Season 1942/43

Reg Brightmore’s try against Dewsbury in February - “one of the finest ever seen”

The loss of Harold Moxon and Bill Hughes to war service coupled with the sporadic availability of Albany Longley diminished Rovers as an attacking force  This was particularly evident early season when in one spell Rovers went five games without scoring a single point which included two games against Hull in the first round of the Yorkshire Cup.  All year Rovers struggled to field a settled half back combination and to compound this there were continual changes in the back division.  Performances did improve in the latter half of the season and a mid-table finish was respectable. There was no joy in the Challenge Cup with another first round exit following defeat over two legs by Wakefield Trinity.

New captain Frank Hemmingway together with Arthur Street, Bill Pearson and George Major were the mainstays of a reliable pack together and ever-present Street headed the try scoring, a major achievement as a forward.  Walt Tennant and Walter Parkin provided a touch of class in the backs. War service and shift patterns saw membership reduce to 885 but the club made a profit thanks to lower player wages and ceaseless efforts from supporters determined to see the club continue.