmen who, when war was declared on 4 August 1914, duly departed for France, Belgium and beyond, never again to see the rugby league towns and grounds they once so famously graced. Among those who fell were three members of Great Britain’s 1914 summer tour to Australia and New Zealand. A number of other former internationals died too, as did many more who had earned top domestic honours with their clubs. Some of the youngest players were just embarking on professional careers and therefore never able to fulfil their potential. Each player featured has a different tale to tell – from childhood to rugby stardom to enlistment into the British Army and, finally, the greatest sacrifice of all.

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