Quote Deano G="Deano G"Didn't mean any disrespect to Leigh, I hear what you're saying but there is a gulf in class within SL let alone between a top SL side like Wigan and Leigh. I'm not sure what benefit either club would get if we put out a strong 17 with only a couple of "kids" in it. Thumping you by 50-60 points wouldn't really help you or us?
Best of luck with the development plans. Having lived in Atherton as a lad in the 80s I was always amazed at the lack of development work in the local schools etc, Leigh has never really done enough work in the local communities. (No one from Leigh ever came to my primary school, which was 10-15 mins drive from Leigh's ground and the only sport we played was football). Atherton didn't even have an amateur club until a few years ago. If you are going to get anywhere near sustainability in SL terms then you are going to have to do a lot more to build interest in places like Atherton and Tyldesley. Apologies if I'm telling you what you already know!
I'm hoping to come on the 19th and hopefully it will be a decent turn out from both sets of fans.'"
I Deano you mention living in Atherton in the 80s and what you say may be true about no work done in Atherton to promote the game by Leigh.
In the 50s though Atherton did have an amateur club, the name was Atherton Recs and they played on St Georges School playing fields off Derby St.
A few players of that team I can remember were David McDonald a Scott (who was a keen Wigan supporter) who was my Uncle, Freddie Sale a blacksmith who worked in the same steel fab shop that I served my time in.
Finally another was Don Shawcross a miner who lived on the same estate as me, after the Recs folded he went on to play Rugby (both League and Union for many years). I am pretty certain posters will be on here who rembered Don
The reason I know this is because my Mother used to wash the Atherton Recs shirts every week, she is now 102 years old and still at home. She likes her League when it is on telly, but when Union is on all she can say is "why do they keep falling on top of each other all the time"
Tyldesley also had a team, albeit Astley and Tyldesely Welfare who played in the 50s and 60s.
