EIGHTY years ago tomorrow, York Rugby League Club enjoyed one of its proudest-ever achievements.

It was such a feat that to think about it happening now would be so far in the realms of fantasy that not even David Lynch would be able to direct the movie.

On November 2, 1921, the little club side from North Yorkshire defeated the mighty Australians.

A crowd of about 5,000 at York's old Clarence Street ground watched in wonder as the tourists were toppled 9-3. Amazingly, the Kangaroos' next match on that 1921 tour was one of the Tests against Great Britain - then known as Northern Union - which the tourists won 16-2 at Hull.

The Lions turned it round to win the Ashes series, with the Aussies eventually losing nine games on a marathon 36-match tour.

But the fact the Kangaroos were not as dominant then as they are now should take nothing away from those plucky Wasps forefathers.

York, who in the old days were no strangers to touring 'colonial' sides, had come close to beating the Aussies during the Kangaroos' first-ever tour, in 1908-09, in a game which finished 5-5. But they have never before or since topped that 1921 feat.

To imagine any British club side beating Australia today would be enough to suggest certification was necessary.

The Aussies have built a domination in rugby league perhaps bigger than any other nation's rule in any other worldwide sport, and they fly over to England next week as big favourites to regain the Ashes for the umpteenth time.

The world champions have set the standards longer than most Brits want to remember and no doubt they will expect to continue that rule in the three-Test series, which opens next weekend at Huddersfield.

Indeed, they have not lost a Test series in England since 1959, and have held a tight grip on the Ashes since 1973, Britain's last-ever Ashes triumph having occurred back in 1970 during a tour Down Under.

These facts make tough reading for all British fans, but make York's 1921 success all the more momentous.

* Former York Groves player and now committee member Paul Boyne is one of the lucky few people to have a memento of York's historic victory over Australia.

The 41-year-old from Huntington has a programme from that amazing match, given to him by his grandfather.

"I have a few old programmes from when York played touring sides," said Paul.

"Two or three were off my granddad and I was given some others by a friend who wasn't too bothered about keeping them.

"To beat the Aussies was a hell of an achievement for a club side. It's something that will probably never happen again and is something the club should be proud of.

"I don't know what sort of team York had around that time but they couldn't have been bad."

Updated: 12:11 Thursday, November 01, 2001