Whitehaven’s Tony King dies aged 88

Whitehaven Rugby League club have announced the death of one of their former players.
Winger Tony King, a former Kells and England amateur international, has died at the age of 88.


Tony was capped at both Under-19s and Open Age level while with Kells and he signed for Whitehaven in the autumn of 1957.

He made his first team debut on November 23 1957 when Haven produced one of their finest performances to beat the mighty Leeds 14-5.
Coach Eppie Gibson had drafted Tony into the team in the absence of regular winger Bill Smith and Gibson’s faith in the young rookie paid off when he was ever present for the remainder of the season.
A serious injury in his second season blighted what promised to be an exciting pro career.
Over the following three seasons he played just a handful of games playing his final first team game for Haven in a 5-0 win over Warrington in January 1964.
Overall in his pro career, Tony played 48 games for Haven scoring 18 tries.


He is survived by his son Mark, who is currently based in the USA.