Our "Chats with Old Footballers" articles have aroused a tremendous amount of interest, and this week we include Mr. "Daff" Hulme, the well-remembered half-back, who was one of the smartest players in the days when the old Aspull club was carrying all before it. "Little Daff," as he was always familiarly referred to, was recognised in his day as a wonderful half-back, and many are the matches which have bee won as a result of his cleverness.

Seen by a representative of the "Examiner" the other day, "Daff" was comfortably ensconced in a seat in the bar parlour of the Queen's Head Hotel, Aspull, of which hostelry he has been the highly esteemed landlord for a period bordering on seventeen years. He was agreeably surprised when asked if he could recall some of the best deeds of his football days, and proudly pointed to a photograph, hanging on the wall, of himself and his former colleagues who won the West Lancashire and the Wigan Charity Cups. On the same photograph there are "Ned" Bullough, Pilkington (full back), Johnny Roberts, Dicky Seddon, Tom Monks (now in India with Mr. Trotman), Haydock, and Lawson (both dead), Baxendale, Jim Lindsay, Bramwell, Jim Cartwright, Hesketh, John Lindsay, and George Croston. (click the links to see their tales)

Hulme was twenty-one years of age in 1885 when he first played the Rugby game with any success, and he then appeared at half-back for a junior team known as the "Aspull Stars," who sported on a ground near the Crawford Hotel (the licensee of which as his father-in-law). Only part of a season had gone by when "Daff" felt he would do well in better company, and he threw in his lot with the Aspull team, and for part of a season he appeared with the second string. But there was no keeping him back, and he quickly found his way into the seniors, having as his partner Jim Cartwright. "We stuck together wonderfully," said Hulme, "and we had no desire to go anywhere else. I played until 1895, and I've got three gold medals and three silver ones which we won, and I'm very proud of. We won the West Lancashire Cup and the Wigan Charity Cup."

In his first season for the Aspull Club, "Daff" played in the final for the West Lancashire Cup, and Warrington won by a dropped goal. The following year he assisted Aspull to win the Cup at Fairfield, Wigan being heavily defeated. In this match Hulme took a memorable part, his unselfish work behind the scrummage enabling his backs to play a clever combined game. By this time he had fully established himself as a great artist, and with the football crowds at Aspull he was quite a favourite. He was on the light side, as can be imagined from the statement that his playing weight was 8st. 10lbs. His present weight is not much more than 9st. In this connection Hulme tells a funny story. His fame had reached the ears of "wellington" (a platelayer of the name of Gregory, but who was more familiarly known by his nickname), who happened to know very little about football. Strolling into the Crawford Arms he remarked to Hulme's father-in-law, "Hello, 'Mas,' where's that strapping son-in-law as gets all these big 'uns deawn?" Hulme was waiting on at the time, and when he was pointed out as the footballer, "Wellington" was astounded. "Is that him?" he asked, "Why, I thowt he were a chap of ten or eleven score. He is a sammer." Then calling Hulme to him he said, "Here, lad, I'll gie thi a 'awp'ny."