Castleford Colts hold reunion

The event involved a get together of former colts of the rugby league club, who were part of the equivalent of the current academy youth development system of the modern game, which provided a rich seam of homegrown talent for the Castleford club through to first team level.

Saturday saw a reunion attended by several players who all went on to earn first team honours after beginning as “colts”, some of who went on to receive county honours with Yorkshire and a number who achieved Great Britain representation at youth and full international level.

Dennis Hartley who is an inductee to the Castleford Tigers ‘Hall Of Fame’, who played 268 times for Castleford, including their Challenge Cup victories in 1969 and 1970, and represented Yorkshire, England and Great Britain, was coach of Castleford Colts in the early to mid-1980s.

He was in charge when all of Saturday’s attendees played at the club and enjoyed seeing all the old faces again at the reunion. The colts are looking to develop and organise further events for the club’s ex-players to attend, but Saturday’s initial get together, was an all-round success and thoroughly enjoyed by all attending.

Dennis Hartley is pictured (centre seated) with (left to right) Dean Campbell, Wayne Thornton, Dave Lunn, Terry Maxwell, Richard Hartley, Keith Rawlinson, Ian Hartley, John Blackburn, Shaun Irwin, Grant Anderson, Dean Blankley, Giles Boothroyd, Phil Mirfin (kneeling front left) and Steve Binns (kneeling front right).