Warrington Wolves Hall of Fame member Laurie Gilfedder has died

Former Great Britain and Lancashire representative Laurie Gilfedder passed away, aged 83, in Warrington Hospital on Monday.

Laurie Gilfedder at the Warrington Wolves Past Players' Association annual dinner in 2008

Laurie, the youngest player to make his home debut at Wilderspool - aged 16 years and 199 days against Belle Vue in 1951 - went on to feature in 283 first-team games for the club.

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He was a member of the 1959-60 Lancashire Cup-winning side and the one that reached the Championship Final against Leeds in 1961.

Laurie Gilfedder, stood third from the right on the back row, with the Wire team of his era. On his right are Jim Challinor and Brian Bevan

His Wire days were capped on the Great Britain tour Down Under in 1962.

Four years were then spent at Wigan, whom he joined for a then Wire record transfer fee of £9,500, and he appeared in two Challenge Cup Finals, kicking a penalty goal from the halfway line in the opening 70 seconds of the win against Hunslet at Wembley in 1965 before losing out to St Helens in the decider the following year.

He finished his playing days under player-coach Alex Murphy at Leigh, where he took his career points total to 2,315.

Almost half of them were scored for his hometown club Wire, whom he joined from Warrington Rugby Union Club as a 6ft 15st centre or back-rower.

Laurie Gilfedder in kicking mode

His 96 tries and 426 goals in primrose and blue featured in him being the club's top try scorer in 1956-57, while he was leading goal scorer in three seasons as well.

No wonder he was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame.

Laurie, who was raised in Woolston and moved to Stockton Heath in 1955 - the year he got married to his late wife Hilda - was a senior warehouse supervisor for Greenalls between 1960 and 1991.

Rugby league continued to be a major focus in his life after he hung up his boots and was an active member of the Warrington Players' Association.

Laurie Gilfedder, fifth from left, supporting The Wire in 2013 with members of the club's players' association

He leaves a daughter, Lynne, four grandchildren and four great granddaughters. Laurie survived another daughter, Dianne.

Laurie's funeral service will take at Blessed John Henry Newman Catholic Church, Back Brook Place, Knutsford Road, Warrington, WA4 1JE, on Thursday, January 24, at 10.30am followed by burial at Fox Covert.