INTEREST in the new York Rugby League Club Hall of Fame continues to grow as we head towards the big day – thanks to readers of The Press.

As this column has reported, the first inductees will be announced at the supporters’ club’s big sportsman’s dinner at Bar 13, Huntington Stadium, next Saturday, at which former Great Britain star Keith Senior is the guest speaker.

Now, we expected readers to put forward possible inclusions, some of which have already been detailed in this column. But it’s fair to say both this sports desk and the Hall of Fame committee have been taken aback by the response.

There is widespread representation on this committee, by the way, with ex-players, club historians, the supporters’ club, ex-directors and The Press all included. Among the correspondence was an email from Patrick McCauley, of Otley, who put forward ten names, all with excellent rationale.

McCauley’s suggestions began with Jeff Stevenson, “surely our greatest ever scrum-half, the Great Britain captain and a veritable superstar of his era”. “Nobody could spot a gap, open up a position or sell an outrageous dummy quite like Stevo,” he wrote.

Next on his list was Jeff Hunter. “Not, perhaps, the best centre to play for York,” he wrote, “but probably the toughest. No opponent, no matter how eminent, ever had a comfortable afternoon against Jeff – trying to get past him was always difficult and usually painful. Trying to stop him wasn’t easy either.”

Next was Geoff Smith. “The last player to be capped by Great Britain straight from York. A great eye for the try-line and a fast winger needing very little room on his blind side. For 18 years, our top try scorer until John Crossley took over in 1981.”

Gary Smith has had his fair share of backing to be included. McCauley, for one, will “always remember” the first time he saw Smith play.

“It was early in the 1972/3 season and we played a star-studded Hull KR team. Our unknown teenage outside-half was directly up against the legendary Roger Millward. Gary ran Millward to a frazzle and York pulled off a surprise victory. Everybody there predicted Gary to be a future international. Alas, it was never to be – probably because he became the victim of his own versatility and played in every back position plus loose-forward.”

McCauley includes Colin Forsyth as his “all-time favourite”. “The last time he played for York was an ultimate irony. He came off the subs’ bench to play his heart out against Bradford Northern and virtually won the game single-handed. After the match, he was transferred to Bradford. A great loss, but then he was a great player.”

Another suggestion was David Barrends. “After Geoff Smith, our best-ever winger,” according to McCauley. He also put forward two more heroes of black-and-white days, in Terry Devonshire and John Taylor, and two of the modern era in Tawera Nikau and Danny Brough, the ex-Knight who has found Super League fame.

Devonshire, wrote our contributor, was “a star centre of the late ’60s team that qualified for the play-offs – a cultured and skilful footballer who the Clarence Street crowd of the day took to their hearts”.

Taylor was “one of the best of the many fine props we have enjoyed seeing over the years – a good ball-player and a strong forager”.

Nikau, meanwhile, was “by a long distance the best footballer ever to play for York since the move to Huntington Stadium”. Praise indeed.

This quartet have been popular suggestions but, alas, they are ineligible. The Hall of Fame committee stipulated that players must have played for York for a minimum of four seasons, and – unfortunately – these guys weren’t here long enough.

The same can be said of one of the suggestions from the days of sepia, the 1930s, when York enjoyed their most successful period. Lou Brown scored a record 31 tries in a season back then – but his stay was too brief.

Reader Keith Guildford wrote: “In those days when bad weather was about, they covered the pitch with straw and moved it to the edge before the game. His favourite trick was to dive at the corner into the straw to score.”

Guildford also spoke of Jeff Moores and Norman Otley Waulby. He wrote: “My late father was a big York fan and used to thrill us with the stories of watching the club as a child in the 1930s.

“One player, in particular, was the great Jeff Moores who played with great flair. Another local man who played at that time was a Norman Otley Waulby, who went on to play prop for Heworth well into his 40s.”

We also received a message from Beryl Moor, who put forward her late father, Billy Thomas.

She wrote: “He came to York in 1929 and was captain of the team to play in the Rugby League Cup final in 1931 and two Yorkshire league finals around that time. After his playing days were over he coached the York team for some time in the early ’50s.”

How do you top that?

Well, we’ll have to see who is inducted next Saturday. All the names suggested to The Press have been put forward to the committee.

By the way, only a few tickets remain for the night, and only one more table can be accommodated.

To snap them up, phone Gary Hall on 07763 121732 or the Knights on 01904 767404.