Season 1961/62

A record crowd of 14,990 to watch a league game at Post Office Road

A great season but yet again the trophy cabinet was empty.  Four challenge cup semi-finals at Odsal in five years and four losses.  This time it was Wakefield Trinity with a dominant win in a game that ranked as one of Rovers worst performances of the year, in front of a crowd of 43,627.  League form was consistently good and a top four finish was guaranteed with games to spare, it was only the second time the club had acheived this since joining the senior ranks in 1921.   The only real blemish was Wakefield completing a league double.  The Championship semi-final was inevitably against Wakefield, in a much tighter contest, injury hit Rovers lost narrowly 13 -8 after a controversial incident in the closing stages of the game.  At least the "A" team did manage to beat Wakefield "A" to win the Yorkshire Senior Competition  shield thanks to a group of talented youngsters - Lingard, Dooler, Ramshaw and the two Morgans, supported by the experience of Willis Fawley and Jack Anderson.  

New wingman Gary Waterworth, was an instant success scoring 6 tries in first 7 games, and gaining county selection, but it was the other successful new signing Gary Jordan who topped the try scoring.  Terry Clawson had a great year setting new scoring records, and together with Mal Dixon, played internationally.  But it was Don Fox and Gary Cooper who were selected for the 1962 tour of Australia.