Castleford Tigers

Club information
Full name	Castleford Tigers Rugby League Football Club
Nickname(s)	Cas, Classy Cas or the Tigers
Short name	Castleford Tigers
Colours	Black and Amber
Founded	1926; 98 years ago (1926)
Website	castlefordtigers.com
Current details
Ground(s)	Mend-A-Hose Jungle Castleford, West Yorkshire (11,775)
Chairman	Ian Fulton
Coach	Daryl Powell
Captain	Michael Shenton
Competition	Super League
2016 season	5th
Current season
Records
Challenge Cups	4 (1935, 1969, 1970, 1986)
Other honours	16
Most capped	613 – John Joyner
Highest points scorer	1,870 – Albert Lunn

Castleford Tigers R.L.F.C. are an English rugby league club in Castleford, West Yorkshire, that plays in Super League. Formed in 1926, the club were founder members of the Super League in 1996 and have won the Challenge Cup four times. Their most recent major trophy was the 1994 Regal Trophy, and most recently, The League Leaders' Shield for the first time in their 91 year history.

Castleford have a rivalry with neighbours Featherstone Rovers and Wakefield Trinity. The club have played at Wheldon Road in Castleford, since 1927. Their home colours are black and orange.

On 17 August 2017, Castleford secured a first ever League Leaders' Shield for the first time in their 91 year history, with a victory over Wakefield

History

1896–1906: First Castleford club

Castleford RFC joined the Northern Rugby Football Union for the 1896–97 season, its second and remained in the ranks of the semi-professionals until the end of the 1905–06 season. Not much is known about the original Castleford club, except that they have no connection with the present Castleford Tigers RLFC.

1926-1950s: Establishment of second club

Castleford joined the league for the 1926–27 season.^[1] Many official records state that they were founded at this time but they had played successfully in the lower Yorkshire County Cup for several years before this date. They actually joined the League "code" around 1920 and played in these early years at the Sandy Desert ground, which is now used by amateur club Castleford Lock Lane youth and junior teams. The club went professional in 1926 and moved to their current home ground on Wheldon Road in 1926.

The club soon started to make a mark on northern rugby, winning their first major trophy when they topped the Yorkshire League in 1932, followed by victory in the Challenge Cup in 1935. In 1938, they made it to the Championship finals, but failed to take the cup. The Second World War meant the league was suspended soon after, and Castleford officially abstained from league competition until the 1944–45 season.

1960–1972: Success

Castleford finished fourth in the national league in the 1962/63 season. The following season they lost 7–5 to Widnes in the Challenge Cup semi-final replay at Belle Vue, Wakefield in front of a 28,700 crowd after drawing at Station Road, Swinton in the first meeting of the two clubs. Under the direction of coach George Clinton, Castleford won many fans in the '60s by playing an open and free-flowing style of rugby, earning them the nicknames "Classy Cas" and "High Speed Cas", the latter playing off the slogan for British Gas in use at the time.

Castleford picked up where they left off when they were again beaten in the Championship finals in 1969, this time conceding defeat to arch-rivals Leeds. However, this loss seemed to spur the team on, and 1969 (v. Salford) and 1970 (v. Wigan) saw Castleford win the Challenge Cup for two consecutive years, with clubs legends Alan Hardisty and Keith Hepworth leading the team.

1973–1995: Consistency

John Sheridan was appointed head coach in 1973 for a spell. Castleford's finished a respectable ninth in a one-division table but Sheridan stepped down following criticism from fans. During the late 1970s Castleford edged up the league, and in 1986 they made it to the Premiership final, where they were beat Hull Kingston Rovers 15–14. They finished consistently high over the next few years, and finished in the top four clubs in the Championship for four years during 1990–1995.

Darryl van der Velde took Castleford to the Challenge Cup final Wembley where they were defeated by Wigan in 1992. A year later, Darryl van der Velde left to become chief executive of the South Queensland Crushers, he was succeeded by his assistant John Joyner.

