By Alan Irving

Published at 15:50, Wednesday, 08 December 2010

I LOVE Rugby League nostalgia, not least because I was privileged to be watching the game when Great Britain were good enough to give Australia a good whacking and some of the all-time greats, from Murphy to Huddart and Edgar, were in their prime.

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Great Britain’s team that won the Ashes Down Under in 1962 is still rated (even by the Aussies) as one of the greatest ever, and the likes of three wonderful wingers – Tom Van Vollenhoven, Billy Boston and an evergreen Brian Bevan – were running in tries for fun.

Harry Edgar is a child of the 60s, growing up in Whitehaven and coming to idolise some magnificent players and teams, although the home-town always was (and remains) his real love.

So it’s a delight to turn the pages of Harry’s latest publication – Rugby League in the Sixties.

Says the author: “All the big stars of the time appear in the book, notably names like Alex Murphy, Neil Fox, Tommy Bishop, Reg Gasnier, Tom Van Vollenhoven, Bill Burgess (Barrow), and Alan Hardisty, along with West Cumbrian legends such as Ike Southward, Brian Edgar and Dick Huddart. There’s plenty of local interest with a section on Cumberland’s great triumphs in the county championship during the sixties along with Whitehaven’s famous win over New Zealand in 1965.”

Indeed, one of the historic photographs in this lavishly illustrated book shows Les Moore, from Gosforth, taking on the might of the Kiwi pack in that stirring triumph against New Zealand in 1965.

Those of us who were at The Recre on that memorable murky, muddy Saturday afternoon will never forget it – but it’s still nice to be reminded of that and of the tryscoring achievements of Vollen-hoven, Boston and Bevan.

In 1959-60, Vollenhoven topped the charts with an incredible 54 tries, Boston had 47 and Bevan 48 – Southward (then at Oldham after a world record transfer move to Oldham) came seventh with 32.

Vollenhoven went further with 59 but roll on a couple of seasons and we find two Workington Town three-quarters in the top ten.

Welshman Ray Glastonbury actually headed the list with 41 touchdowns while centre John (Loppy) O’Neil managed 24.

Whitehaven’s fullback maestro John McKeown was again among the elite goalkickers in 1960-61, but his tally of 93 would have been countless more had Mac been in a side that scored more tries!

Again and again, there are so many features and photos you want to look at, including coverage of the Lions tours of ’62 which included Ike Southward, Dick Huddart, Brian Edgar and Norman Herbert (Town prop) and four later when Edgar captained Britain on a valiant but unsuccesful bid to retain the Ashes.

You can easily look at sport of any era through rose-coloured spectacles but as Edgar says: “I remember having it drummed into me at school that Rugby League was the one sport at which Britain still ruled the world and that our national team captain was Eric Ashton. At the time we held both the World Cup and the Ashes...”

In those days Eddie Waring was almost as famous as the players. We all looked forward to having one of Eddie’s annuals in our Christmas stocking – Harry Edgar has taken over the mantle in that respect.

It’s good to learn that this is just volume one in a series which can go back or forward without losing irresistible appeal.

But undeniably the Swinging Sixties takes some beating!

Harry’s book is on sale at in Whitehaven in Whitehaven at The Beacon, Michael Moon’s Bookshop and W.H. Smiths. You can also order online (visit the website www. rugbyleaguejournal.net).

Priced at £12.95, it’s a treat for all ages.

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk