Salford’s Former International Stand Off, Kenny Gill, Looks Back On His Rugby League Playing Career
CONTENTS
Part 1 – HIS EARLY PLAYING CAREER
Part 2 – HIS MEMORIES OF HIS TIME WITH SALFORD
Part 3 – HE REMEMBERS SOME OF HIS FORMER SALFORD TEAMMATES
Part 4 – HIS INTERNATIONAL CAREER
Part 5 – HIS POST SALFORD RUGBY CAREER
Part 1 – HIS EARLY PLAYING CAREER
In a team which included so many stars, many of whom had taken the perilous step of breaking away from their former rugby union careers and others who had already made their names in rugby league, there were a mere few, who came as unknowns, but who still managed to stake a claim for a place, with some regularity, in the Salford first team.
Household names most of the side definitely were, but among them was this small smattering of players who had come to the club with little or nothing other than their raw talent to boast. One such was Kenny Gill, a young staff-off half, from St Helens, who was eventually destined to rise to become not only the lynchpin of the high-flying Reds at their absolute peak, but also of the international team of the time, whether it was for England or Gt Britain.
Born and brought up in St Helens, from the tender age of seven Ken spent much of his time watching the marvellous Saints side of the late fifties and early sixties.
“I was one of a gang of lads who regularly attended their home games, and players like Tom Van Vollenhoven were my absolute heroes.”
Other than playing with his friends in the street, Ken first started playing rugby at Rivington Rd Secondary School, which had previously produced a considerable number of former professionals. By the time he had moved up to the third year he had been made captain of the school team, which led, eventually, to his joining West Park Rugby Union Club, to play in their Colts side.
“It was a really good place to develop your game, because there were no leagues to compete in; you just went out, without any pressure at all, to enjoy yourself. There were some really good players there, some of whom I thought were better than me. Peter Frodsham, who later joined me at Salford, was among those, as was hooker, Ellis Devlin.
“From the Colts I progressed into the first team, but, from there, changed to rugby league by joining St Helens Recs, which was where I resurrected my league career, at stand-off half.”
It was not long before his prowess in that, which was to become his favourite position, gained him his first representative honours by being selected, age twenty, not only to play for, but to captain Gt Britain Amateur team, in a game at The Willows.
“After the match, Salford’s ‘A’ team coach, Ken Roberts, came over to me to invite me to come down and meet the club Chairman, Brian Snape, which I did, and from that, I ended up signing for the Red Devils, just a few months after they had played in their 1969 Wembley Challenge Cup Final appearance, to go on to spend ten super years with them.”
