Stockton R.U.F.C. 1963/64 Durham senior cup finalists. Photograph courtesy of Brian Leak 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton R.U.F.C. 1963/64 Durham senior cup finalists. Photograph courtesy of Brian Leak
Picture Stockton Archive 
Brian, you wrote: ‘This year I had a reunion with Ken Hodgson, Ron Moyes, Owen Turnbull and Snagger Turner’. Did Ken return from Bermuda?
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As a response to the point about losing touch with people, Stockton RFC are having a players reunion day on Saturday 31 March 2012 commencing at 1pm in the clubhouse prior to our home game v Sunderland. We already have 70+ ex players attending. From this team photo Doug Angel, Bob Howat, Graham Good & Owen Turnbull have already said they are definitely coming along, Gordon Lake is very likely to be there and Peter Hudson is keen to be there too. Sadly Alan Todd passed away about ten years ago. If anyone else wants to come along and catch up then let John Coates (who is organising it) know via our StocktonRFC website. 06/03/2012 11:03:20
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Brian Leak, I was pleasantly surprised to find this site and the photograph. It brings back many happy memories of SRUFC and indeed of Grangefield. Having left Stockton c1970 I lost touch with msny people. I met Graham Good one day in what is now Sainsbury”s (Next to the Thirsty Senator)I was visiting my Mother who still lives in Stockton.I almost met up with Jack Glattbach when he was visiting his daughters at St Bees School in Cumbria. My two boys were at school there and knew the girls. Alas it was Sports Day and our paths did not cross. Regards to anyone reading this especially Snagger and Ron Moyes who took the “Micky” relentlessly
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Hi Bob I was speaking to Mick Boyes about your comments today and his memory was slightly different. He thought that he was late tackled by Gorden Forster (break away and all round nasty b”**d) and played on, being concussed.( Gordon Forster was also the guy who flattened Gordon Lake.) He cannot remember after the tackle until he woke up at the presentation of the cup and was surprised we (i.e. Stockton) had not won. When the Doc looked at him after the game he said “you may be quite sick tonight”. to which Ken Hodgson roared with laughter. I am sure that I did not ban women from the away games only the long ones where you may have pulled. I have been back to UK a few times in the last few years and will be back for a visit again in May/June next year. I would love to meet any of the side, this year I had a reunion with Ken Hodgson, Ron Moyes, Owen Turnbull and Snagger Turner. Good to hear from a fellow player. Regards Brian Leak
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I am the one seated on the right of the photo. When we played Durham City in the Durham Cup Final in 1964, we lost our scrum half, Micky Boyes in the first half through injury (no subs allowed) and Gordon Lake, the fly half was concussed from a late tackle and every time play broke down in the second half, he kept asking the time. Considering that Durham City had 3 England Internationals playing, (Mike Weston, Stan Hodgson and John Ranson) I suppose we did very well with 13.5 men against 15 to hold them to one try. It was a great side to play in and we had some real laughs. I remember receiving a postcard telling me I had been selected to play for the First XV the next Saturday in an away game and written across the bottom, in Brian Leak”s own fair hand was the legend “NO WOMEN!” Some of the more politically correct (or dominated) amongst the team had taken to bringing wives/girlfriends along to away games. The new captain soon put a stop to all that nonsense.
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To Bob Howat, how times have changed, I had forgotten about those team selection post cards, anxiously waiting on a Wednesday morning to see which team you had been selected in.
I gather Brian Leak lives in Australia, as we do, does anyone have his email address?
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Nice to see this photo of one of Stockton Rugby club”s great teams which reached a Durham Cup Final. Graham Good (4th from left back row) is our club treasurer now & often talks about the characters the team contained, who remains myths in the history of the club. I began playing in 1966 (& finished in 2001 at 50). I still remember one member of this team some years later falling asleep in the toilets of Penrith Rugby Club after a lively disco & missing the bus home. I”m not sure who was the most shocked when the cleaner discovered him the next morning – still on the throne! In fact it was another 25 years before a Stockton 1st team reached another cup final and yet again our opponents were Durham City & sadly the result was the same as the previous time! However the club then managed to win the Durham Cup five times in the seven seasons between 1991 & 1997 – with locally developed amateur lads – before professionalism began to influence where players based themselves across Teesside . The current Stockton side are all amateur & have to stump up cash to play – just like in the old days. Incidentally our newly developing website will hopefully soon have an extensive section on the club”s history for any other ex players that want to have a look.
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The last few days there have been comments about SRUFC, and before away trips, outside the station, it was the Queens we had a beer in before we got on the bus. I remember conning a pint out of the local labour MP “?” Rodgers about 1964. I think he then turned into some other democractic representative but by then I was living in Australia. This picture has more than the 15 people that were on the field in the final. No substitions in those days, I think it might include all the players who played through to the final. In those days it cost us to play, none of this profesionalism in rugby union.
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