\n The Great Britain international wore the primrose and blue jersey for three successful seasons under Alex Murphy and played a starring role in the Challenge Cup Final triumph against Featherstone Rovers at Wembley in 1974.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin Ashcroft, left, and John Bevan celebrating the Challenge Cup Final success at Wembley in 1974 (Image: Newsquest)\n<\/p>\n
\n Later he became Warrington coach and led them to a Lancashire Cup Final success against St Helens, while also steering them to a third-place finish in the Championship table the following season.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u2018Ashy\u2019 also played for Dewsbury, Rochdale Hornets, Leigh and Salford, also coaching at the latter two in two different spells. He ended his coaching career at Blackpool Panthers in 2005.\n<\/p>\n
\n Also known for his no-nonsense and characterful punditry with BBC Radio Manchester\u2019s live coverage and post-match listener debates, he was inducted into the Warrington Players\u2019 Association Hall of Fame in 2010 in honour of his service.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin Ashcroft, left, receiving his Hall of Fame certificate in 2010 alongside Ken Kelly, George Thornton, Alex Murphy and Dave Chisnall (Image: Newsquest)\n<\/p>\n
\n Ashcroft, born in Newton-le-Willows in 1944, started his professional career with Dewsbury in 1964 and had a stint with Rochdale before his first link-up with Murphy at Leigh in 1967.\n<\/p>\n
\n There, Ashcroft featured in one of Leigh\u2019s greatest successes, their Challenge Cup Final victory over hot favourites Leeds at Wembley.\n<\/p>\n
\n Five days later, Murphy took charge at Warrington but did not achieve sustained success until he signed Ashcroft for \u00a37,000 in the summer of 1972 and made him vice-captain.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin Ashcroft (Image: Newsquest)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cOur supporters wanted a top-class hooker,\u201d said Warrington chairman Ossie Davies.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cSo we bought them the best. Kevin is a brilliant player and will ensure our backs see plenty of the ball.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin Ashcroft on the attack towards the Railway End at Wilderspool Stadium (Image: Newsquest)\n<\/p>\n
\n With Ashcroft at their heart, Warrington won the League Leaders\u2019 Shield in 1972-73 but had no luck in the cup competitions.\n<\/p>\n
\n All that changed the following season as The Wire collected the Captain Morgan Trophy, the Player\u2019s No6 Trophy, the Challenge Cup and the Club Championship.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ashcroft was the man of the match in the Player\u2019s No6 Trophy Final, after winning the scrum battle 15-5 to supply his teammates with plenty of possession.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin Ashcroft, right, enjoying great times with The Wire alongside Parry Gordon after the Players No6 Trophy Final success (Image: Newsquest)\n<\/p>\n
\n Typically, he gave his \u00a325 prize to the Wigan groundsman in thanks for the hard work he had done on the pitch after a morning downpour.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u2018Ashy\u2019 scored the first try as The Wire beat Featherstone Rovers 24-9 in May 1974 to win the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin Ashcroft, second from right, celebrating the 1974 Challenge Cup Final success at Wembley with his teammates and son Gary, who was the team’s mascot that day (Image: Newsquest)\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin Ashcroft at a parade of Warrington’s 1974 Challenge Cup Final winning squad at The Halliwell Jones Stadium in 2014 (Image: Newsquest)\n<\/p>\n
\n At the end of the 1973-74 season, Ashcroft went on his second tour to Australia and collected his sixth Great Britain cap.\n<\/p>\n
\n He continued to produce international form throughout the 1974-75 season as Warrington reached two more finals, against Salford in the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy and against Widnes in the Challenge Cup.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin Ashcroft in the 1975 Challenge Cup Final at Wembley (Image: Newsquest)\n<\/p>\n
\n Ashcroft also became the first Warrington player to kick a one-point drop goal, against Widnes in an 8-8 draw at Wilderspool, in August 1974.\n<\/p>\n
\n The return trip to Wembley, however, was Ashcroft\u2019s last match as a Warrington player before he became Leigh\u2019s player-coach in June 1975.\n<\/p>\n
\n He then spent a season back at Rochdale before he linked up with Murphy again at Salford in August 1978 before serving as Warrington coach from 1982-84.\n<\/p>\n
\n After replacing Billy Benyon as Wire coach, he guided his men to a comprehensive 16-0 victory over St Helens in the 1982 Lancashire Cup Final at Central Park.\n<\/p>\n
\n The following season, he masterminded Warrington\u2019s rise to third place in the Championship, topped only by the two Hull clubs.\n<\/p>\n
\n He helped to bring through a number of young players at the club and was the coach who signed future Wire skipper and rugby league legend Mike Gregory.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin Ashcroft, right, when he signed Mike Gregory for Warrington (Image: Newsquest)\n<\/p>\n
\n His 18-year playing career took in five clubs and almost 600 appearances, including nine for Great Britain and four for Lancashire.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u2018Ashy\u2019 was 60 when be brought his coaching career to an end at Blackpool Panthers in 2005.\n<\/p>\n
Kevin Ashcroft\u2019s Warrington playing record:<\/p>\n
\n First game: 20\/08\/1972\n<\/p>\n
\n Last game: 10\/05\/1975\n<\/p>\n
\n Appearances: 123 starts, 1 substitute\n<\/p>\n
\n Tries: 20\n<\/p>\n
\n One of Kevin Ashcroft’s 20 Wire tries (Image: Newsquest)\n<\/p>\n
\n Goals: 0\n<\/p>\n
\n Drop goals: 23\n<\/p>\n
\n Points: 101<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Great Britain international wore the primrose and blue jersey for three successful seasons under Alex Murphy and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":454820,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-454819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=454819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/454820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=454819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=454819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=454819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}