June 14, 2018

Obituaries

As well as Harold Poynton, Wakefield Trinity lost three other colleagues that have contributed to the club, both on and off the field, last week.

Colin Forsyth died suddenly, aged 70, in his hometown of York. He played 35 games for Trinity, scoring 12 tries between August 1980 and November 1982 and was an integral part of one of our most successful league seasons when Trinity finished fourth in 1980-81. He was a powerful prop forward and many of his tries were short range efforts close to the line, being a very difficult forward to stop.

He retired after his Trinity career but had had a distinguished, eighteen year, playing career before then, starting with Heworth amateurs in York making his first team debut with Oldham in 1964. Moves to Featherstone, York and Bradford followed with numerous honours coming at Odsal, including the Championship under Peter Fox. He also won three England caps during the 1975 World Championships.

Geoff Gunney was a Hunslet rugby league legend and played 579 games for the Parksiders between 1951 and 1973, but coached Trinity for a few months in 1976. He sadly passed away last week, aged 83

His Hunslet days saw Wembley cup final appearances, Yorkshire county appearances, 11 Great Britain test appearances and two tours ‘Down Under’. He was ‘Mr Hunslet’ but joined Trinity in the summer of 1976 after a friend joined the Trinity committee. He replaced Peter Fox, but it was not a successful period and only lasted 12 games, winning three. He was replaced in November 1976, but was not told until he found out on the way to an away game. He was made team manager but left the club shortly after.

Local Stanley man, Henry Sharratt passed away last week, aged 83 after a short illness. He was a big 6ft 4″ centre when he signed in 1958 and fondly remembered his debut when he watched Neil Fox score six tries against Doncaster. Injuries hampered his career, including a broken leg with restricted his appearances to just three, scoring two tries. Moves to Featherstone, Dewsbury, Bradford and Batley followed but his work, in later life, with Eastmoor made him ever popular in the community and his family are still regular attendees, every week, in the North Stand.