Wire2Wolves.com is the official heritage website set up by The Foundation. Warrington Rugby League Football club was founded back in 1879 and has become part of life and the memories of the people of Warrington.
This site has been set up to celebrate and remember our communities memories young and old which will be archived for future generations.
It is
with sadness that Warrington Wolves learned of the sudden death of Idwal
Fisher. He passed away at the age of 76 in Lockerbie, Scotland.
He signed for Warrington on his
27th birthday, 3rd February 1962, having played rugby union for Swansea.
Initially he lodged with coach Ernie Ashcroft, before he was able to move his
family up to Warrington.
The giant Welshman made his debut
on 24 March 1962 at Wilderspool when Warrington defeated Barrow 36-9. Fisher
partnered Laurie Gilfedder in the second row, in front of 5,057 spectators. A
month later on Easter Monday he played in Brian Bevan's final match for
Warrington.
Fisher
played 24 matches in the 1962-63 season, including the narrow Challenge Cup
semi final defeat against Wakefield Trinity.
In September 1963 Idwal scored a rare try in Warrington's 20-28 loss to
Australia. He played his last match in a 0-2 defeat to Swinton at Wilderspool
on 14 December 1963. He broke his arm during the match, and was in plaster for
22 weeks, an injury that put paid to an agreed move to Leigh.
He was later transferred to the
new Bradford Northern club, when they reformed in 1964. He played in their
Yorkshire Cup winning team of 1964. He finished his career with a few games for
Bramley in 1969.
Fisher made 47 appearances for
Warrington, scoring 5 tries in his time at Wilderspool. Brother Tony followed
Idwal into rugby league with Bradford.
He was in the Welsh team that
lost 3-23 to France in Toulouse on 17 February 1963.
Idwal
Fisher visited The Halliwell Jones Stadium last season meeting up with a number
of his former Wilderspool team-mates.
Fisher
was a typical Welsh rugby forward, who put himself about on the pitch and made
many friends of it. He was a successful business man who spent 10 years in
Arizona. Golf was his passion after he finished playing rugby. Though a serious
accident on the golf course five years ago curtailed his playing time.
Idwal is survived by his wife
Peggy and their four children Keith, Andrew, Lynn and Sharon. Idwal and Peggy
were living with their daughter Sharon in Lockerbie. The funeral is at Ayr
Crematorium on Friday at 1.15pm.
It is with sadness that Warrington Wolves learned of the passing of Doug Clarke.
Doug was a hooker from Leigh, who made his Warrington debut on 29 September 1962 in a 40 - 13 win at Salford. He made 18 appearances in the 1962/3 season scoring one try, at Fartown against Huddersfield. He was a member of the Warrington team that narrowly lost 2 -5 to Wakefield Trinity in the Challenge Cup semi-final.
The following season Doug made two appearances, his last being on 30 November 1963 in a 33 - 3 victory over Whitehaven at Wilderspool. In all Doug played 20 matches for Warrington scoring one try.
Pictured: Doug Clarke on the far right of the back row with his team mates who played at Fartown against Huddersfield, when Doug scored his only try for Warrington.
Former
Warrington player John Grant was named as the inaugural chairman of the
Australian National Rugby League’s new independent commission in July. (John is 1st on left of the back row in the picture)
Grant
an Australian businessman, played for Warrington in their last table topping
team of 1972/73. He signed for the club
after the 1972 World Cup in France. He
played in three of Australia’s four matches including the drawn final against
Great Britain. The trophy was awarded
the World Cup because of its better record in preliminary matches.
A
bearded threequarter from Brisbane Souths played 10 matches for Warrington,
scoring 4 tries. He made a try-scoring
debut in the centre against Huddersfield on 3 December 1972, in a 28-5 victory
at Wilderspool, in front of a crowd of 5,855.
He
played in the next five matches, before a hamstring injury kept him out for a
month. He made his comeback in the
Challenge Cup quarter final loss to Featherstone. The 14-18 defeat at Wilderspool, in front of
a crowd 15,577 was the only loss that Grant suffered in his time at Warrington. He played three further matches before
returning home to Australia at the end of March, whilst his team mates
continued their surge to the League Leaders title.
Grant
is the head of Australian IT company Data#3.
He will head up the new eight independent commissioners who will
administer the game of rugby league in Australia. They will take over from News Ltd and the ARL
who have been running the game in Australia.
Have you an interesting story, pictures, memobrilla this site will look after them for years to come. You can send us your memories and pictures through the website or by dropping off your story or pictures we will scan them in and return them to you.