Sullivan's Golden Boot - World Record

Photo fro RugbyRelics.com

For the benefit of those who somehow do not know already, James Sullivan is Wigan Rugby League's most successful points scorer, amongst other things. During his time at Wigan, Sullivan kicked a record 2,317 goals in 774 appearances which spanned many successful years at Central Park. Jim is regarded as one of, if not the best goal kicker of all time in the game of rugby league by many.

Before he joined the Central Park outfit, Sullivan already had a reputation for being good with the boot - even at seventeen years of age. Wigan however didn't really have an out and out goal kicker in their team. For example in the famous team on the Edwardian period which included Jenkins, Todd, Miller and Leytham, it seemed that goal kicking duties were shared. James Leytham often got the nod and - just picking a randon year 1908-09 season, Leytham kicked 50 goals, with Johnny Thomas kicking 39 and Jim Sharrock 17. This sharing continued in the following seasons until James Leytham's untimely death in 1912; Thomas kicking 68 goals that season with Billy Francis on 21 and so on... The Great War saw the demise of the remnants of the first Wigan team. The game was changing yet in 1919-20 Wigan had 9 goal kickers that season - all stats but you can see that there was no continuity or quality since the early 1900s to the standard of a Jimmy Leytham.

That all changed in 1921. Syd Jerram, George Hesketh and Tommy Howley had the honours in 1920-21 but unsurprisingly Wigan failed to see one kicker reach 20 conversions. in League games Since 19112/13 for example, here lie the most successful goal kickers for the Wigan Club and the impact of continuity which had been damaged by the War:

• 1912/13 - Johnny Thomas (68 conversions in league games)
• 1913/14 - Johnny Thomas (77)
• 1914/15 - Johnny Thomas (64)
• WAR
• 1919/20 - Bill Jolley (21)
• 1920/21 - Tommy Howley (17)

The start of the 1921/22 season was to become the start of history for Wigan. James Sullivan signed on June 18 and had bedded in well to the Wigan club before the first match of the season against Widnes on August 27. The 17 year old Rugby Union Welshman kicked 5 goals on debut. Scoring a try is important in rugby league but a consistent goal kicker is worth his weight in gold as often a game could be decided between 3 or 5 point margins and ultimately winning or losing pay. Jim went on to score over 100 goals on his debut season which propelled Wigan to a Championship victory that year. Very quickly, Sullivan had found fame, and the Wigan club were themselves propelled even further with the hype surrounding this kid.

The 105 goals that James Sullivan kicked in his debut season of 1921/22 was also a Wigan club record. The ball with which he kicked his 100th goal was presented to Jim bearing a silver plate recording the feat. Local newspaper articles from the Cardiff area were in solemn mood:

SULLIVAN'S GREAT FEAT

EX-CARDIFF PLAYER SCORES HIS 100TH GOAL

Undoubtedly one of the greatest losses Cardiff rugby has sustained since the War was the departure of young Sullivan, their eighteen year-old fullback to Wigan. Sullivan has been playing brilliantly under Northern Union rules this season, and has achieved phenomenal success.

Last Saturday he kicked his 100th goal. In this match - against Hull - he placed six goals and had the rare distinction of scoring a try. Out of eighteen points scored by Wigan in 23 minutes, fifteen went to his credit.

Speaking of his performance the "Athletic News" says -

"Sullivan changed the whole scee by his personal triumphs. But they were not finished. He added the goal points to Wood's last-minute try. Thus, Wigan in the last 23 minutes of the match scored eighteen points, fifteen of which belonged to Sullivan. Incidentally he made his goal-kicking aggregate for the season into 101.

"Could it be wondered that this scintillating episode overawed all the other points of a dourly-contested match? It was a display of full-back prowess hard to surpass... His kicking was magnificently powerful, and his opportunism in the second half allowed many of the leading officials of the game, who were present at the match, to take note of his powers for future reference"

The Great Huddersfield team of Harold Wagstaffes had been dominating the game for a few years prior to the 1922/23 season, to this day those names remain immortal. Ben Gronow, like Sullivan a Welshman from the Valleys had set a record of 147 goals during the 1919/20 season. The media were in a craze and by late January 1923, Sullivan had surpassed 100 goals and was steam rolling straight towards Gronow's record. Ironically, Wigan had played said Huddersfield team on 27th January, scoring 5 tries but Sullivan could only manage 1 goal. However, since Gronow's day (only a few years), goal kicks could no longer be kicked from "marks" for the 1922/23 season which made attempts slightly harder. Easy for Sullivan then. A humorous yet true phrase emerged after a loss against Oldham on 2nd February 1923: "For once in a way, the Wigan full back, Sullivan, failed to kick a solitary goal. Result, Wigan lost."

Wigan started to have a blip as Spring approached in the League. Oldham defeated the Cherry men twice in a week and also lost to Swinton and Leeds come March, along with a 0-0 draw versus Salford which didn't help Sullivan's cause at all. Games like a 64-0 drubbing of Halifax on 7th March 1923 gave Sullivan plenty of kicking practice and from the 14 tries Wigan scored, Sullivan converted 11 (and scored twice). The Slaughter of Halifax brought Sullivan or "Sully" to be within kicking distance of Gronow's record of 147 goals. His tally stood at 136 goals, only 12 away from Gronow with one media simply stating that "This ex-Cardiff fullback simply bewliders". 15,000 saw Sullivan kick 11 goals that day at Central Park.

After the struggling ties with Salford and Leeds, Wigan faced Dewsbury at Central Park on Easter Monday, April 2nd (Wigan's third game in four days, Wigan actually played four games in five days, losing three). Although Wigan were struggling in the League, this game against Dewsbury set World Records. 12,000 supporters turned out to Central Park to see if Jim can beat the record he actually equaled two days earlier versus St. Helens Recs. The Wigan Examiner mentioned the following:

"The news that Wigan intended to play all reserve backs except Sullivan - who is the only member of the club who has played in every match this season - against Dewsbury at Central Park, on Monday, infused the game with more interest than if the strongest side had been put to the field. Those who did not see the engagement were astonished when the result was announced, for while it was felt that Dewsbury would be given a good game, no one could have anticipated such a runaway victory.

The match was notable for the fact that Sullivan, Wigan's youthful full-back, at last passed the record held by Gronow, of Huddersfield, who three seasons ago kicked 147 goals. It was a great achievement, especially when it i considered that the Wiganer as deprived of the opportunities afforded to Gronow of kicking goals from marks... Sullivan, naturally proud of his feat, claimed the ball after the match, just as he did last season, when he placed a hundred goals - the first Wigan player to do so."

Sure enough, Sully did, kicking 5 goals bringing his season total up to 152 and with a brace of tries also notched up his 9th try of the season with the Wigan Observer reckoning that was surely a record for a fullback. Indeed, the Liverpool Echo went to lengths to say Sullivan's Record is a much better achievement since kicking from "marks" was abolished.

With his total standing at 152 after the Dewsbury game, Sullivan was presented with the World Record-breaking ball, as he did with his 100th goal a season earlier. His goal kicking tally was made up of 126 League goals, 21 cup-ties, 3 friendlies and 4 international goals. (yes, it's 154 but data is grey surrounding friendlies). A week later, Sullivan kicked 2 more goals against Hull FC before kicking a further 7 against St Helens on 7th April.

Sullivan had increased his World Record and finished the season on 161 goals and 10 tries. The tries in itself were apparently a World's record for a fullback. Not bad for a nineteen year old Welsh kid playing only his second year of Northern Union ruled rugby.