Former Warrington Wolves winger Mark Forster's 60th birthday

NO Warrington-born player has scored more tries or made more appearances for the town’s professional rugby league club than the remarkable Mark Forster.

His 191 touchdowns for Warrington Wolves over 20 seasons has only been bettered by three - his former teammate and dual-code Wales international John Bevan (201), Runcorn-born Jack Fish (215) and Australian Brian Bevan (740).

And in terms of pulling on the jersey, only Brian Bevan (620), Parry Gordon (528) and Jack ‘Cod’ Miller (526) did so more times than Foz (458).

But these statistics spanning 1983 to 2000, along with his three trophy successes in primrose and blue and his representative games with Lancashire (2), Great Britain under 21s (3), Great Britain (2), and Ireland (1996-2001), only partially tell the tale of a man who returned to the community game and was still playing at Woolston Rovers in his 50s.

After a swansong 2001 campaign with Widnes Vikings in the Northern Ford Premiership ended his professional playing days, Foz returned to his roots.

He took up a coaching position with Rylands and before long was putting on his boots again.

Around six years at the Gorsey Lane club and a similar spell with Bank Quay Bulls - a period in which he converted from a winger/centre to mainly a forward - allowed him to realise ambitions of playing in cup finals with his sons Chris, aged 27, and Danny, aged 25.

He kept his promise to the late Rovers president Harry Crank by returning to play for the club he left to turn professional with Warrington on his 17th birthday, though he had been playing as an amateur for the Wolves reserve team prior to that.

His rugby league story began, aged 11, at Richard Fairclough High School.

The blossoming talent and killer speed that went on to see him crowned the fastest man in British rugby league in 1986 soon led to him training with Latchford Albion.

He accepted advice to join the junior ranks at Woolston and early representative honours came with Warrington Schoolboys, North West Counties and then England Schoolboys at the age of 16.

By 15 he had played in Woolston’s under 19s, the first team and had got on to Wolves’ books, though his last amateur game was with Crosfields under 17s - the only team for his correct age in the town at the time.

Two months after turning pro he made his Warrington debut as a centre to Rick Thackray in a 17-10 loss at Barrow on January 16, 1983. His Wolves last game was on the wing outside Alan Hunte in a 38-10 home defeat of Salford on September 17, 2000.

Foz, who also had a short spell with North Sydney in the NRL in 1986, showed a penchant for long-range tries.

Some of the most memorable came against arch-rivals Wigan, while also having a knack for touching down on the big occasions.

It was his four-pointer in the narrow 1989-90 Challenge Cup semi-final win against Oldham that took Warrington to the old Wembley for the last time.

He crossed in the Premiership Trophy Final defeat of champions Halifax at Elland Road (Leeds) in 1986 and the Lancashire Cup Final success against Oldham at Knowsley Road (St Helens) in 1989.

Foz, whose Ireland career courtesy of the heritage of his grandmother started with the Super League World Nines in Fiji in 1996, was the club’s top try scorer in a season on three occasions, his best return being 24 in 40 games in 1994-95.