Kevin Ashcroft (born 5 June 1944) is a former professional
rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s, and
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
ed in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for
Great Britain and
Lancashire, and at club level for the
Rochdale Hornets,
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Hudder ...
,
Leigh
Leigh may refer to:
Places In England
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan
** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)
* Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Dorset
* Leigh, Gloucestershire
* Leigh, Kent
* Leigh, Staf ...
,
Warrington and
Salford, as a .
and coached at club level for
Leigh
Leigh may refer to:
Places In England
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan
** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)
* Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Dorset
* Leigh, Gloucestershire
* Leigh, Kent
* Leigh, Staf ...
(two spells) and
Salford.
Ashcroft is a
Warrington Hall of Fame inductee.
Playing career
Rochdale Hornets
Ashcroft played in
Rochdale Hornets' 5-16 defeat by
Warrington in the
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
Lancashire County Cup
The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...
Final during the
1965–66 season at
Knowsley Road,
St. Helens on Friday 29 October 1965.
Leigh
Ashcroft played in
Leigh
Leigh may refer to:
Places In England
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan
** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)
* Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Dorset
* Leigh, Gloucestershire
* Leigh, Kent
* Leigh, Staf ...
's 5-8 defeat by
Castleford in the
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
BBC2 Floodlit Trophy
The BBC 2 Floodlit Trophy (also known as the BBC 2 Television Trophy) was a competition for British rugby league clubs held between 1965 and 1980. It was designed specifically for television, and the then director of BBC2, broadcaster David Att ...
Final during the
1967–68 season at
Headingley Rugby Stadium,
Leeds on Saturday 16 January 1968, played in the 11-6 victory over
Wigan in the
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
BBC2 Floodlit Trophy
The BBC 2 Floodlit Trophy (also known as the BBC 2 Television Trophy) was a competition for British rugby league clubs held between 1965 and 1980. It was designed specifically for television, and the then director of BBC2, broadcaster David Att ...
Final during the
1969–70 season at
Central Park,
Wigan on Tuesday 16 December 1969.
He played in
Leigh
Leigh may refer to:
Places In England
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan
** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)
* Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Dorset
* Leigh, Gloucestershire
* Leigh, Kent
* Leigh, Staf ...
's 2-11 defeat by
Swinton in the
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
Lancashire County Cup
The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...
Final during the
1969–70 season at
Central Park,
Wigan on Saturday 1 November 1969, and played in the 7-4 victory over
St. Helens in the
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
Lancashire County Cup
The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...
Final during the
1970–71 season at
Station Road, Swinton
Station Road was a stadium in Pendlebury, near Manchester, England. It was the home of Swinton Rugby League Club between 1929 and 1992 and was widely recognised as one of the finest grounds in the Rugby League.
Swinton moved to Station Road w ...
on Saturday 28 November 1970.
Ashcroft played in
Leigh
Leigh may refer to:
Places In England
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan
** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)
* Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Dorset
* Leigh, Gloucestershire
* Leigh, Kent
* Leigh, Staf ...
's 24-7 victory over
Leeds in the
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
Final during the
1970–71 season at
Wembley Stadium,
London on Saturday 15 May 1971, in front of a crowd of 85,514.
Warrington
He played in
Warrington's 24-9 victory over
Featherstone Rovers in the
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
Final during the
1973–74 season at
Wembley Stadium,
London on Saturday 11 May 1974, in front of a crowd of 77,400, and played in the 7-14 defeat by
Widnes in the
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
Final during the
1974–75 season at
Wembley Stadium,
London on Saturday 10 May 1975, in front of a crowd of 85,998.
He played in
Warrington's 0-0 draw with by
Salford in the
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
BBC2 Floodlit Trophy
The BBC 2 Floodlit Trophy (also known as the BBC 2 Television Trophy) was a competition for British rugby league clubs held between 1965 and 1980. It was designed specifically for television, and the then director of BBC2, broadcaster David Att ...
Final during the
1974–75 season at
The Willows, Salford on Tuesday 17 December 1974, played in the 5-10 defeat by
Salford in the
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
BBC2 Floodlit Trophy
The BBC 2 Floodlit Trophy (also known as the BBC 2 Television Trophy) was a competition for British rugby league clubs held between 1965 and 1980. It was designed specifically for television, and the then director of BBC2, broadcaster David Att ...
Final
replay
Replay may refer to:
* Replay (sports), a replayed match between two sport teams Technology
* Game replay, a recording of a game session.
* Instant replay, in motion pictures and television, a showing again of part of a film
* Replay Professional, ...
during the
1974–75 season at
Wilderspool Stadium,
Warrington on Tuesday 28 January 1975.
