My memories a bit hazy i was only about 8 at the time when my dad started taking me mainly because the pubs shut on a sunday afternoon and you could always get a drink till opening time again under the old stand, being one of my earliest rugby league memories i cant remember who we played but this giant of a man who could hardly walk seemed to throw a dummy the entire opposition took he scythed through with only the full back to beat dinked it over the top of him regathered and scored if so was that him and who was it against ?

Or did he dink it over regathered then sold the full back the most outrageous dummy and scored one thing i do remember was the over powering smell of wintergreen and germolene in those days

I think one of Bill's last games for Wigan was a televised cup tie v Bradford. He got sent off after flattening a procession of Bradford players who made the mistake of approaching him singly. As he walked off the pitch he turned back and flicked the V's at the ref.
I remember thinking why can't we have a player like that. Not long after, we did.

I remember something similar, think it was a Yorkshire Cup game away to Bradford, think it was Mumby who he made look silly 79/80 season.

Regarding the injury he received the previous season, I thought the bloke fractured his cheekbone, & I thought his name was Mick Breheny? My memories are now fading in my senior years, but I thought he was taken off the ball & it was against maybe Workington?

Although it should have been a season ending injury for Ashurst, they rushed him back for the CC final

Bill dinked the ball over the Bradford defence, re-gathered and Toppo followed him through, as keith Mumby the Bradford fullback approached Bill sold him the most outrageous dummy and went in under the sticks to score,

I like everyone else in the ground was watching Toppo, I think he even though he had the ball for a while.

amazing....

Toppo said it was like Roy of the rovers stuff when bill first put pen to paper for wakey. With regards to today's game yes it's totally different now. I still think he's the best second row I have ever seen.

It was a world record fee of £18,000 when we signed him. The £16,000 was his fee from Wigan to Penrith a few years earlier which was also a record fee at that time.

Bet there's more interest in the book from Wakey fans than Pie-Eaters.

Just imagine him fit with the side we had at the time I recon we would have had a side doing a similar job as the sixties side winning trophys alas it wasn't to be.

I'm sure it was against Wigan at home. He d chipped the ball forward and got sandwiched breaney or who ever elbowed him.

bill ashurst is the best player ive ever seen,never saw the great sixties team,but seen bill ashurst play,his ball handling skills were truly amazing,in my opinion he has no equal,and i will be buying his book for certain.

don't know if I am wrong but didn't Bill also used to be very good at kicking from hand and 40/20 nowadays would have been ideal for him

I was asked to write a foreword for the book. I have two hopes:
1. They use it
2. I did him justice

yes, your right he was a great kicker from hand and would have kicked 40 / 20s for fun. i can remember the rayne twins running onto the delayed passes ashurst delivered.he could open up any defence could bill ashurst great player.

When we signed him we had to raise the height of the dug out due to him being so tall. Hence one dug oit being higher than the other!

I thought that was because Bill Kirkbride wanted to stand when he was coaching?

It was against Wigin, for whatever reason Bill packed down as hooker and whats his name packed down in the second row and reached through and belted him while he had arms round the props and broke his jaw, I'm sure it will get a mention somewhere in the book.

Would have struggled to get in the 60's team in front of Brian Briggs & Don Vines. Now they were 2 very hard hombres.

I doubt mr as hurst would have struggled to get in any team.

I don't think he was as good as people on here think. But it is just a matter of opinion.

That's for sure brian

I saw every game he played for us and, IMHO, a fully fit Bill Ashurst was as good as the majority of posters on here suggest.

A fit Bill would have stood head and shoulders above any pack player. A fit Bill would not look out of place playing today.

Can't see why Brian Briggs was a blind side prop and a very good one, in those days' it was the no.10 that made the hooker look good.

Wigan had the best out of him before he came to us but even so the only player I've seen that could compare with him at BV was Bob Haigh and at a push Budgie Firth.

I'm not sure I've seen a second rower that can directly compare with him. He was 6'4" in an era when you were considered a big bloke if you stood 6'0. He was as hard as marble and regarded as someone you didn't cross, even Mills, Nicholas etc didn't take him on unless they had to. He was mobile and had decent pace but more importantly he knew how and when to time himself onto the ball. His kicking game was better than any forward I've ever watched (40 years) and as good as any back I've ever seen. His ability to ball handle was amazing, the deception, the variety, the delivery was all World class and he had the communication and leadership skills to organise those around him.

If he were around today he'd be the best second rower in the world imo