Leigh Centurions legend Tommy Sale has died

Tommy, who was the Club’s Life President was the single most influential person in the history of Leigh Rugby League Club and his passing marks not only the end of an era and involvement spanning 90 years but means that somehow things will never be the same again.

Tommy loved Leigh and he loved Leigh Rugby League Club, the players, the fans, the volunteers, the officials and he realised the huge importance of the Club to the fabric and wellbeing of the town.

He had a rich and varied life in many other ways, with distinguished war service and as a respected headteacher and devoted family man which many others will doubtless write about in the many fulsome tributes which are set to follow.

But when as a 20-year-old stand-off from the Cable works side, made his Leigh debut against York just before Christmas 1938 Tommy Sale realised a childhood dream.

Born in Hindsford on 21 July 1918, Tommy’s involvement with Leigh began when he worked on the scoreboard from an early age at the old Mather Lane ground. He befriended Stanley O’Neill, Leigh’s mascot in their 1921 Challenge Cup Final victory and the son of the late Paddy O’Neill, a star player killed in action in the First World War.

Tommy and Stanley were great pals and Tommy used to be entrusted with putting up the away team score while Stanley did the home team. Tommy soon realised he had a lot more work to do, as Leigh began to struggle after the successes of the 1920s and for the rest of the interwar period had to battle to survive. Tommy always said that following his side through adversity in his early years taught him lessons for life.

Tommy used to idolise Leigh’s star second row forward Billy Wood, who as well as being a brilliant player was also found a full-time job on the ground. Each lunchtime Tommy would leave school, buy three meat and potato pies from Waterfield’s and have his lunch at Mather Lane with Billy before going back to school. Two of the pies were for Billy, one for Tommy, who was heartbroken when Billy was transferred to Wigan.

All Leigh’s better players ended up being sold as the club struggled to keep afloat. Billy Wood received a serious leg injury early in his Wigan career which cruelly ended his career. This incident stayed with Tommy who was determined to ensure he had other skills to fall back on if he did not make it at rugby. When he left school he trained with the local council in their parks and garden department, skills which were to serve Leigh well in the future.

After playing for the Cable Works side Tommy caught the eye and realised his dream of a professional contract. He made nine appearances in his debut season, but his career was interrupted when he was called up for war service, serving in Italy and in the Middle East.

Tommy returned to a post war Britain that was unrecognisable from the country he left. The years of conflict had taken their toll on the people and the survivors of the war had to readjust to civilian life again and try to find employment in a changed economy. The war years had been especially damaging for Tommy’s beloved Leigh RL Club which closed down in 1941 after losing their Mather Lane ground when the cable works took it over as part of an expansion programme.

Tommy briefly guested for Warrington in the 1945-46 season the first post war campaign, making seven appearances. But his thoughts were always with Leigh who re-formed and entered the Rugby League again in time for the 1946-47 season. They used the Charles Street Athletic Ground as a temporary home.

After the war Tommy re-trained as a teacher and used his previous experience as a groundsman to mastermind the building of Leigh’s new ground at Kirkhall Lane. Formerly allotments known as Church Fields, Tommy masterminded the building of the ground from scratch in a remarkable community exercise, especially in the era of rationing and shortages.

Work began laying out the new ground in December 1946 and the old stand from Mather Lane was dismantled and re-erected as the centrepiece of Leigh’s proud new home. The club had gone ahead with its own labour, under Tommy’s direction and the Supporters’ Club volunteers covered every type of specialist trade required for the construction of a new ground. Over 1,500 fans were inside the ground in July 1947 to see the final ten pieces of turf laid; the honour of laying the final one going to Tommy Sale. Leigh’s first match at Kirkhall Lane was on 30 August 1947 when a crowd of 17,000 saw a Lancashire Cup-tie against St Helens, one of the proudest moments of Tommy’s life.

