WEMBLEY'S famous twin towers are Halton Council's trump card in its bid to bring a national Rugby League museum to the borough.

The council, backed by a major UK company it has yet to name, is hoping to buy the towers then either slice them or dismantle them brick by brick and move them from their traditional home at Wembley to the waterfront of Widnes' West Bank - where they would stand at the opening of the proposed museum.

The Rugby Football League invited clubs to come forward with tenders for the museum earlier this year and Halton, along with nine other local authories, submitted its plans last Friday.

When the ambitious plans were made public last weekend, the common reaction was one of deep shock. But council chiefs are passionate about their bid and convinced of its success.

Halton Council has commissioned Liverpool architects Ormrods to work on the project. Together they believe that bringing Rugby League home to Widnes is just what the town deserves.

At a press conference on Monday, leader of the council Tony McDermott pointed out: "Widnes was one of the founder members of the breakaway from Rugby League a hundred years ago and to have the museum here would be a great honour for the town."

He added that the first match after the breakaway was between Runcorn and Widnes - so where better to celebrate the history of the sport than here in Halton?

And Alan Edwards, Halton's regeneration adviser, who masterminded the idea of bringing the towers up north, agrees that a rugby museum in Widnes would be the best backdrop for them.

He said: "It would be very appropriate for rugby and Widnes to save the twin towers. The challenge cup has been played at Wembley for 70 years. It is the absolute pinnacle of the game."

Despite currently being in the first division, Alan Edwards also cited Widnes' past successes, its superb stadium and the fact that it was the last team to beat Australia in 1979 as yet more reasons to bring another museum to the borough and put Widnes firmly on the map.

Communication links at the site are also second to none. The location - adjacent to the Desoto Road turn-off of the Runcorn-Widnes bridge - is just three-quarters-of-a-mile from Runcorn station and the same distance from the Catalyst museum, which means fans from all over the country can visit both in one day.

And instead of simply offering just another museum, Halton promises to deliver a unique Rugby League Experience. The plans show a manicured lawn area, display galleries, a library, a restaurant and film and video projections of world rugby greats and local heroes like Jonathan Davies and Martin Offiah.

The whole project will be funded by grants and sponsorship and Halton Council is convinced that it will be of no extra cost to the taxpayer. The attractions featured at the museum mean more jobs at the five-acre site and a boost to industry in the area.

If the bid is successful the monuments could be on the way down the motorway next September and a derelict patch of land off the Runcorn-Widnes bridge will be staging the biggest jigsaw competition the borough has ever seen.

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