The League was formed as the Wigan and District Sunday Schools League in 1903. He will be sorely missed as a giant in the local game.
One of the original founders was Reverend Twambley a local vicar who wanted a useful pastime for the youth of his parish. The League gained its current name in season 1968/69 and has remained the same ever since although a name change was talked about a few years ago when discussions were held with the Leigh League about a possible merger. The first Champions were Abram Parish Church in 1904 and t
hey went on to take the title on 8 occasions in the next 20 years. The very first winners of the Laithwaite Shield were Ince Parish Church a club that only folded a few short years ago. Over the years many clubs have come and gone with the famous Moss Lane who netted 5 Championships, Bethel and Platt Bridge St Nats who also had 5 Wigan Youth who went one better, Ince Parish who won 7 and last but not least Goose Green United who are still around today have won the title 4 times. Standish St Wilfrids who are another club still playing in the League have won the Championship twice. There are a number of well known names that have passed through the League none more so than Gary Walsh ex Man Utd, Danny Wilson now Manger at Hartlepool, Dave Whelan Wigan Ath Chairman, Andy Gregory and John Barton GB Rugby League internationals, Wilf Hickson who refereed the FA Cup Semi Final in 1959 plus a whole host of ex football league players including Les Campbell, John Connaughton, Syd Farrimond, Harry Sharratt, Sid Wallace, Harry McNally who was for a time Manger of Wigan, Bert Llewellyn, Graham Cunliffe, Wally Haseldon, Harold Lea, John Simm while more recently Barry Knowles, Maurice Whittle, Ian Robins, Chris Porter and Neil Pointon. There have been some excellent League Officers and amazingly this is the first reference to a man who lived for the League and guided it through over 70 years—a man who sadly passed away in 2008 and whose name is legend in local football and fair play I speak of Sam Davenport who managed Moss Lane and then filled virtually every post in the League culminating in Life President. Tom Laithwaite was an early stalwart who has our major competition named after him plus the playing fields in Wigan also carry his name. Others of note are Jimmy Brown, Jack Millington, Jimmy Brown, Tom Carter, Jim Parkinson and Bob Valentine. Moving to the modern era we have to thank the late Roy Clough, Mike Taylor, Bryan Hughes, Benny Wilson and our current President Colin Silcock for their wonderful service. The list of club officials would go on all day so I have selected a few characters such as Dom Burke of Hindley Town, Tommy Downing, David Hair, Jim Turner, the Winstanleys Jack and Peter, Tommy Houghton, Bert Ennion, Tommy Fletcher, Jack Edwards and many others too numerous to mention. After many years trying we won two county cups in 2016. Winstanley ST Aidans lifted the Lancashire Amateur Cup after over 100 years of trying. Ormskirk Town also won the Liverpool FA Intermediate Cup both triumphs for the League. We have also provided winners of the Lancashire Youth Cup in Moss Lane, Stubshaw Cross and most recently Grange in 1991. The League has also won the Lancashire Inter League at under 18 level on 6 occasions and under 16 level once. In the past few years our numbers have reduced to our current 41 clubs it’s only a few years ago that we had around 70 teams including a flourishing Youth Division that sadly had to be discontinued through lack of teams. However the future still seems bright and hopefully one of our clubs can finally win that Lancashire Cup following recent “near misses” from Newburgh United and Winstanley St Aidans.
