John Wilkinson Birch made his début against Wakefield Trinity at Headingley on 7 September 1901 running out winners 16–9, many Leeds followers think that strength of the side of these days was greater than anything there has been at Headingley since, and there are many good judges who firmly believe that this 1906 team was the best that ever wore the Leeds jersey; Young, Jenkins, T. Llewellyn, Thomas, Hughes, Ward, Brayshaw, Hewlett, Stead, Lunn, Watts, Webster, Wainwright, Wormald, John Wilkinson Birch.

The team that day was; Dean, Evans, Littlewood, Davies, Mudd, George Mosley (another ex-Leeds Parish Church), Grace, Hewlett, John Wilkinson Birch, Crumpton, McNicholas, Taylor, Crowther, Hanson, Midgley.

The Great Britain team that day was; H. Taylor, W. Batten, B. Jenkins, P. Thomas, G. Tyson, T. White, J. Jolley, A. Smith, J. L. Clampitt, John Wilkinson Birch, J. Spencer, W.

He broke his collarbone within the first 10 minutes of the cup tie but with rare pluck kept on playing as the Yorkshire Evening Post states (20 March 1909).

The Leeds team that day was; F. Young, G. Desborough, F. Oliver, F. Ware, W. Goldthorpe, J. Fawcett, R. Ward, R. Jones, F. Webster, F. Harrison, S. Whitaker, J. Townend, T.H.