SAINTS are mourning the loss of one of their finest servants following the death of Alan Prescott.

The former club captain and coach passed away in a Wigan hospital at the age of 71 on Sunday night.

The front-row forward will not be easily forgotten by those who saw his no-nonsense style on the pitch in the 1950s or his later successes as coach.

Prescott won the Lance Todd trophy for his man of the match performance in Saints' 13-2 win over his former club Halifax in the 1956 Challenge Cup final.

But he is best remembered for his remarkable display as captain for Great Britain in the second Test against Australia of the 1958 tour.

Prescott broke his arm in the opening minutes of the game but refused to leave the field, playing the full 80 minutes to guide the side to victory.

The game levelled the series and the side went on to win the decider in Sydney.

Prescott made a total of 28 appearances for Great Britain between 1951 and 1958.

As coach he took Saints to their first Wembley victory against Wigan when they won the Challenge Cup 12-6 in 1961.

St. Helens chairman Tom Ellard said: "Alan was a tremendous player and a tremendous character. He remains one of the outstanding players in the club's long history.

"He displayed qualities as a player, particularly on the international scene, that were quite remarkable. He made a great impression on his teammates and, of course, everyone he played against.

"He went on to great successes as coach and even in retirement remained a keen member of the Past Players' Association until his illness."

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.