Thatto Heath Crusaders

Thatto Heath RLFC began life in 1981, originally formed by ex-St Helens R.F.C. player Frankie Barrow. The team began competing in the North West Counties 4th Division, and the ‘A’ Team entered Division 5.

The team progressed through the divisions rapidly and finished the 1986−87 season by lifting the North West Counties Premier Division Championship Trophy, the St Helens Cup and they took out the BARLA National Cup Final with a 15–8 victory over the National Conference League Champions Heworth. Captain John McCabe entered the record books as the only player to appear on the winning side in five National Cup Finals.

Over the next 20 years, Thatto Heath enjoyed enormous success, including the National Cup Trophy, a record five County Cups, two Champions Challenge successes, a record seven North West Counties Premier Division titles, two North West Counties Challenge Cups, three North West Counties Premier Challenge Cups and eight St Helens Cups. It was during this period the club recorded their most famous win, against Chorley Chieftains 27−12 in the Silk Cut Challenge Cup third round in January 1996.

Over the years, the club has produced numerous players who have moved on to join the professional ranks including Andy Brown, Gary Forber, Scott Ranson, Stuart Wakefield, Barry Ashall (Swinton), Darren Harris, Paul Bishop, Darren Abram, Gary Sanderson (Warrington), Derrick Seabrook, Steve Dudley (St Helens), Neil Slater (Trafford Borough), Chris Honey (Barrow), Arthur Bradshaw (Salford) and in more recent times Ray Waring, Ste Gee, Mark Gleave and Lydon Smith (Chorley Chieftains). Alex Murphy was also a graduate from the club.

During 1999, the club found themselves without a ground so a merger was proposed with another local rugby league club, St Helens Crusaders. With the approval of the SIDAC social club, the club then became Thatto Heath Crusaders – St. Helens.

The club was eventually elected to the National Conference League in 2000–01. Thatto Heath took out the National Conference Division 2 Championship title that same year.

In 2007, Thatto Heath went up rapidly through the leagues to the championship.

Thatto Heath won the Division One title in 2010 and promotion to the Premiership and in 2011 Thatto Heath went on to win the Conference League Premiership title defeating Siddal in the final. Captained by Mark Beech, Crusaders then went on to become European champions the same year.

In 2015, Thatto Heath were relegated from the Premier Division after finishing 11 from 12 teams, ending their five-year stay in the top flight. Thatto Heath appeared in the playoffs in each of the seasons in the Premier Division (except for 2015), including finishing top of the table in 2011 and 2013.

{{Rugby league squad

|squadname=2024 Thatto Heath Crusaders NCL Squad

|BC1=#B50000

|FC1=white

|BC2=black

|FC2=white

|source=N/A

|date=1 Jan 2024

|list1a={{Rugby league squad player|no=1|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Daniel McGahan|pos=FB|pos2=WG}}

|list1b={{Rugby league squad player|no=2|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Jake Dickinson |pos=WG|pos2=CE}}

|list1c={{Rugby league squad player|no=3|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Adam Saunders |pos=CE|pos2=WG|vicecaptain=yes}}

|list1d={{Rugby league squad player|no=4|name={{flagicon|ENG}} David Pike|pos=CE|vicecaptain=yes}}

|list1e={{Rugby league squad player|no=5|name={{flagicon|IRE}} Ellis Keppel |pos=WG}}

|list1f={{Rugby league squad player|no=6|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Sean Kenny|pos=HK}}

|list1g={{Rugby league squad player|no=7|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Ryan Houghton|pos=SH|pos2=FB|}}

|list1h={{Rugby league squad player|no=8|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Max Dudley|pos=PR}}

|list1i={{Rugby league squad player|no=9|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Lewis Foster|pos=HK}}

|list1j={{Rugby league squad player|no=10|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Adam Hesketh|pos=PR|pos2=LK}}

|list1k={{Rugby league squad player|no=11|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Connor Dwyer|pos=SR}}

|list1l={{Rugby league squad player|no=12|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Jamie Tracey|pos=SR|pos2=PR|captain=yes}}

|list1m={{Rugby league squad player|no=13|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Andrew Lea|pos=LK|pos2=PR}}

|list2a={{Rugby league squad player|no=14|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Connor Dutton|pos=HK}}

|list2b={{Rugby league squad player|no=15|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Jamie Holroyd|pos=PR|pos2=SR}}

|list2c={{Rugby league squad player|no=16|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Lewis Stewart |pos=PR}}

|list2d={{Rugby league squad player|no=17|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Loui Pauls|pos=PR}}

|list2e={{Rugby league squad player|no=18|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Sam Haynes|pos=CE|pos2=SR}}

|list2f={{Rugby league squad player|no=19|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Gabe Parker |pos=HK}}

|list2g={{Rugby league squad player|no=20|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Tommy Smith |pos=PR}}

|list2h={{Rugby league squad player|no=21|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Paul Hunt|pos=LK|pos2=SR}}

|list2i={{Rugby league squad player|no=22|name={{flagicon|WAL}} Jonny Rae|pos=PR|pos2=SR}}

|list2j={{Rugby league squad player|no=23|name={{flagicon|WAL}} Ben Stelmaszek |pos=PR|pos2=LK}}

|list2k={{Rugby league squad player|no=24|name={{flagicon|CAN}} Jordan Cella|pos=PR}}

|list2l={{Rugby league squad player|no=25|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Alex Davies |pos=HK}}

|list2m={{Rugby league squad player|no=26|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Oliver McMahon|pos=LK|pos2=SR}}

|list3a={{Rugby league squad player|no=27|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Daniel Mark|pos=SR}}

|list3b={{Rugby league squad player|no=28|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Jacob Brown |pos=WG}}

|list3c={{Rugby league squad player|no=29|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Kameron McCabe |pos=WG|pos2=CE}}

|list3d={{Rugby league squad player|no=30|name={{flagicon|ENG}} Connor Foster |pos=SH|pos2=LK}}

|coach=Mike Woods

|assistant=Paul Hatton

|assistant2=Martin Horton

|assistant3=Lee Gannon

}}

Thatto Heath run a junior team in the Gillette National Youth League.

