The Toowoomba Ghost 1931-1940
September 1930 saw Jeff Moores, the club captain, return from Australia with an unknown Eric Harris. Harris played nine season in total for Leeds scoring 391 tries in 383 games, including 63 tries during the 1935-36 season, a record that remains to this day. In his first season, 1930-31 Leeds reached the Championship Final for the second year running, however a change of opposition, Swinton, did not change the previous outcome as Leeds lost out 14-7 at Wigan.
The defeat against Swinton was avenged in 1932 when Leeds won their third Challenge Cup at Wigan in front of a crowd of 29,000. It was no surprise that Harris scored the games only try, a breathtaking effort down the touchline. The other points that day came from the boot of prop Joe Thompson, the Welsh captain of Leeds in the Final. The team was: Brough, Harris, Moores, O'Rourke, Goulthorpe, Williams, Adams, Lowe, Thompson, R Smith, Cox, Douglas, Glossopp.
The success continued the following year with the Yorkshire Cup re-captured with a resounding win over Wakefield 8-0. The feat was matched in 1934 although it took two replays against Wakefield to finally separate the teams, after 5-5 and 2-2 draw, Leeds eventually won 13-0 at Hunslet.
However, all the previous success was surpassed in 1936 as Leeds travelled to London for their first appearance at the new Empire Stadium at Wembley. Leeds equalled Huddersfield record for Cup wins with their fourth via a 18-2 win over Warrington in a disappointing Final. The team that day were: Brough (c), E Harris, F Harris, Parker, Brogden, Ralph, Williams, Hall, Satterthwaite, Dyer, Jubb, Casewell, Isaac. Leeds also added the Yorkshire Cup that season with Stan Smith scoring the only points with his try securing a 3-0 over York.On 12th May 1937, Coronation Day, Leeds played an exhibition game against Salford with 12-a-side, with the loose forward being taken out, Leeds won 15-9.
The Golden Thirties were coming to an end now but Leeds were again at the forefront and one of the highlights of the decade came at Elland Road in 1938. Leeds had already secured yet another Yorkshire Cup the previous October against Huddersfield and came into the Championship Play Offs behind City rivals Hunslet. The semi finals went to form and although the final had initially been booked for Wakefield, both Leeds and Hunslet asked for the game to be moved to Elland Road. A crowd of over 54,000 watched the all Leeds Final which Hunslet won 8-2. The Leeds team was: Eaton, E Harris, Williams, Brogden, Smith, Hey, Jenkins, Satterthwaite, Murphy, Prosser, Tattersfield, Dyer, Duffy.
