Wigan Album
Wigan Rugby Team
8 CommentsPhoto: RON HUNT
Item #: 22218
According to records (Ian Morrison's Wigan RLFC) Wigan played Huddersfield on August 23rd (not 25th) 1952. The team that day had all the usual "suspects" Gee, Blan, Street etc., but also named were, Constance (stand-off) and Kelly (scrum half). First game of 1952-53 season, won 23 - 17. Now if we can "eliminate" i.e. identify, Constance then we have Kelly. QED.
In Wigan Observers book "Central Park Memories" he is Cec Kelly ! The player on his left is Len Constance in Jack Winstanley's "History of WRLFC". At least it gave us something to do over Christmas.
Len Constance is the player next to Martin Ryan.So the mystery man must be KELLY
as you can see from recent photos/postings i have been trying to find out the identity of this player for a while
http://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=7&id=18162&gallery=Wigan+Rugby+Players&offset=180
so at last can we definitely confirm that it is ex Rochdale player Cecil Kelly who (according to ‘They played for Wigan’) played 19 times in the 1952-53 season scoring 4 tries?
Harry Street and Len Constance as I recall played originally for St Helens,they were transferred as a pair to Castleford where Harry Street blossomed, Wigan boughtthem as a pair, I think it was an original " Buy one get one free"
St Helens sold them to Dewsbury as a pair and Wigan bought them as a pair. Constance supposedly cost twice as much as Street.
This match was Kelly's first and Constance's last for Wigan.
It was Dewsbury, I stand corrected, Constance was,, a dissappointment who faded into oblivion.