• National Conference League Premier Division
• Winners (3): 2010–11, 2017,{{cite web|url=https://www.rugby-league.com/article/36160/thatto-heath-crusaders-crowned-ncl-champions |title=Thatto Heath Crusaders crowned NCL Champions |publisher=Rugby Football League |date=16 October 2021 |access-date=12 November 2024}} 2021
• National Conference League Division One
• Winners (3): 2002–03, 2009–10, 2016
• National Conference League Division Two
• Winners (1): 2000–01
• BARLA National Cup
• Winners (3): 1986–87, 2000–01, 2018–19 (A Team)
• BARLA Lancashire Cup
• Winners (5): 1988–89, 1989–90, 1992–93, 1996–97, 1999–2000

{{see also|St Helens R.F.C. Women}}

In 2013, the Thatto Heath Crusaders women's side competed in the Women's Rugby League Conference where they finished top of the Premier League{{cite web|url=http://www.womensrugbyleague.co.uk/match_day/league_tables |title=Premier League Table |website=Women's Rugby league |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114070607/http://www.womensrugbyleague.co.uk/match_day/league_tables|archive-date=14 January 2014}} and defeated Bradford Thunderbirds 32–6 to win the Grand Final.{{cite web|url=http://www.womensrugbyleague.co.uk:80/news |title=News |website=Women's Rugby League |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114070618/http://www.womensrugbyleague.co.uk:80/news |archive-date=14 January 2014}} Following becoming league champions in 2014, 2015 and 2016 the team became founding members of the RFL Women's Super League in 2017. The club also won the Women's Challenge Cup four years in a row from 2013 to 2016. Ahead of the 2018 season, the side were bought out by St Helens R.F.C.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rugby-league.com/article/32911/st-helens-join-forces-with-thatto-heath-crusaders-to-enter-womens-super-league|title = St Helens join forces with Thatto Heath Crusaders to enter Women's Super League |publisher=Rugby Football League |date=22 November 2017 |access-date=12 November 2024}}

While this meant that they no longer played in the top tier of Women's competition, they continued to field teams in lower leagues under the Thatto Heath Crusaders name. In the 2022 season, the club played in League 2{{cite web|url=http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2022/04/11/womens-rugby-league-results-4/ |title=Women's Rugby League Results |website=4 The Love Of Sport |date=11 April 2022 |access-date=12 November 2024}} and in the 2024 season they competed in League 1.{{cite web|url=https://www.rugby-league.com/article/62962/sewell-group-craven-park-to-host-2024-womens-nines-finals-day |title=Sewell Group Craven Park to host 2024 Women's Nines Finals Day |publisher=Rugby Football League |date=16 July 2024 |access-date=12 November 2024}}

• RFL Women's Rugby League:
• Grand Final (4): 2013,{{cite web|url=http://www.womensrugbyleague.co.uk:80/news |title=News |website=Women's Rugby League |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114070618/http://www.womensrugbyleague.co.uk:80/news |archive-date=14 January 2014}} 2014,{{cite web|url=https://www.rugby-league.com/article/25517/ |title=Thatto are just champion |publisher=Rugby Football League |date=6 October 2014 |access-date=26 April 2023}} 2015,{{cite web|url=http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2015/10/05/thatto-heath-grand-final-champions/ |title=Thatto Heath – Grand Final Champions!|website=4 The Love Of Sport |date=5 October 2015 |access-date=25 April 2023}} 2016{{cite web|url=http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2016/10/02/leigh-miners-and-thatto-heath-take-the-honours-at-grand-finals-day/ |title=Leigh Miners and Thatto Heath take the honours at Grand Finals Day |website=4 The Love Of Sport |date=2 October 2016|access-date=25 April 2023}}
• League Leaders (1): 2013,{{cite web|url=http://www.womensrugbyleague.co.uk/match_day/league_tables |title=Premier League Table |website=Women's Rugby league |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114070607/http://www.womensrugbyleague.co.uk/match_day/league_tables|archive-date=14 January 2014}} 2016
• Women's Challenge Cup (4): 2013,{{cite news|url=https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/10637846.civic-salute-for-for-triumphant-womens-rugby-league-squad/ |title=Civic salute for for[sic] triumphant women's rugby league squad |newspaper=St Helens Star |date=28 August 2013 |access-date=7 November 2023}} 2014, 2015, 2016

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://thattoheathcrusaders.org/}}
• [http://www.nationalconferenceleague.co.uk/club/1950-thatto-heath-crusaders The club on the NCL website]

{{National Conference League}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thatto Heath Crusaders}}

Category:Rugby league teams in Merseyside

Category:BARLA teams

Category:Rugby clubs established in 1981

Category:1981 establishments in England

Category:Women's rugby league teams in England

Category:Rugby league teams in England