Through the Darryl van der Velde and early Joyner years Castleford were lauded for there style and were labelled 'Classy Cas'. This enjoyable playing style was to come to fruition most spectacularly in 1994, when Castleford were dominating the league. As well as defeating legendary Wigan team to take the Regal Trophy 33–2, they were also semi-finalists in the Challenge Cup and were also narrowly defeated in the Premiership final. That season John Joyner, was named Coach-of-the-Year by the RFL. St John Ellis scored a then club record 40 league tries over the 1993–94 season.

1996–2004: Super League era

When a European Super League was suggested, Castleford resisted a merger with Wakefield Trinity and Featherstone Rovers, and became a founder member of the Super League in 1996. The team performed weakly at the start of the season causing the resignation of coach John Joyner, the team avoided relegation by a whisker in 1997 following the appointment of Stuart Raper.

The next season, they managed to frustrate the bleak predictions of pundits to move up the league, finishing sixth at the end of the season, after putting in some good performances and pleasing their fans with a sprinkling of victories.

In 1999, they continued on this upward trajectory, finishing fifth, as well as making the semi-finals of both the Challenge Cup and the Grand Final play-offs. This became one of the most famous seasons in the clubs recent past, with fans still remembering it with reverence. The team included many home grown players such as current assistant Danny Orr, and included that years Man of Steel winner Adrian Vowles. In 2000, the rise seemed to stall, as they repeated their fifth-place ranking and made the play-offs for a consecutive season. Raper left Castleford midway through the 2001 campaign to take charge of Wigan, his assistant Graham Steadman took over the reins as head coach.

Castleford made the semi-final of the Challenge Cup in 2002, however the team was to fall down the table over the years to come. Gary Mercer guided Castleford to five wins in their last 10 games after replacing Graham Steadman in 2004 but it was too little to save them from the drop as Castleford were relegated for the first time in the club's history. From the introduction of two divisions in the 1972–1973 Northern Rugby Football League season Castleford had spent 32 years in the top flight of British rugby league. Gary Mercer left the club following their relegation from Super League.

2005–2008: Relegations

Dave Woods was appointed head coach and Castleford finished second in the Co-Operative Championship in 2005 and were back in the Super League via play-offs following victory in the playoff final, as well as competing in the Northern Rail Cup final, where they lost to Hull Kingston Rovers.

Terry Matterson joined Castleford in November 2005 in replacement of Woods. Castleford were celebrated for playing a good brand of Rugby League however it was not good enough to stop them from contesting a relegation dog fight which was to culminate in a historic match at Wakefield Trinity's Belle Vue, dubbed ‘The Battle of Belle Vue’. It was a fight to stay in the league, and when Castleford lost to Wakefield Trinity, it confirmed their relegation. Many Castleford fans do not accept this relegation and it become a grave point of contention with the governing body. Castleford were relegated from second bottom in front of the newly inducted French side, Catalans Dragons, who had been given immunity from relegation that season, and behind Wigan who had been found guilty of a breach of the salary cap rules.

In 2007 Castleford again made a quick return to Super League as they finished top of the Championship with only one loss all season and defeated Widnes 42 – 10 in the Co-Operative Championship play-off final. Castleford finished bottom of Super League in 2008, but were not relegated due to the newly in place franchise rules.

2009–2012: Re-establishment in Super League

In 2009 Castleford saw a brief return to success by reaching the Grand Final play-offs for the first time since Super League VII and made the semi-final of the Challenge Cup in 2011 before being knocked out by Leeds in an 8–10 defeat after extra time.

Terry Matterson stepped down at the end of the 2010/11 season to take up a coaching role in Australia and was replaced by former St. Helens coach Ian Millward. Millward released by mutual consent on 9 April 2013 after a poor run of results with 1 win in 18 games and with the team at the bottom of the Super League table. Daryl Powell was appointed coach in May 2013 taking over from assistant coach Danny Orr, who had been in temporary charge of the club.

