There appear to be no records in existence of the Leagues prior to the Second World War so these records have been extracted from the files of the “Mail” Hartlepool, the archives of Durham County RFU., the Durham County South District Junior RFU, Hartlepool B B O B RFC., Hartlepool Rovers FC., West Hartlepool RFC, the Robert Wood Collection held by the Museums Service in Hartlepool and from the memories and recollections of players and Committee members over the years. They remain a “work in progress”.....Chris McLoughlin.
1903/04 |
Pd |
Won |
Drew |
Lost |
For |
Against |
Points |
West Hpool Nomads |
14 |
12 |
0 |
2 |
239 |
35 |
24 |
Hartlepool Crusaders |
14 |
11 |
1 |
2 |
180 |
24 |
23 |
New Stranton Celtic |
13 |
7 |
3 |
3 |
116 |
39 |
17 |
Old Boys Juniors |
14 |
7 |
3 |
4 |
84 |
21 |
17 |
Hartlepool Rangers |
12 |
7 |
0 |
5 |
105 |
37 |
14 |
Hartlepool Rovers Jnrs |
14 |
4 |
1 |
9 |
51 |
147 |
9 |
West Hpl St Pauls Inst |
14 |
2 |
0 |
12 |
12 |
186 |
4 |
West Hartlepool Jnrs |
13 |
1 |
0 |
12 |
13 |
224 |
2 |
Points having been added for those not playing St. Paul’s and deducted from those who have played Hornets.
1904/05 |
Pd |
Won |
Drew |
Lost |
For |
Against |
Points |
Hartlepool Rangers |
9 |
8 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
17 |
West Crusaders |
9 |
8 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
16 |
Hornets |
11 |
6 |
1 |
4 |
|
|
13 |
West Hartlpool Juniors |
12 |
5 |
1 |
6 |
|
|
11 |
Hartlepool Rovers Jnrs |
10 |
3 |
1 |
6 |
|
|
5 |
Old Boys Juniors |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
|
|
0 |
Howbeck |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
|
0 |
New Stranton Celtic |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
|
0 |
League as at March 1905
Hartlepool Rovers III have had 2 pts deducted for playing an unregistered player.
1905/06 |
Pd |
Won |
Drew |
Lost |
For |
Against |
Points |
West Crusaders |
11 |
10 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
21 |
Hartlepool Rangers |
10 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
17 |
Old Boys Juniors |
10 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
|
|
10 |
Stranton Vulcans |
8 |
5 |
0 |
4 |
|
|
10 |
Hornets |
11 |
4 |
1 |
6 |
|
|
9 |
West Hartlepool Jnrs |
9 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
|
|
5 |
Rangers “A” |
5 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
|
|
4 |
Hartlepool Rovers Jnrs |
12 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
|
|
0 |
League as at 3rd March 1906
1906/07 |
Pd |
Won |
Drew |
Lost |
For |
Against |
Points |
Stranton Vulcans |
11 |
10 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
20 |
Hartlepool Rangers |
6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hartlepool Crusaders |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greatham |
8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hartlepool Rovers Jnrs |
6 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
|
|
2 |
Old Boys Juniors |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
|
|
2 |
Tips Rangers |
4 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
|
|
1 |
West Hartlepool Juniors |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
|
|
0 |
League positions as at 16 Feb 1907 - Severe winter weather curtailed the League programme
1907/08 |
Pd |
Won |
Drew |
Lost |
For |
Against |
Points |
Hartlepool Rangers |
8 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
16 |
Crusaders |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rangers won the play off to decide the League.
1908/09 |
Hartlepool Rangers |
Greatham |
West Rangers |
Hartlepool Rovers II |
Galleys Field School II |
The first two sides met in a decider at the Friarage (attendance 600), Rangers winning 10 –0.
1909/10 |
Pd |
Won |
Drew |
Lost |
For |
Against |
Points |
Greatham |
6 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
10 |
Hartlepool Rangers |
7 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
9 |
West Hpool Rangers |
6 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
|
|
8 |
Hartlepool Rovers II |
4 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
3 |
Galleys Field OB |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
|
|
0 |
Greatham shown as winners on the Cup. Greatham and Rangers did meet in a decider but Rangers had an argument in the dressing room and refused to play the match. If it was eventually played the result is not known, H.E. Pyman was the Referee for the match.
Harold English Pyman (1876 – 1917), was a West Hartlepool ship-owner, and a rugby referee, later Secretary of the Referees Society and famed for being a martinet on the field. In 1904 he presented a trophy for competition among the junior clubs in the Hartlepool area. Only clubs based within the Hartlepool and District area were eligible to compete for the trophy, and the ‘area’ in question was defined as being within 8 miles of the Heugh Lighthouse on the Headland. Originally the competition was on a League basis only.
The Competition, quickly nicknamed The Pyman League, was a success among Junior Clubs and lower teams from the Senior Cubs. After a few seasons, the League Committee (with Mr Claude Harper as its first Secretary) commenced a programme of games between the Pyman League XV and sides such as the Champion Club of the season, Hartlepool Rovers, and the Tyneside League.
Following the restart of matters Rugby post War in 1920, the Competition was revived as part of the Hartlepool & District Union remit that year and the following six seasons saw the League at its greatest popularity extending to two divisions and talk of a third being run.
The heady days of the early 20s were not last and with a decline in popularity was followed by the League being suspended in 1926 by the Durham County RFU due to allegations of irregularities over the movement of players and an honorarium paid to the Secretary. Since then, the Pyman Cup has been played for on a knock-out competition basis with mid-week matches proving popular. In recent seasons, the Cup has been run as a 20 minutes each way /15 a side competition, however in 2023, which marks the 120th Anniversary of the Cup's foundation, it reverted to its traditional knockout format, 80 minutes each way.
More detail »