Chris Hesketh - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Chris Hesketh MBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

(birth registered October→December in Wigan

Wigan

Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...

) is an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

former professional Rugby League World Cup

Rugby League World Cup

The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...

winning footballer of the 1960s and '70s. A Great Britain

Great Britain national rugby league team

The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....

and England

England national rugby league team

The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...

international and Lancashire representative , he played his club football for Wigan

Wigan Warriors

Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....

and Salford

Salford City Reds

Salford City Reds are an English rugby league club based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1873, they currently play in the Super League. They have won six Rugby Football League Championships and one Challenge Cup...

International honours

Chris Hesketh won caps for England

England national rugby league team

while at Salford in 1968 against Wales, in 1969 against Wales, and France, and won caps for Great Britain

Great Britain national rugby league team

while at Salford in 1970 against New Zealand, in the 1970 Rugby League World Cup

1970 Rugby League World Cup

The fifth Rugby League World Cup was held in Great Britain in 1970. Britain, fresh from defeating Australia in the Ashes, were hot favourites, and won all three of their group stage games. All the other nations lost two games each, and Australia qualified for the final largely on the back of an...

against France (sub), New Zealand (1-try

Try

A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...

), and Australia (sub), in 1971 against France, France (sub), and New Zealand (3 matches), in the 1972 Rugby League World Cup

1972 Rugby League World Cup

The sixth Rugby League World Cup was held in France in October and November of 1972. Australia started as the favourites to retain the trophy they had won just two years previously. New Zealand had beaten all three of the other nations in 1971 and France were expected to be tough opponents on their...

against Australia, France, New Zealand (1-try

Try

A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...

), and Australia, in 1973 against Australia (3 matches), and in 1974 against France (2 matches), Australia (3 matches), and New Zealand (3 matches).

Rugby League Career

Hesketh started his career at Wigan in 1962, playing alongside the likes of Billy Boston

Billy Boston

William John "Billy" Boston MBE is a former Wales and Great Britain professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer. Boston is a member of the Rugby League Hall of Fame, Welsh Sports Hall of Fame and was, along with Shaun Edwards the first to be voted into the Wigan Hall Of Fame...

and Eric Ashton

Eric Ashton

Eric Ashton MBE was an English professional Rugby League World Cup-winning footballer of the 1950s and '60s and later a coach. He played his whole first grade football career for Wigan along with at times both captaining and coaching them; his position of choice was right centre...

, following the rule change to allow of substitutions, along with Laurie Gilfedder

Laurie Gilfedder

Lawrence "Laurie" 'Gilly' Gilfedder is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1950s and '60s who at representative level has played for Great Britain, and Lancashire, and at club level for Warrington, Wigan, and Leigh, playing at , or , i.e...

he jointly became Wigan's first substitute on 14 November 1964, he moved to Salford in 1967, with whom he remained until retiring in 1979. Hesketh worked his entire life as a salesman before retiring in 2006. He still lives in Lancashire and occasionally goes along to Salford to watch his former team in action.

The story of Rugby League great Chris Hesketh is a heart-warming one, his sporting life being one of triumph over adversity, reaching its pinnacle as the first Wigan-born captain of a British Lions Rugby League touring team when leading the party that flew to Australia and New Zealand in 1974. That honour, and many more, was achieved after overcoming polio as a child and the shattering experience of being discarded by his first professional club, Wigan, who he had followed since being a youngster. His transfer to Salford sparked a new beginning as an integral part of a team that reached the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley and twice won the Rugby League Championship in the 1970s. A classy centre and dominating presence on the rugby field, he was destined to become skipper of a Red Devils outfit littered with star names such as Paul Charlton

Paul Charlton (rugby league)

Harry Paul Charlton is an English former professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1960s, '70s and '80s who at representative level has played for Great Britain, and England, and at club level for Workington Town , and Salford, playing at , i.e...

, Colin Dixon

Colin Dixon

Colin J. Dixon was a Welsh rugby union and professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer who at club level has played rugby union for , and at representative level has played rugby league for Great Britain, and Wales, and at club level for Halifax, Salford, and Hull Kingston Rovers,...

, Keith Fielding

Keith Fielding

Keith John Fielding is an English former dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1960s, '70s and '80s who at representative level has played rugby union for England, and at club level for Moseley Rugby Football Club, playing at Wing, i.e...

and David Watkins. A tourist twice, he also took part in two World Cup tournaments, including the 1972 triumph in France. His renaissance received official recognition through the awarding of the MBE in 1976 for his services to Rugby League. In this book, Chris, and co-author Graham Morris provide the reader with a fascinating account of his trials and tribulations as a professional sportsman as he rose to the top in the toughest of all team sports, including many inside stories and humorous anecdotes. Its pages reveal the life and times of a player who proved himself as a true Captain Courageous, offering an essential read for all lovers of sport and Rugby League in particular.

External links

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