Before that he had an even prouder moment, chosen as Leigh’s first post war captain and he led out the side for their first match in over five years on 31 August 1946 when they beat Rochdale Hornets 6-5 at the Athletic Grounds. Tries by Percy Aldred, Tommy’s mate from Croft and Joe Farrell earned Leigh a famous win. Crowds at Charles Street averaged 8,500 in that first season, an amazing figure such was the enthusiasm for rugby after the dark years of war.

Tommy, as well as working on Kirkhall Lane was busy at Charles Street, using his expertise to get the pitch playable through a hectic schedule. The pitch was often heavy and waterlogged but Tommy’s groundsman skills ensured Leigh fulfilled their games and they finished a remarkable ninth out of 28 teams, Tommy playing in 33 of the games.

Tommy eventually lost his place in the Leigh side and started playing for Wigan Road WMC in the amateurs. He had made 82 appearances for Leigh, scoring 16 tries and kicking two goals, statistics that do not do his contribution to the Club justice.

But another chapter in his life was about to start and he joined Widnes for a £450 fee in December 1949 and famously scored two tries as they beat Bradford Northern 8-0 in the Challenge Cup semi-final at Wigan in April 1950. If that game was Tommy’s personal highlight, the final, at Wembley against Warrington was one of the lowest days of his career as the Wires won 19-0 and Tommy only touched the ball on a few occasions. He often looked back at that day and as time passed was immensely proud to have played in a Challenge Cup Final. His brother John also played for Widnes and another brother, Frank, played for Leigh A.

Tommy’s professional career ended in December 1950 and he later embarked on a coaching career with Wigan A, Leigh A and Liverpool City among others. He was also busy in his new career as a schoolteacher and was responsible for introducing the game of Rugby League to so many schoolchildren alongside his great pal Bert Causey and other dedicated schoolmasters and volunteers.

Tommy continued his links with Leigh by becoming a director of the Club and serving in many roles including secretary, assistant secretary, secretary of the Supporters’ Club and he was also the long-serving timekeeper. Having missed very few Leigh games since the war Tommy was a regular attendee at Leigh Sports Village right until his death and held the modern day players in the same regard as he did his idol Billy Wood.

One of the approach roads to the new Leigh Sports Village was named Sale Way in his honour and he was awarded the MBE. Journalist Andy Hampson wrote a critically acclaimed biography fittingly titled Mr Rugby Leigh. One day before Tommy’s 95th birthday he was delighted to watch Leigh lift the Northern Rail Cup as they defeated Sheffield at Halifax in the 2013 final.

A year later he was honoured to receive Heritage Number 460 as part of the Club’s Heritage Day celebrations. In September 2015 he helped unveil a blue plaque on Rugby Road, near the site of the old Mather Lane ground to mark 120th anniversary of the first games in the Rugby League.

Above all else Tommy Sale was a gentleman, he had time for everyone, was always cheerful and enthusiastic and he loved Leigh RL Club with a burning passion. He’d seen the great days like Wembley 1971 when Alex Murphy led the team to Challenge Cup glory, especially fitting for Tommy who had been instrumental in Alex joining the club in the first place from St Helens. He’d seen them lift the Championship in 1982.

But he also saw days and times when the Club was at a fearfully low ebb, struggling to survive. Leigh RL Club will always survive as long as Tommy’s legacy lives on through generations to come. He simply never, ever gave up. And he always wanted the Club to progress. Like everyone else he was sad to leave Hilton Park but he was excited about the possibilities that would open up at Leigh Sports Village. In the past two seasons he began to see those ambitions come to fruition and he loved watching play from his wheelchair in the directors’ box, and seeing the enthusiastic crowds. He would nod and have a word with many people over the course of a match day afternoon. Virtually everyone in Leigh knew Tommy Sale and he knew them.

The thoughts of everyone at Leigh Centurions are with Tommy’s family at this sad time and further tributes will follow in the days ahead. I simply hope that in the words above I’ve done him justice as writing this is one of the hardest and most emotional things I’ve ever had to do.

Mike Latham