2013–present: Daryl Powell era

Under Daryl Powell and Danny Orr, the club has again started to see success on and off the field. The 2014 side were again lauded as Classy Cas for their fast paced and exciting style, with home grown players such as club captain Michael Shenton, Daryl Clark, Adam Milner, Oliver Holmes, Craig Huby and Andy Lynch, who was returning to the club. The side reached the Challenge Cup final in August 2014, losing to local rivals Leeds 23–10, watched by a crowd of 77,914 at Wembley Stadium.^[2] The side would eventually finish 4th in Super League and qualify for the play-offs. They were beaten 41 – 0 by St. Helens in their first game and therefore granted a second chance at progressing with a home tie against Warrington. They were beaten 14 – 30 and therefore knocked out of the play-offs. On 29 September 2015, the club announced the death of Chairman Jack Fulton.^[3] In 2017, the Tigers enjoyed a phenomenal 23 game regular season as they finished 10 points clear at the top of the table prior to the split having won 20 and losing just 3 of their games. They went into the Super 8's having already secured a top four playoff spot by the end of the Super 8's and winning the League Leaders' Shield in the process.

2017 squad

2017 Castleford Tigers Squad

First team squad								Coaching staff
1 Zak Hardaker – FB, CE 2 Greg Minikin – WG, CE 3 Jake Webster – CE, SR 4 Michael Shenton – CE 5 Greg Eden – WG, FB 7 Luke Gale – HB 8 Andy Lynch – PR 9 Paul McShane – HK 10 Grant Millington – PR, SR 11 Oliver Holmes – SR 12 Mike McMeeken – SR 13 Adam Milner – HK, LF		14 Nathan Massey – PR, LF 15 Jesse Sene-Lefao – SR, PR 16 Ben Roberts – HB, HK, FB 17 Junior Moors – SR, PR, LF 18 Matt Cook – PR, SR 19 Gadwin Springer – PR 20 Larne Patrick – PR, SR 21 Joel Monaghan – WG, CE 22 Will Maher – PR 23 Tom Holmes – HB, HK 24 Brandon Douglas – PR 25 Jy Hitchcox – WG, FB		26 Kieran Gill – CE, WG 27 Tuoyo Egodo – CE 28 Conor Fitzsimmons – LF, SR 29 Luke Million – HK 30 Declan Sheehan – WG 33 Kevin Larroyer – SR 34 Alex Foster – SR, LF 35 Jake Trueman – HB				Head coach Daryl Powell Assistant coaches Danny Orr Ryan Sheridan Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice-captain(s) Updated: 13 January 2017 Source(s): 2017 Squad Numbers

Future transfers

Gains

Player	Club	Contract	Date
Joe Wardle	Newcastle Knights	3 Years	August 2017

Losses

Player	Club	Contract	Date
Andy Lynch	Retirement	N/A	June 2017

Coaching staff

1st Team

Name:-	Position:-
Daryl Powell	Head Coach
Danny Orr	Assistant Coach
Ryan Sheridan	Assistant Coach
Ben Cooper	Head of Strength & Conditioning
Jamie Bell	Strength & Conditioning Assistant
Richard Stead	Video Analyst
Matt Crowther	Head Physiotherapist
Michael Brown	Rehab Physiotherapist
Pete Riding	Football Manager
Paul Jackson	Player Welfare Manager

Youth Development

Name:-	Position:-
Pete Riding	Head of Youth Performance & Scholarship Head Coach
Tony Smith	Under 19's Head Coach
Darren Higgins	Talent Development Manager
Jamie Bell	Academy Strength & Conditioning
Brain Stanley	Scholarship Team Manager
Lee Holmes	Scholarship Coach
Lee Hughes	Scholarship Coach
Daniel Holmes	Scholarship Coach

Board of Directors

Name:-	Position:-
Ian Fulton	Chairman
Brian Ashworth	Club President
Richard Wright	Board Member
Steve Vause	Board Member
Dion Lowe	Board Member
John Duff	Board Member
Terry Cheesbrough	Board Member
Mark Grattan	Board Member
Steve Gill	Chief Executive

Coach history

Jim Bacon 1928–29 Dick Silcock 1929–30 William Rhodes Jack Kitching 1951–52 Ernest Ward 1953–56 Len Garbett 1956–57 George Clinton 1964–66 Harry Street 1958–64 Derek Turner 1966–69 "Tommy" Smales 1969–70 Alan Hardisty 1970–71 Harry Poole 1971–72 John Sheridan 1972–73

