Of the four grounds in East Hull Rovers have owned, I have seen matches at Craven Park, New Craven Park and have refereed a game at Winchester Avenue so to complete the set I would have loved to have seen a game at Craven Street.
My Grandfather had many stories of Rovers at Craven Street, in particular the clashes with Hull. The first meeting between the two had been anticipated for a number of years as Hull had refused to play against Rovers as they deemed it below them.
So, on the 16th September 1899 the first derby took place amid a frenzy of supporters. It was rumoured a number of Rovers supporters got into the ground the night before and slept there. Spectators started queuing at 12noon with the gates opening at 12-30 and with a steady stream of traffic converging from the town centre the atmosphere started to build.
By the 3-30 kick off 12,000 people were inside the Craven Street ground.
Anthony Starks became the first player to score in a derby when he put Rovers ahead with a try but missed the conversion. Albert Kemp scored just before half time to give a 6-0 lead. Hull dropped a goal but Rovers finished the scoring when Tulloch dropped a goal to make it 8-2 at the final whistle. So, the derby trend had started with the now familiar arguments and counter arguments.
The Rovers team that day was Sinclair, Tulloch, Ripton, Jackson, Ruddeforth, Guy, Levett, Kemp, Starks, J. Rhodes, Fletcher, Stephenson, Noble, Debney and Windle.
