Hull Kingston Rovers

Hull Kingston Rovers logo

Hull Kingston Rovers [1] or Hull KR are an English rugby league club based in the town of Hull, Humberside. They are current members of the professional top-flight European competition, the Engage Super League.[2]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Honors[3]
* 2.1 Super League[4]
* 2.2 National Championship Winners
* 2.3 Premiership
* 2.4 Challenge Cup Winners
* 2.5 Challenge Cup Plate
* 2.6 Yorkshire Cup Winners
* 2.7 Yorkshire League Winners
* 3 Notes & references
* 4 See also

## History[edit]

The club was formed in 1882 when a group of boilermakers from the Hessle Road area of Hull started a rugby team known as the Kingston Amateurs to play in the Hull and District Rugby Union League. They had played at three different home grounds by the time they entered the Times Cup in the 1885/86 season and changed their name to Kingston Rovers. Having enjoyed local success by winning the Times Cup 1889 the Rovers moved to their fourth ground, down Hessle Road and then moved to The Boulevard in 1892 when they won their fourth Times Cup.

In 1895, twenty-two of the leading rugby union sides in the North of England broke away to form a league of their own, the Northern Rugby Football Union. Rovers did not join the new league but were promoted to the second division of the RFU where they finished joint second and they changed grounds once more to a site in Craven Street, East Hull. In 1896/97, they managed to move up to the First Division and pooled their resources with Albany Soccer Club (later to become Hull City A.F.C.). As the only northern club in the RFU, Rovers applied to join the Northern Union and changed codes in 1897/98. In 1901/02, the top Yorkshire clubs formed their own 'super league' and Rovers ended up playing in the Lancashire League.

When leagues resumed after the First World War managed their first Yorkshire Cup title in 1921.In 1922 they moved to a new ground in East Hull behind the tram and bus depot at Craven Park. The early 1920s were one of Hull KR's most successful periods winning 2 National Championships, 2 Yorkshire Cups and 2 Yorkshire League titles. 1924/25 in particular was their best season, as they finished 2nd out of 27 in the league, won the League Championship Cup, the Yorkshire League Cup, runners-up in the Challenge Cup Final and were semi-finalists in the Yorkshire Cup. This success did not continue into the 1930s and financial difficulties forced the club to sell the title to Craven Park to the Greyhound Racing Company but continued playing there on a long-term lease.

It was not until the 1960s that Hull KR started to enjoy some success again. As a Second Division side they lost the 1963 Challenge Cup final at Wembley in front of 84,488 spectators but returned to Division One status in 1964. They became Yorkshire Cup winners in 1966-67, 1967-68 & 1971-72. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw another period of success but their last full season at the Craven Park ground in 1988/89 ended in ignominy as Rovers were relegated.

In 1989/90 Rovers moved to a new ground called New Craven Park but after dropping down to the Third Division they were well out of contention when the Super League was inaugurated. They returned to the First Division for 1997-98 season but were not able to secure promotion to the Super League until they won the play-offs in 2006. 2007 was Hull KR's first season in Super League and they finished 11th out of 12.

Hull KR are nicknamed The Robins because of their team strip. The club's current home strip is a white shirt with a red horizontal bands around the chest, white shorts with red trim and white socks with three red bands at the top. The club play at New Craven Park which has a capacity 8,500 and which was the former home of the now defunct Hull Vikings speedway team.

## Honors[3][edit]

### Super League[4][edit]

* Best position 11th (2007)

### National Championship Winners[edit]

* 1922-23
* 1924-25
* 1978-79
* 1983-84
* 1984-85

### Premiership[edit]

* 1980-81
* 1983-84

### Challenge Cup Winners[edit]

* 1979-80

### Challenge Cup Plate[edit]

* 1997

### Yorkshire Cup Winners[edit]

* 1920-21
* 1929-30
* 1966-67
* 1967-68
* 1971-72
* 1974-75
* 1985-86

### Yorkshire League Winners[edit]

* 1924-25
* 1925-26

## Notes & references[edit]

1. ↑ Official club site
2. ↑ Super League official web site
3. ↑ Hall of fame
4. ↑ Super League statistics

## See also[edit]

* History of rugby
* Rugby league

v • d • e

Teams of the European Rugby Super League

Bradford Bulls • Castleford Tigers • Catalans Dragons • Harlequins • Huddersfield Giants • Hull FC • Hull Kingston Rovers • Leeds Rhinos • St. Helens • Wakefield Trinity Wildcats • Warrington Wolves • Wigan Warriors