BERNARD McGURRIN (July 12, 1933 – December 20, 2024)
BERNARD McGURRIN was a versatile player for Leigh, his hometown club Wigan, Rochdale Hornets and Warrington and his most memorable season was 1957-58.
It was his second full campaign at Central Park, and the Cherry and Whites, while finishing fifth in the league, made two finals.
McGurrin lined up at loose-forward (he could also play centre and in the halves) as Oldham beat Wigan 13-8 before 42,497 at Swinton’s Station Road to lift the Lancashire Cup.
Oldham were a powerful team, who were to top the table, while Workington Town finished third.
The Cumberland side were also strong, and as well as making the Championship Final, they reached the Challenge Cup Final – against Wigan, who won 8-0 at Oldham in the quarter-finals.
Workington were to lose both, with McGurrin again wearing 13 as Joe Egan’s side sealed a 13-9 Wembley win seen by 66,109.
Originally teenage talent Roy Evans, who had come into the team that season, was due to play, but a bout of flu laid him low, and McGurrin, having been playing in the second team, stepped up.
Wigan came from behind to lead through tries by winger Mick Sullivan and props John Barton and Brian McTigue, but they were forced to defend strongly late on, with McGurrin heavily involved and his backrow colleague Norman Cherrington making a try-saving tackle on Ike Southward, who scored all his side’s points.
Workington went down 20-3 to Hull in the Championship Final at Odsal, Bradford a week later.
McGurrin made 88 appearances, scoring 27 tries, for Wigan between December 1955 and January 1959.
He had caught the eye with the town’s highly-rated Worsley Boys Club, and signed for Leigh in 1953, playing 44 times and notching 17 tries.
He made his Wigan debut against Workington Town at Central Park on December 3 1955, with Wigan winning 17-14 and McGurrin earning his unique Wigan Heritage Number 567.
His last game for Wigan was at Central Park against Wakefield Trinity when he scored a try in a 22-5 win on 3 January 1959,
At the time of his death aged 91 earlier this month, he was Wigan’s oldest surviving player and was also believed to be Leigh’s.
McGurrin captained Rochdale and played in a combined Oldham-Hornets side against the touring New Zealanders at the former’s Watersheddings ground in September 1961. The Kiwis were beaten 10-8 in front of 8,795.
He later became a popular landlord of The Bird public house in Ince.
