IT is 70 years since Saints won their first post-war Championship final at the Maine Road home of Manchester City FC in front of more than 50,000 fans.
The team that had been beaten at Wembley by Huddersfield in the Challenge Cup final bounced back in style to lift the league trophy after a convincing 24-14 victory against Halifax, with livewire hooker Reg Blakemore scoring two opportunist tries.
It was a case of redemption for the Jim Sullivan-coached St Helens team, who metered out a 46-0 thrashing to Huddersfield the week after Wembley, in the Championship semi-final at Knowsley Road, the day of the famous ‘Stan Matthews final’ at Wembley, when Blackpool beat Bolton Wanderers.
On that famous day sun-drenched afternoon at Maine Road, Saints played some superb open rugby, with stand-off Peter Metcalfe chipping in with three goals and a try in a refreshed half-back combination with young John ‘Todder’ Dickinson, replacing the Langfield-Honey duo from the Wembley final.
It gave the club a ‘double’ reason to celebrate after clinching the Lancashire League title some weeks earlier and saw the club enter into the realms of the rugby league elite.
Looking back at the Saints’ team it is interesting that no less than six members came from Wales: Glyn Moses, Steve Llewellyn, Don Gullick, Reg Blakemore, George Parsons and Ray Cale.
All played their part in bringing back the trophy to their adopted town.
Sad to relate that there are no longer any of that successful team still with us, although their place in the history of St Helens RFC, especially in the year of its 150th anniversary, is assured.
Just for the record, here are the full details.
St Helens 24 Halifax 14.
Championship final.
7th May 1953.At Maine Road, Manchester.
Saints: Glyn Moses [1T]; Steve Llewellyn, Duggie Greenall [Capt 1T], Don Gullick, Stan McCormick; Peter Metcalfe [1T 3G], John Dickinson; Alan Prescott, Reg Blakemore [2T], George Parr, George Parsons, Bill Bretherton, Ray Cale [1T].
Attendance: 51,083.
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