Dave Cox 1973–1974 Mal Reilly 1974–87 David Sampson 1987–88 Darryl van der Velde 1988–93 John Joyner 1993–97 Mick Morgan 1997 (Caretaker) Stuart Raper 1997–2001 Graham Steadman 2001–04 Gary Mercer 2004 Dave Woods 2005 Terry Matterson 2005–11 Ian Millward 2012–13 Danny Orr 2013 (Caretaker) Daryl Powell 2013–

Honours

Major titles

Competition	Wins	Years won
Challenge Cup	4	1934–35, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1985–86

Other titles

Competition	Wins	Years won
League Leaders' Shield	1	2017
League Cup	2	1976–77, 1993–94
BBC2 Floodlit Trophy	4	1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1976–77
RFL Yorkshire League	3	1932–33, 1938–39, 1964–65
RFL Yorkshire Cup	5	1977–78, 1981–82, 1986–87, 1990–91, 1991–92
Tier 2 Championship	2	2005, 2007

Super League club records

Super League positions

Year	Pos.	Competitions
1996	9th	Super League I
1997	10th	Super League II
1998	6th	Super League III
1999	5th	Super League IV
2000	5th	Super League V
2001	8th	Super League VI
2002	6th	Super League VII
2003	8th	Super League VIII
2004	12th	Super League IX (Relegated)
2005	2nd	LHF National League 1 (Promoted)
2006	11th	Super League XI (Relegated)
2007	1st	Co-Operative Championship (Promoted)
2008	12th	Super League XIII
2009	7th	Super League XIV
2010	9th	Super League XV
2011	9th	Super League XVI
2012	13th	Super League XVII
2013	12th	Super League XVIII
2014	4th	Super League XIX
2015	5th	Super League XX
2016	5th	Super League XXI
2017	1st	Super League XXII

Super League player records

Most tries in a game (Super League matches only):-
5 by Greg Eden (vs Warrington Wolves) 11 June 2017

Most goals in a game (Super League matches only):-
10 by Jamie Ellis (vs Huddersfield) 8 July 2012

Most points in a game (Super League matches only):-
24 by Kirk Dixon (vs Crusaders Rugby League) 27 March 2011 – (2 tries, 8 goals)
24 by Jamie Ellis vs Huddersfield 8 July 2012 – (1 try, 10 goals)
24 by Luke Gale (vs Leigh) 10 February 2017 – (2 tries, 8 goals)
24 by Luke Gale (vs Huddersfield) 31 March 2017 – (3 tries, 6 goals)

Most tries in a season (Super League matches only):-
40 by Denny Solomona 2016

Most goals in a season (Super League matches only):-
118 by Luke Gale 2016

Most points in a season (Super League matches only):-
Luke Gale – 262 (2016)
Appearances – 29
Tries – 6
Goals – 118
Drop Goals – 2

Super League club records

Biggest win:-
Salford 16 v 74 Castleford Tigers – 7 April 2002

• Heaviest defeat:-

Castleford Tigers 4–72 St. Helens – 13 August 2006

• Highest attendance:-

11,702 – 7 March Castleford Tigers vs Leeds

All club records

• Player records

Most tries in a game:-
5 by John Joyner (vs Millom) 16 September 1973
5 by Derek Foster (vs Hunslet) November 1972
5 by Steve Fenton (vs Dewsbury) 27 January 1978
5 by Ian French (vs Hunslet) 9 February 1986
5 by St. John Ellis (vs Whitehaven) 10 December 1989
5 by Greg Eden (vs Warrington Wolves) 11 June 2017

Most goals in a game:-
17 by Geoffrey "Geoff" 'Sammy' Lloyd (vs Millom) 16 September 1973

Most points in a game:-
43 by Sammy Lloyd (vs Millom) 16 September 1973

Most tries in a season:-
42 by Denny Solomona 2016

Most goals in a season:-
158 by Sammy Lloyd – 1976–77

Most points in a season:-
334 by Bob Beardmore, 1983–84

• Career records

Most career tries:-
206 by Alan Hardisty 1958–71

Most career goals:-
875 by Albert Lunn 1951–63

Most career points:-
1870 by Albert Lunn 1951–63

• Club records

Castleford's biggest win:-
9 September 2007 – LHF National League 1
Rochdale Hornets 0 v 106 Castleford Tigers

