Eric Ashton
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eric Ashton | |
| Date of birth | 1935 | |
| Place of birth | St. Helens, England | |
| Nickname | ||
| Position | Centre Three Quarter | |
| Professional clubs* | ||
| 55-69 | Wigan | 497(231) |
| National team | ||
| 1957 - 1969 | Great Britain | 26 (?) |
|
* Professional club appearances and (tries) |
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Eric Ashton MBE is a former English rugby league player who played for Wigan. His position of choice was right centre three-quarter
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[edit] Wigan RLFC
Born in 1935 in St. Helens Ashton had been a keen admirer of the game and signed for the St. Helens schoolboys before joining the Army. In 1955 Ashton left National Service and signed for Wigan in 1955 for £150.
Ashton linked up with Welsh Rugby League winger Billy Boston and formed one of the most devastating right-wing-three-quarter partnerships of recent years. Such was the impact of both Ashton and Boston it led to Ashton being promoted as captain of the Wigan side after just two years at the club, at the tender age of 22. It was a position he would go onto hold for 12 years.
Ashton's honours and achievements are nothing short of impressive, with 3 victorious Wembley Challenge Cup Finals (out of 6 in total), a RL Championship in 1966, a Lancashire Challenge Cup and two Lancashire League Championships as well as a BBC Floodlit Trophy.
Ashton was a true professional in every sense, being sent off just twice in his whole career and due to his professionalism, talent and intelligence he was awarded a call up to the international scene.
[edit] International career
Ashton totalled 26 caps for Great Britain with his first tour of Australia coming in 1957 with the World Cup and with a touring Lions. He was one of the players involved in the all-conquering side of 1960, captaining Great Britain to victory over the Kangaroos
It's usually said that Ashton's greatest moment would have come in 1962 when captaining Great Britain to almost completing a whitewash over the Australians, but a last minute refereeing decision ruined the chance of this happening. In total Ashton captained the team 15 times.
[edit] Honours
Due to his heroics in the southern hemisphere Eric Ashton was the first rugby league player to be honoured by the Queen. He was awarded the MBE in June 1966
[edit] Coaching
His achievements did not stop when he finally retired after making 497 appearances and scoring 231 tries and 448 goals. He coached Wigan from 1963 to 1973, moved on to coach Leeds for the 1973-74 season before taking over at St. Helens where he twice took them to Wembley. He also coached Great Britain on the 1979 tour down under. He ended his coaching days in 1980, becoming a director of St Helens in 1982, and being chairman of the club between 1993 and 1997, seeing them do the double in 1996.
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