Derek Pyke

Derek Pyke
Personal information
Born December quarter 1959[1]
Leigh, Lancashire, England
Playing information
Position Prop
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1978–88 Leigh
1988–90 Widnes 66 0 0 0 0
1990–91 Oldham 5 0 0 0 0
Total 71 0 0 0 0
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
Lancashire
Source: rugbyleagueproject.org

Derek Pyke is an English former rugby league footballer who played as a Prop for Leigh, Widnes and Oldham. He also played at representative level for Lancashire.

Pyke started his career in rugby union, where he was an England schoolboys international,[2] before switching codes and joining Leigh.

In January 1988, Pyke was signed by Widnes in exchange for former Great Britain captain Harry Pinner and £50,000.[3] He played 66 games for Widnes, and also played in the team that won the 1989 World Club Challenge.

In 1990, Pyke was sold to Oldham for £50,000, but suffered a serious knee injury after playing just a few games for the club. After failing to make a full recovery from the injury, Pyke announced his retirement at the end of the 1990–91 season.[4]

References

  1. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  2. Irvine, David (10 October 1979). "Victims of the code war". The Guardian (London). p. 25. (subscription required (help)).
  3. Fitzpatrick, Paul (12 January 1988). "Widnes pull in Pyke". The Guardian (London). p. 27. (subscription required (help)).
  4. "Injury forces Pyke to retire". The Guardian (London). 23 May 1991. p. 17. (subscription required (help)).

External links