Highest attendance (Wheldon Road):-
9 March 1935 – Castleford vs Hunslet – 25,449
Highest attendance (Challenge Cup):-
17 May 1969 – Castleford vs Salford – 97,939 (1969 Challenge Cup Final)
Highest attendance vs an international touring team:-
6 October 1948 – Castleford vs Australia – 14,004 (1948–49 Kangaroo Tour)

Players with 300+ appearances

Source:^[4]

Rank	Appearances	Player	Years
1	613	John Joyner	1972–1992
= 2	431	Artie "Bruss" Atkinson	1926–1942
= 2	431	Dean Sampson	1987–2005
3	401	Alan Hardisty	1958–1971
4	389	Thomas L. Taylor	1931–1946
5	373	George Lewis	1929–1945
6	363	Albert Lunn	1951–1963
7	346	Keith England	1982–1994
8	344	Kenneth Pye	1950–1963
= 9	338	Harold Haley	1932–1948
= 9	338	Trevor Briggs	1965–1978
10	329	Keith Hepworth	1958–1972
11	328	Clive Dickinson	1963–1975
12	325	George Howard	1948–1959
13	323	Robert Spurr	1968–1983
14	320	Michael Redfearn	1965–1977
15	316	Malcolm Reilly	1967–1986
16	315	Peter Small	1958–1969
17	313	Kevin Ward	1978–1990
18	309	Derek Edwards	1960–1972
19	306	Martin Ketteridge	1984–1995
20	301	John Sheridan	1955–1966

Stadiums

1926–Present: Wheldon Road

Wheldon Road was built in 1926 originally to be the home of Castleford Town F.C. Castleford RLFC moved in for 1927 after playing their first season of rugby league across the river where Castleford Lock Lane now play their home games. Its record attendance was in 1935 when 25,449 fans watched Cas play Hunslet in the Challenge Cup third round. In 2015 it was announced that they would be leaving Wheldon Road and moving to a new stadium in Glasshoughton.

Five Towns Stadium

The Lateral Property group submitted a planning application for a proposed £135m development and Five Towns Stadium in Glasshoughton. In 2015 planning permission was given to build a new retail park and stadium called Five Towns retail park. Work is expected to start during 2017 for Castleford to move into the stadium for the 2020 season.^[5]

Supporters

Castleford have a large fanbase based on the size of the town by population/attendance records with 18.69% of the town population attending home games, the club have averaged a gate close to 8,000 per home game throughout the Super League era. In 2017 the club are currently averaging close to 10,000. The majority of Castleford's matchday support comes from primarily Castleford and the nearby towns of Normanton, Kippax, Knottingley, Pontefract, Rothwell, Garforth, York, Selby, Sherburn-in-Elmet and Cross Gates.

While the club spent the 2005 & 2007 rugby league season in the Co-Operative Championship due to relegation the club still had an average attendance of 5,000+ and broke most records in the Co-Operative Championship for attendance most notably against Hull Kingston Rovers in the Northern Rail Cup Final which was spectated by a crowd of 9,400 and the Co-Operative Championship record attendance of 20,814 in the 2007 grand final against Widnes.

Castleford's fanbase includes a host of celebrity supporters, including England international cricketers Chris Silverwood and Tim Bresnan, Coronation Street actor Alan Halsall, former Coronation Street actress Lucy-Jo Hudson and Notts County and former England footballer Alan Smith.^{[citation needed]}

Kit sponsors and manufacturers

Current kit

The kit is supplied by XBlades. On the front of the jersey, CBR Engineering appear on the centre while SysServers Scada is on the top left and below it said "excellence at the heart of business" while GMB appear on the far top right and the far top left. A. J. Glassfibre is on the left sleeve while Bar Yorkshire Pride I, II & III Benidorm is on the right sleeve. On the back of the shirt, Riverside Car Sales appear on the top while Tetley's appear on the bottom. WSTS appear on the right of their front shorts while Carlton Lanes appear on the right of their back shorts.

See also

• List of Castleford Tigers players

References

External links

• Official website
• Unofficial Forum (Casforum)
• Supporters Club Website