Re: Bill Ashurst.. : Sat Feb 26, 2011 7:10 pm  

The Trip wrote:

Remember once when he did Mumby with some ball skills that was more magic circle than rl. When he sold a dummy most of the crowd took it as well. On his day one of the finest, without doubt. Ashurst took plenty shots as well as giving them.

HA HA I remeber that well too. Amazing skills. He was of another era but his skills were that best I have ever seen on an RL pitch.

Re: Bill Ashurst.. : Sat Feb 26, 2011 8:10 pm  

For my money the best 2nd row forward I have ever seen out and out class
I will never forget his try at home to Bradford or his try at Odsal in the JPS Cup

Re: Bill Ashurst.. : Sun Feb 27, 2011 9:13 am  

Didnt he make a comeback at HUYTON where he had to play at about 40 years old due to players being on strike, think he got sent off for sticking nut on somebody. Also remember his debut at Fev did things with ball only others could dream about had a fantastistic kicking game too. Nobody like him since.
PS. Didnt we have a scrum half making his debut at Fev also on that day was it Hudson?

Re: Bill Ashurst.. : Sun Feb 27, 2011 9:22 am  

IngsRoader wrote:

and their prop Steve Brezheny (sp) cynically taking him out off the ball.

Breheney was a massive, frightening bloke who went on to become a professional wrestler and his talents were more suited to off the field fisticuffs than rugby. It was sad that Wigan were involved in this incident, although it was appropriate to the crap which we served up at the time which resulted in relegation shortly after.

No offence meant Mr Breheney sir if you happen upon this!

Re: Bill Ashurst.. : Sun Feb 27, 2011 10:50 am  

PHe wrote:

When BA got a broken cheek bone it was an 'off the ball' elbow from the Wigan forward Steve Breheney (sp), I seem to recall he only got a couple of matches from the RFL. Magnificent skills had BA. I remember one particular game against Bradford (could be the same as mentioned above), when attacking on their 25 he threw out 3 dummies, chipped over the defence the ball bouncing up into his midriff, he then went on to round the fullback and under the sticks.
Another time was away at Featherstone when he was player-coach and we fielded a very young and inexperienced side which included Hopkinson at prop (he went into the police force mounted section and then had heart problems at a young age). Bill led that team round the field that day, he was on one leg because of his knee injury that ended his career, but he wouldn't give up and I seem to recall him being involved in every play, coaching and telling players where to run and line up etc. I can't recall one player dominating a game so much as BA that day - I think we lost, he ran out of steam.

remember that well today Breheney would have got a season long ban
I do not know why but I can remember so many full time results from that era but can not remember results from last season. That day back in 78 Lampowski opened the scoring and we lost 3 17

Re: Bill Ashurst.. : Sun Feb 27, 2011 10:58 am  

spook2011 wrote:

I remember the signing of Bill very well.. he signed at the same time as John Burke and made his home debut agaist Warrington (I think John Suitcliffe the 6ft 4 inch winger/ policeman scored 2 tries that day) ... then we played HKR away and the game was famous for both Ashurst and Burke being sent off and Andy Fletcher picking up a loose ball (a lost ball as HKR attempted to score a try) and running the legnth of the field to score at the other end of the pitch, it would have been one of Fletch's first few games.... I believe Ashurst was also dismissed in the following game then both he and Burke (who had the worst reputation in RL at the time) settled in to perhaps the best Trinity team that I have had the pleasure of watching. Ashurst signed with an existing crutiate ligament injury, and played far too few games for the club, coach Bill Kirkbride took a huge risk by playing him in the 1979 cup final after only one game in the previous 3 or 4 months. I have the 79 cup final on dvd and the guy is just so immobile its sad!

during the first half of the 1978/79 season he played some sublime football along with Dave Topliss, Keith Smith and Alan McCurrie who had signed early in the season from Whitehaven along with Brian Juliffe and Steve Diamond from Welsh rugby union... Diamond and another welsh guy named Adrian Barwood were signed after a newspaper release advertising trials to play for Trinity... all in all I think the club invited 5 or 6 players to try out... another played against Cas in the first home game of the season, he played very well but chose not to make the move). We beat Cas the Widnes at home (a fantastic 8-0 win) the lost at St Helens... then came the home game against Ashurst's old club Wigan and the infamous tackle on Bill... trinity lost the game and Ashurst looked like he had been victim of a street mugging.

thats right great days that day we beat Wire 15 11 we scored 5 tries and missed all the goals we also beat Sts at home not long after the Wire game 36 23

Re: Bill Ashurst.. : Sun Feb 27, 2011 11:00 am  

The Trip wrote:

Remember once when he did Mumby with some ball skills that was more magic circle than rl. When he sold a dummy most of the crowd took it as well. On his day one of the finest, without doubt. Ashurst took plenty shots as well as giving them.

would that be the try at Odsal when he went under the sticks in the JPS?

Re: Bill Ashurst.. : Mon Feb 28, 2011 4:14 pm  

Steve Breheney should not have played for Wigan v Wakefield , he had played in an earlier round for another club.
He did get a 2 week ban and Ashurst was out for ages.