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.
Parry Gordon was as his 1981 testimonial brochure claimed
– “Mr Loyalty”. He served
Parry went to Highfield Boys’ School in
At 15 he left school and was taken down to Wilderspool by
Ronnie Mather to play in Warrington Colts under the guidance of Roy
Hazelhurst. His potential was quickly
recognised and he was signed in the early hours of 17th February
1961 on his 16th birthday for £400, coach Cec Mountford’s last signing would
prove great value for money. Cec commented at the time “This lad has
extra-ordinary promise and I am sure he will make it in professional Rugby
League”. Mountford, who passed away in
July, was a good judge.
Gordon made his first team debut for
Two years later he established himself as the first
choice scrum-half at Wilderspool, a role he kept for the next fifteen
seasons. Parry’s loyalty for his first
ten years at Wilderspool was fully tested as the side struggled to recapture
the glory days of the 1950’s. Parry played
scrum half in the 1967 Lancashire Cup final against
In 1970
Things did get better, Ossie Davies stepped in and took
control of the club and at the end of the season Alex Murphy was appointed the
new coach. A new era dawned at
Wilderspool and Parry was to be rewarded for his loyalty.
Parry was a key member of the
Gordon made 45 appearances in the 1973/4 season. He scored five tries in a match against the
then champions Dewsbury. He was very
unfortunate not to be selected for the 1974
The following season Gordon played in the Floodlight
Trophy final defeat to
Parry led
.
He however, never won a full international cap, many
pundits of the time rating him the best uncapped scrum half. The nearest he got was coming on as a
substitute in Papua New Guinea in a warm up match for the 1975 England World
Cup squad. Gordon played at a time when
there were so many great scrum-halves such as Murphy, Millward, Bishop,
Hepworth, Seabourne, and Nash. Parry
played seven times for Lancashire, scoring one try, and once for the
His final game in September 1981, helping out his club as
usual, was a home win 14-7 against Castleford.
Parry Gordon had given 20 years’ service to the club, his appearance
total being second only to
He served as assistant coach to Billy Benyon for over 12
months, but left shortly after Benyon was replaced as coach in March 1982. He worked as a fitter for British Aerospace
during the day and finished at Wilderspool to spend more time with his family –
his wife Val and three daughters, twins Andrea and Karen, and Paula. Tragedy hit the Gordon household with the
death of Karen through cancer.
Parry coached at Wigan St. Pats on a
part-time basis for a while after leaving Wilderspool and enjoyed his time in
amateur rugby. He took a redundancy deal
from British Aerospace in 1997 and spent much time over the last twelve years working
for Butterflies Cancer Trust in their
He was elected by his peers to the Warrington Rugby
League Hall of Fame. Parry was at
Wembley this August, along with his 1975 team-mates, to see Warrington Wolves
win the Challenge Cup for the first time since 1974. He received a warm welcome from the fans at
The Halliwell Jones Stadium when he was presented with a painting of him in
action, by Morris Riley, at the
Parry was an active member of the Warrington Past Players
Association and was well respected throughout the rugby league world. No one had a bad word to say about him. He was a modest man whilst being the
embodiment of a genuine sportsman. Parry Gordon died suddenly at his home
on Tuesday evening, following a heart attack at the age of 64, in the arms of
his teenage grandson Daryl.
The funeral will take place at St Bernadette’s Church in
Shevington, Wigan on Friday 13th November.
It is with regret that Warrington Wolves announce
the passing of Hall of Fame member Bob Ryan, he had been ill for some time.
Bob Ryan
was signed from Ince Rovers in the first post-war season, and made his debut at
Broughton Rangers in a 12-19 defeat, in October 1945. For the 5ft 9in, 13st
10lb second row however good times were on their way, as he became the
cornerstone of the first Warrington Championship side in 1947/48.
Ryan made
372 appearances for Warrington and scored 37 tries in a thirteen season career
at Wilderspool.
Bob and
team-mate Jim Featherstone were selected to Tour in 1950 and missed out on the
Wembley triumph. Bob made his Great Britain Test debut on a quagmired Sydney
Cricket Ground in a 6-4 victory. His qualities earned him five Great Britain
caps, two for England and saw him selected to play for Lancashire on four
occasions.
The
1953/54 campaign saw Ryan at loose forward as Warrington achieved the Challenge
Cup and Championship double. He was also in the last Championship winning side,
as Oldham were defeated 7-3 on a rainy day at Maine Road in 1955.
His final
game, in March 1958, was a Challenge Cup quarter final tie at Workington. The
Cumbrians threw everything at the Wire including the weather, as the pack held
till late on, only to lose 0-11.
Bob
showed to everyone at the Odsal Reunion in 2004, the strength and determination
that had characterised him during his career. Wigan's loss was definitely
Warrington's gain!
Joe Whittaker Past Player and Vice
President of the Warrington Wolves organised the Challenge Cup to be on display
at Undercliffe Residential Home as they raised money for St. Thomas Church
Roof.
The Mayor & Mayoress were on
hand to talk about the past
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.