Woolston Rovers will be hosting their Annual Season Launch Dinner featuring the Hall of Fame Induction and Heritage Numbers on Saturday 7th February 2026 at Warrington Masonic Hall, 15 Winmarleigh Street, Warrington, WA1 1NB, commencing at 7.00pm.

Former inductees have conducted their voting process for admission to this hallowed group, and the club are delighted to announce that there will be SIX new inductees to the Woolston Rovers Hall of Fame on the night; two each from the different eras of the club, 1959-1980, 1981-2000 and 2001-present.

The names of the 2026 inductees are: 1959-1980 Ray Pickersgill, who was a stalwart of the side in the late 1960s and 1970s as a strong running and hard tackling prop forward who never took a backward step and was a powerhouse in the pack, along with his brother Roy. He never shied away from getting stuck in and was a fantastic teammate to have alongside you and he is still a prominent member of our past players association and John Tilling, a brilliant goalkicking winger who regularly topped the point scoring charts for the club during the 1970s. He was fast, had a great sidestep and kicked goals for fun. He came through the successful Under 19s side of the early 1970s and once he finished playing he coached several of the sides that we put out every Saturday.

From the 1981-2000 era Chris Lawton, another one of those players who always gave 100% when out on the field and when the going got tough in the forwards he would be putting his hand up in both attack and defence with his never-say-die attitude that made him such a popular member of the side and Gary McKean, ‘Gaz’ was our first choice hooker during one of our most successful eras in the 1980s. He was a real ‘eighty minute’ grafter who was always near the top of the tackle counts. He always gave his best for the club and famously landed the drop goal in a 1-0 win over Wigan St Patricks.

Onto the 2001-present era and the first inductee is Jon Cole, made his debut in the open age first team at seventeen and never looked back. Jon was a fantastic player who came through our junior ranks and went onto represent Great Britain. Equally at home in the back row or at centre and he scored some great tries for the club and John Welch, who started at the club in the 1990s but his contribution spanned well into the 2000s. Strong runner and excellent goalkicker who started life in the backs but as time went on transitioned into a formidable front row forward. He was instrumental in getting Woolston to move to Monks Sports Club and eventually became Club Chairman for a period of time. After a few years away he came back and played in the NCL side when in his fifties, a great feat from a stalwart of the club.

All six inductees have played a significant role, both on and off the pitch for the club, and thoroughly deserve this recognition.

Also on the evening the current coaching staff, NCRL Head Coach Liam Lawton and NWML Head Coach Craig Woolvine, will be outlining their hopes and aspirations for the forthcoming season, which promises to be very exciting with the NCRL side looking to have a successful year in a revamped league, whilst our NWML will be hoping to regroup, after last season’s difficulties, and become a force once again. We will also have an Under 18s side once again next season, they had an excellent season just gone as a virtual Under 17s side, and we as a club are sure that they will prosper even further which will enhance our talent pool even further.

There will also be heritage numbers handed out by Mark Brookhouse to numerous players who have represented the famous Green & Gold with distinction over the years.

The excellent FrameSmart company, from Halifax, will also be in attendance offering a silent auction with many famous sporting stars being available for you to purchase.

Tickets are now on sale, priced at £25 each; if you would like to reserve a place then please contact Dave Whalley, either by phone call or text message on 07809 647014.