Derek Brown

OVERALL STATISTICS

BIRTHAGESIGNED ONFROM
16-04-1940
N/A
07-05-1956
Blackbrook ARL
DEBUTLAST MATCHLEFT
25-08-1958 v Warrington
Oldham
1960-
CAREERAPPEARANCES (SUBS)
1958-1960
32 (0)
TRIESGOALSDGOALSPTS
1
2
0
7

Biography of Derek Brown



HERITAGE NO : 755
Derek Brown by Adrian Lawrenson

It is a great source of civic pride the number of local lads that sign for St Helens RFC and one prolific source of this stems from Blackbrook ARLFC. For instance, in the 1950s, when Saints were at the summit of the league, team mates Brian McGinn, Dave Harrison, Jimmy Measures, Tommy Finney and our subject Derek Brown were all acquired from Blackbrook ARLFC and played for the Saints first team.

Derek is a local lad who was born on 8th March 1936 and made his debut against Warrington on 25th August 1958. It was a mighty St Helens pack: Terry, McKinney, Prescott, Briggs, Huddart and Karalius. However, as a result of captain Prescott’s never to be forgotten courage in the second test at Brisbane in 1958, and his subsequent broken arm, a spot in the pack was up for grabs. Derek had first chance, followed by Jimmy Measures, Dennis Karalius and Fred Terry.

Derek was picked for the team that was beaten by Oldham in the Lancashire Cup final. He even helped out as an emergency goal-kicker when Peter Fearis was unavailable, kicking a goal at Parkside in an 11-19 defeat by Hunslet on 24th January 1959 and again at Central Park on Good Friday on the day that Wigan got their record attendance when they beat Saints 19-14.

Upon the return of Alan Prescott, Derek filled in on several occasions during the 1959-60 season. Saints’ first efforts to replace Prescott came when they signed Len Hammill from Bramley. However, Derek won his place back and stayed in the team to the end of the 1959-60 season, playing in the notorious Top 4 play off defeat by Wigan at Knowsley Road, which gave us the dismissals of Saints’ Alex Murphy and winger Mike Sullivan, who just happened to have been selected at stand off to come up against the volatile Murphy.

Derek’s swansong was the first league match of the 1960-61 season on 13th August 1960, in a 16-4 defeat at Oldham and it is believed that he moved to Rochdale Hornets, following a Saints’ career that encompassed 32 appearances, with 2 goals and a try, the latter scored against Halifax on 13th September 1958, in a 45-20 win.

Derek Brown was a promising player in his youth, who had captained Lancashire Schoolboys at 14. He is Brian McGinn’s second cousin and they grew up next door to each other. A bad knee injury in the A team was the precursor to his career coming to a premature end.

After a long illness, Derek passed away on 6th May 2021 at the age of 81.


SEASON STATISTICS

Season (Official Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
1958~591 2 0 18
1959~600 0 0 13
1960~610 0 0 1
TOTALS:1 2 0 32
Season (Other Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
TOTALS:

ALL MATCHES

DateMatchPosOpponentsCompVenueFTFTOTGDG
25th Aug 1958 1
W
 10 Warrington L H 15 7 VIEW
30th Aug 1958 2
W
 10 Rochdale Hornets LC1 A 20 15 VIEW
6th Sep 1958 3
W
 10 Wakefield Trinity L A 24 14 VIEW
8th Sep 1958 4
W
 10 Leigh LC2 A 12 2 VIEW
13th Sep 1958 5
W
 10 Halifax L H 45 20 1 VIEW
11th Oct 1958 6
W
 10 Wakefield Trinity L H 15 8 VIEW
25th Oct 1958 7
L
 10 Oldham LCF N 2 12 VIEW
1st Nov 1958 8
W
 10 Salford L A 28 12 VIEW
6th Dec 1958 9
W
 10 Leeds L H 38 12 VIEW
13th Dec 1958 10
W
 10 Swinton L H 32 3 VIEW
20th Dec 1958 11
W
 12 Barrow L A 7 5 VIEW
25th Dec 1958 12
W
 10 Leigh L A 10 6 VIEW
24th Jan 1959 13
L
 10 Hunslet L A 11 19 1 VIEW
16th Mar 1959 14
W
 12 Salford L H 44 4 VIEW
27th Mar 1959 15
L
 8 Wigan L A 14 19 1 VIEW
28th Mar 1959 16
W
 10 Liverpool City L A 40 20 VIEW
30th Mar 1959 17
W
 10 Blackpool Borough L H 46 11 VIEW
4th Apr 1959 18
W
 10 Halifax L A 25 19 VIEW
17th Oct 1959 19
W
 12 Whitehaven L A 15 12 VIEW
14th Nov 1959 20
W
 12 Dewsbury L A 20 15 VIEW
21st Nov 1959 21
W
 12 Halifax L H 25 10 VIEW
5th Dec 1959 22
L
 10 Workington Town L H 11 12 VIEW
12th Dec 1959 23
W
 10 Rochdale Hornets L A 40 4 VIEW
25th Dec 1959 24
W
 10 Leigh L H 14 10 VIEW
20th Feb 1960 25
W
 10 Dewsbury L H 25 4 VIEW
2nd Apr 1960 26
W
 8 Swinton L H 46 10 VIEW
16th Apr 1960 27
W
 10 Whitehaven L H 41 5 VIEW
18th Apr 1960 28
W
 10 Hull L A 10 7 VIEW
23rd Apr 1960 29
W
 10 Hunslet L A 20 8 VIEW
26th Apr 1960 30
W
 10 Oldham L A 10 2 VIEW
7th May 1960 31
L
 10 Wigan ChSF H 9 19 VIEW
13th Aug 1960 32
L
 10 Oldham L A 4 16 VIEW
*Unofficial Match. **Non Playing Sub.
WINS : 26 | LOSSES : 6 | DRAWS :

GALLERY





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