Local Poetry

The Legend - Billy B.  By Keith I. Platt - October, 1995

Ask any Wigan fan since the Fifties,
And I'm sure nearly all will agree,
That the finest winger they've ever seen
Has been the living legend, Billy B.

The day Wigan signed this Welsh wizard,
It was in the year of 1953.
This was when William John Boston, of Cardiff
Would soon become the immortal Billy B.

He would swell the crowds wherever he went.
He was the one they had come to see.
They felt privileged to see the grace and power
Of the legendary winger, Billy B.

In the early years he ran like the wind.
The finest swerve and side-step had he.
And the opposing winger's most frequent sight?
The No. 2 on the shirt worn by Billy B.

Later on, he would match pace with power;
Often smashing through two or even three.
An awesome sight for opponents in the path
Of try-scorer extraordinaire, Billy B.

His defence soon matched his attacking power.
Opponents thought they'd run into a tree.
Their No's 4 & 5 would get shut quick,
To avoid a shuddering collision with Billy B.

He scored 478 tries for Wigan;
A record to stand for all eternity.
His name joined a goal-kicking legend.
What a twosome; big Jim Sullivan and Billy B.

When revisiting venues he'd previously graced;
Even thousands of miles across the sea,
The people remember, and flock around,
To shake the hand of super-star Billy B.

Now enrolled in rugby's Hall of Fame,
Amongst the finest of our last century.
Alongside Sullivan, Wagstaffe, Risman and Co.
There stands W. J. Boston, our own Billy B.

30 years have passed, and Wigan are back
where they belong; at the top of the tree.
Yet many recollect, compare and yearn for
The other glorious era, started 1953.
Because this was the year Rugby League rejoiced;
It was the coming of the living legend, Billy B