LEIGH Centurions have sent their condolences to Maurice Gallagher who has died at the age of 89.

Maurice was one of Leigh’s oldest surviving players and signed for the club in December 1947 after impressing in the junior ranks with Leigh St Joseph’s.

At 6ft 1 and 13st 2 he was an athletically built back row forward though as his career developed he also featured more regularly in the front row.

Opportunities for first-team places were limited as Leigh rapidly built up their playing squad in the first season at Kirkhall Lane, buoyed by many five figure attendances in the post war boom years for the sport.

Maurice made his first-team debut at Workington Town in April 1948, proudly and retrospectively earning Heritage Number 575 when the Club’s Heritage project was unveiled in 2014.

He made a further four appearances before the end of his debut season and two more in 1948-49 before drifting out of first team contention. After a loan spell at Barrow he moved to Belle Vue Rangers, linking up again with many of his former Leigh team-mates including Nebby Cleworth, Derek Day, Yendle Pugsley, Harry Dagnan and the New Zealand All Black George Beatty.

He made his Rangers debut at Warrington in January 1953 and by the following season, when he played in 35 games, he was a pack regular, either in the second row or at blindside prop. He scored Rangers’ only try in their 28-7 defeat at Leigh in November 1953.

In the summer of 1954 he moved to Rochdale Hornets, making his debut in a 17-15 home win over Barrow and going on to make 35 appearances in his debut season at the Athletic Grounds. He figured in the second row as Hornets recorded a league double over Leigh, 16-9 at home just before Christmas and 5-4 at Kirkhall Lane the following March.

Playing for Belle Vue Rangers, Maurice Gallagher covers as Warrington great Brian Bevan is tackled at Wilderspool. Former Leigh teammate Nebby Cleworth (no2) is in the background.

Maurice remained a regular in the Hornets pack, featuring in their 18-12 win at Leigh in March 1956 and going on to play 80 games for them before he was transferred to Warrington in February 1957.

He enjoyed a fine spell at Wilderspool, scoring three tries in 44 games before hanging up his boots. He made his Wire debut at no8 in a hard fought 9-5 home win over Featherstone Rovers when the incomparable Brian Bevan scored a hat-trick.

Bevan also scored a hat-trick in Maurice’s final professional game but this time the Wire ended up on the losing side, beaten 20-21 at Blackpool Borough in a shock result. The previous week Maurice had featured in the Wire side that enjoyed a fine 47-17 win at Leeds, a reminder of the highs and lows of professional rugby league.

Leigh Centurions Life President Brian Bowman said: "Maurice was a very good player who enjoyed a long professional career. Like many locally born players at the time he didn't get too many opportunities at Leigh and he had to move elsewhere in order to play regular first team football as there was so much competition for places.

Maurice Gallagher (back row extreme left) in the Rochdale Hornets side of the mid 1950s.

"In those days, of course, there were only 13 players for first team duty with no substitutes so it was a far different game than it is today, especially for the forwards, who had to play 80 minutes week in, week out.

"He must have been one of the last surviving players to play for Belle Vue Rangers, who sadly folded in 1955 and he went on to play a lot of games for both Rochdale Hornets and Warrington.

"I knew Maurice for many years and he was a very nice man and a gentleman who retained his interest in the game long after he retired as a player. Like everyone else in Leigh he was delighted that the club achieved promotion to Super League this year. I would like to echo the Club's sentiments and offer my deepest condolences to his family at this sad time."

By Mike Latham, with thanks to Brian Bowman