Eric Ayles (21 February 1928 – 26 May 1972) was an English professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played as a

prop forward A rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field, with 4 substitutes on the bench. Each of the thirteen players is assigned a position, normally with a standardised number, which reflects their role in attack and defence, although pl ...

in the 1940s and 1950s. He played at representative level for

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, and at club level for Belle Vue Rangers, St Helens and Salford.

Playing career

Ayles started his professional career with Belle Vue Rangers before signing for St Helens in September 1953. In March 1956, he joined Salford on loan, before signing a permanent deal with the club in August 1956 for an estimated fee of £350. Ayles dislocated his shoulder in a match against

Workington Town Workington Town R.L.F.C. is a semi-professional rugby league club playing in Workington in west Cumbria. Their stadium is Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team. They became Rugby League Champions in 1951 and ...

in April 1958, which forced him to retire.

Representative honours

Ayles made two appearances for

while at Belle Vue Rangers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayles, Eric 1928 births 1972 deaths English rugby league players Rugby league players from Wigan Rugby league props Broughton Rangers players St Helens R.F.C. players Salford Red Devils players Lancashire rugby league team players