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Demetrius 'Dimmy' Frank Interview with the Hull Daily Mail
We often hear of the good old '21 days' of the Hull Club.
Hull has not forgotten the great back division that represented the club Frank, Thompson, Townend, Tanner, Driscoll, and Lempriere, with Harry Taylor as the full back.
This team went through a matter of 20 matches without losing a single one, and was only beaten by a single point for the Championship of the League that season. Such a team has been put in comparison with the present collection of stars and without prejudices voted as the better lets Perhaps not individually, but as a combination, the 'old brigade' were the 'PERFECTION OF FOOTBALL'
The popular idols of the team were C. C. Lempriere, the right winger and 'Dimmy' Frank. Wherever Dimmy was, there was danger and the combination with poor old Fatty Thompson
was a joy that present-day football spectator's missed.
Poor old 'Fatty' has gone to rest, butt 'Dimmy' Frank can be seen at all the home matches.
Coming across Mine Host of the Fleece Inn as he is now, the conversation naturally turned to football.
DIMMY'S DEBUT
It was on September 11th. 1897. That the spectators on the Boulevard Ground, who had assembles to witness the game with Leeds, were astonished to see a strange pair of half-back takes up their position behind the home pack.
Various guesses were made, 'the Brothers James K' being one of the hazards. As the game progressed the play of the smaller of the two was particularly fine and had a great deal to do with the saving of the game, which finished at two points each.
Such was the entry into local football of 'Dimmy' Frank and Tommy Savage.
After the match I was suspended until January 1st of the following year said Dimmy.
My three months rest being the result of having previously signed a form for Huddersfield.
However, Savage and I did not appear to satisfy the officials who introduced 'Fatty' Thompson as my partner and I may say that we understood each other's play to perfection. With such a fine tree-quarter line behind us, the playing of the game was as sheer delight, and the time I was in the team was the happiest of my life.
'Was there any system of half-back play between Thompson and yourself?'
In those days you had not as now a scrum half and off half. Thompson and I worked together according to the position of the scrum in the field.
I was left side half and my partner right side half. Our method was that if the scrum was nearer the left hand side of the field than the right. I played on and Thompson wide and vice versa.
There was one move we worked that produced any amount of tries to the wing man. That was the blind side move as we called it. It was worked by the wide half rushing in and picking the ball up as it came out of the pack, the scrum-half dropping back and receiving the ball which was handed on to the wingman after the opposing wing had been drawn.
The quickness of the move left the winger a clear run down touch. If you remember, Parry won the game against Rovers in a cup-tie by obtaining two tries from this move Lempriere, also, when he was playing, scored in a similar manner.
Readers who witnessed Dimmy's great tackles of players who had beaten the full back will easily agree that his work was all over the field.
As I have said before, I always enjoyed the game, but there was one game that I did not enjoy. It was at Castleford and the ground was over a foot deep in water under the goal-posts, from an overflow of the river, that runs along side the ground.
I dived on the ball for the try as it fell into the water and was dropped upon by a big Castleford forward, who did not immediately get up. The result was that I was underneath the water and choking.
I remember no more until I recovered on the touch line and learned that Jack Townend had pulled the Castleford player from the top of me and fished me out. I was half drowned and will never forget the sensation.
I played several season with Hull and if my knee had not been damaged might have had a much longer stay. When I finished, Hall and Goddard took up the position, Thompson being placed in the A team as coach.
I didn't like Hull when I first came, but wouldn't care to leave it now. I sometimes go down to Wales and on the last occasion of my visit saw 'Hockey' Driscoll looking very fit and well. He is now proprietor of a large dining and tea rooms there.
As regards to the present Hull team, I think they are experiencing very hard luck just now but will do better when accidents are not of such frequent occurrence. I think the secretary, Mr Charlesworth, one of the best I ever met and shall remember with great pleasure how he made my benefit a successful one.
Hull Daily Mail 20 Dec 1969 (Answerman Replies
GREEK'S SON WAS HULL FC CAPTAIN
'WHILE IN WEYMOUTH,'
writes C. Wilkinson, of Madowbank road, Hull
'I stayed with someone who's Uncle I knew by name, but remember little of his record. I refer to Demetrius (Dimmy) Frank, who played for Hull FC.'
'He was the son of a Greek sea captain living at Cardiff and had two brothers who were chief engineers at sea. In later life be was mine host of a pub in Hull-I think In Osborne-street and finally returned to Wales.'
'Can you give me Demetrius (Dimmy) Frank playing record, and also state whether he was capped, so that I can send your answer via the Sports Mail, to Weymouth.'
Dimetrius (Dimmy) Frank, a half-back, played for Cardiff Star Juniors, Landaff and Pen-y-graig and it was from the last-named club that he joined Hull FC in 1897.
He eventually captained Hull for whom he played in 176 matches, scoring 34 tries and kicking eight goals.
His record with Hull was as follows:
1897-1898 21 appearances 4 tries 1 goal 1898-1899 35 8 3 1899-1900 30 7 0 1900-1901 32 9 1 1901-1902 32 1 1 1902-1903 25 4 2 1903-1904 1 1 0
Frank, who in his playing days stood 5ft 3in, and scaled 9st 7lbs, did not gain international recognition, but he did play seven times for Yorkshire County.
He played against Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumberland in 1900-01 and against Lancashire, Cheshire, Cumberland and Northumberland and Durham the following season.
