Jake the Peg wrote:Actually, thinking about it, the best signing we've ever made from rovers (although not actually a signing from rovers I guess) has to be the Boulevard. If we hadn't kicked them out then maybe they'd have been the biggest, most successful club in Hull instead of us. Makes my skin crawl thinking that I could have ended up supporting them but I guess it would I wouldn't know the difference anyway
our first ever ground was at North Ferriby and shortly after at Selby so as to make it easier for the West Riding clubs to play us. We then played on a ground off Holderness road, also the old artillary barracks then the Athletics ground, AKA THE Boulevard.
We also originally played in striped cherry and white shirts with white flannels and a white cap!
Another top player but whom we snatched right from under dobbins noses was Alf Francis. A coal miner of short stature, he played for a Welsh club and they had played against Rovers in which he stood out. Dobbins were very interested and apparantly a Rovers 'official' tipped us the wink, our chairman went over to Wales and 75 Gold Sovs later he was ours, Rovers were furious!
He went on to represent GB, scored 166 tries from 245 app despite losing him for 3 years during WWI. He set our try scoring record in his first season with 27 (1910/11)and then after the war he bettered that tally with 38 from 39 in 1919/20 (though Jack Harrison had done 52 in 1914/15 by then)
Colin Hutton though not played for Rovers I think did leave us to become their coach (& latterly chairman) and led them to a time of prosperity for them
