Can’t understand why the Wigan warriors site has said nothing about this. West tigers in oz as a great tribute to him on their site.

My everlasting memory of Dave Bolton was in the 1959 Wembley final and the sight of him haring up the middle with not a Hull player in sight. Wigan were already two tries up and that try more or less sealed the win even though it was still in the first half. RIP Dave and thanks for the memories.

I used to watch Dave Bolton from the pen on numerous occasions. We all have one player that we like to see named on the teamsheet - recently it might have been Keiron or Sam and for me in those days it was Dave Bolton. I was always confident when he played and upset when he went to Oz.

For a Hull supporter that try was a knife to the heart and he had made the previous try for Sullivan too. At half-time it was over at 20-4 and all the tries had been scored at the end I was standing in the glorious sunshine.

Hull had a great team throughout the 50's coached by Roy Francis and I was so confident of a win but Wigan led by McTigue, Bolton, Boston and coached by Joe Egan were truly superb.

My dad said Billy B was the best he saw at Wigan

But he grew up wanting to be Dave Bolton
From an early age he spoke non stop about him, how quick he was etc
I think in the modern day he would have been a fullback.

From the jet black hair with the big Kookie Byrne quiff (77 sunset strip, you'll have to look it up) apparently he was quite a hit with the ladies and I'm sure thats one of the reasons my dad wanted to be Dave Bolton

My dad passed away quite young, and as you do I remember going through my dads old scrap books and seeing page after page of Dave Bolton clips, just as I remembered doing as a kid.
In 2008 I took the family to Australia for the world Cup and I mentioned to a poster on here that I hoped to meet up with Dave Bolton.
Lo and behold I was given the nod by him that he'd be attending a gala dinner on a Sydney cruise ship and by chance we just happened to be booked on the same trip.

Early on in the evening I had the honour of spending af an hour having a drink at the back of the boat with Blocker Roach (we both bemoaned the lack of Biff in the England team the night before in to 50point shallacking!), we then sat with laurie Daley and had 15/20 mims talking (primarily about him taking jonathon Davies head off at OT in the WCC in 89 against widnes, which i went to, and by the way, he really rated davies) and then did a karaoke with Benny Elias (who is a real funny character and had the whole boat rocking!).

But highlight of the evening was meeting Dave Bolton, and me, my wife and 2 kids sitting with him for the best part of an hour. He told us loads of stories, most of them rugby ones, but some about his off the field antics



and he was a real gentleman.

I never got to see him play, he was before my time, but coming soon after my dad's death it almost felt like one of those moments of "Closure" they talk about.
I have a photo of us with him somewhere, ill try and dig it out. I don't know how to post photos on here so may end up sending it to someone who can on my behalf!

I suppose I can't about talk him as a player through my own eyes, but my dad, who didn't hand out praise easily, idolised him. And through those eyes he's always been something of a special player in my head.
A pleasure and an Honour to meet him

RIP

great story pal