Ashcroft played , was
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
, and was
man of the match in
Warrington's 27-16 victory over
Rochdale Hornets in the
1973–74 Player's No.6 Trophy Final during the
1973–74 season at
Central Park,
Wigan on Saturday 9 February 1974, Ashcroft gave his £25
man of the match prize to
Wigan's
groundsman Billy Mitchell who had managed to get the
water-logged pitch into a playable condition,
[Harry Edgar ''Rugby League In The Seventies'', Rugby League Journal Publishing, 29 November 2013. . page-87.] (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £442.70 in 2014).
Ashcroft played in
Warrington's 4-0 victory over
Featherstone Rovers in the 1973–74
Captain Morgan Trophy The Captain Morgan Trophy was a knock-out trophy introduced by the Rugby League for season 1973-74. It was scrapped after only one season.
Background
The Captain Morgan Trophy was a knock-out trophy introduced by the Rugby League supposedly inten ...
Final during the
1973–74 season at
The Willows The Willows may refer to:
Places
* The Willows, El Paso, Texas, USA
* The Willows, Queensland, a town in Australia
* The Willows, Salford, home of Salford Rugby League club in Salford, England, UK
* The Willows, Saskatoon, a residential community ...
,
Salford on Saturday 26 January 1974, in front of a crowd of 5,259.
Return to Leigh
Ashcroft played , was the
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
, and scored a
drop goal in
Leigh
Leigh may refer to:
Places In England
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan
** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)
* Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Dorset
* Leigh, Gloucestershire
* Leigh, Kent
* Leigh, Staf ...
's 4-12 defeat by
Castleford in the
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
BBC2 Floodlit Trophy
The BBC 2 Floodlit Trophy (also known as the BBC 2 Television Trophy) was a competition for British rugby league clubs held between 1965 and 1980. It was designed specifically for television, and the then director of BBC2, broadcaster David Att ...
Final during the
1976–77 season at
Hilton Park,
Leigh
Leigh may refer to:
Places In England
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan
** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)
* Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Dorset
* Leigh, Gloucestershire
* Leigh, Kent
* Leigh, Staf ...
on Tuesday 14 December 1976.
International honours
On 3 April 1965, Ashcroft played in the first ever
Great Britain under-24 international match in a 17–9 win against
France under-24's.
Ashcroft won
caps for
Great Britain while at Leigh in the
1968 Rugby League World Cup
The 1968 Rugby League World Cup tournament was the fourth staging of the Rugby League World Cup, and was held in Australia and New Zealand during May and June in 1968. Contested by the men's national rugby league football teams of the two host ...
against Australia, in 1968 against France, in 1969 against France, in the
1970 Rugby League World Cup
The fifth Rugby League World Cup was held in Great Britain in 1970. Britain, fresh from defeating Australia in the Rugby League Ashes, Ashes during their Australasian tour earlier in the year (the last time as of 2017 that they would win The Ash ...
against France, and New Zealand, and on the
1974 Great Britain Lions tour
The 1974 Great Britain Lions tour was the Great Britain national rugby league team's 15th tour of Australasia and took place from May to August 1974. A total of 28 matches were played against local club and representative sides during the tour, inc ...
against New Zealand (
interchange/
substitute).
Coaching career
County Cup Final appearances
Ashcroft was the
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
in
Warrington's 16–0 victory over
St. Helens in the
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
Lancashire County Cup
The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...
Final during the
1982–83 season at
Central Park,
Wigan on Saturday 23 October 1982, and the
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
in
Salford's 17–22 defeat by
Wigan in the
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
Lancashire County Cup
The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...
Final during the
1988–89 season at
Knowsley Road,
St. Helens on Sunday 23 October 1988.
References
Last of the Dinosaurs: The Kevin Ashcroft Story
External links
Great Britain Statistics at englandrl.co.uk (statistics currently missing due to not having appeared for both Great Britain, and England)Statistics at wolvesplayers.thisiswarrington.co.ukStatistics at wolvesplayers.thisiswarrington.co.uk (martini)* (archived by web.archive.org
Statistics at wolvesplayers.thisiswarrington.co.uk* (archived by web.archive.org
Statistics at wolvesplayers.thisiswarrington.co.uk (martini)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashcroft, Kevin
1944 births
Living people
Blackpool Panthers coaches
Dewsbury Rams players
English rugby league coaches
English rugby league players
Great Britain national rugby league team players
Lancashire rugby league team players
Leigh Leopards captains
Leigh Leopards coaches
Leigh Leopards players
Rochdale Hornets players
Rugby league hookers
Rugby league players from St Helens, Merseyside
Rugby league props
Salford Red Devils coaches
Salford Red Devils players
Warrington Wolves coaches
Warrington Wolves players