In 1980/81, Roger Millward retired as a player after having his jaw broken for the fourth time, the club finished 3rd in the league and lost 18-9 to Widnes in the final of the Challenge Cup in front of 94,496. Rovers lost in the final of the Yorkshire Cup 7-8 to Leeds but won the Premiership Trophy beating Hull 11-7. In 1981/82 Rovers finished 4th in the league and lost in the final of the John Player Trophy 4-12 against Hull.
In 1982/83 Rovers finished as runners-up in the league. In 1983/84 Rovers were crowned champions of the 1st Division, they went on to win the Divisional Premiership beating Castleford 18-10 in the final at Headingley; becoming the first team to win the Championship / Premiership double. In 1984/85 they nearly repeated the feat winning the Division 1 Championship but narrowly missing out in the final of the Premiership. Rovers also won the John Player Trophy beating Hull 12-0 in the final at Boothferry Park but lost 12-29 to Hull in the final of the Yorkshire Cup.
On 25 August 1985, professional rugby league was played for the first time on the Isle of Man. The Charity Shield between Hull Kingston Rovers and Challenge Cup winners Wigan drew a crowd of 4,066 to the Douglas Bowl. The final score was 34-6 to Wigan.
In 1985/86, Millward took Rovers to their sixth win in the Yorkshire Cup before they were defeated in the John Player Final and the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley narrowly losing 15-14 to Castleford. This proved to be Rovers last major final as the team that had dominated the English game faded away.
By the late 1980s, time had taken its toll on Craven Park stadium, following the Bradford fire, capacity was restricted and the cost of safety work spiraled. Major renovations were needed to bring it up to scratch. Massive amounts of money were spent on the ground each year repairing sections but once one section was repaired another would fall into disrepair. In 1988/89, their last full season at Craven Park, Rovers were relegated to the 2nd Division and Roger Millward decided to stand down as coach. Wright Properties Ltd purchased Craven Park from the club and the final game was played there on 9 April 1989.
A new stadium, New Craven Park, was built on a site off Preston Road. New Craven Park was officially opened on Sunday 24 September 1989 as Rovers beat Trafford Borough 48-8 in front of 8,500 spectators. Rovers started the new era convincingly, and were crowned Second Division champions with promotion back to the top flight.
In 1994/5, Rovers were relegated to the third division despite finishing mid table.
Related Items
HULL KR
Keywords
|
