Alf Ellaby

Alf Ellaby (born 24 November 1902, died in 1993 ) was an English rugby league footballer of the 1920s and '30s. He was born in Liverpool. A Wing, he remains the English national team's all-time top try-scorer and became the highest try scorer in the game's history with 446 tries until overtaken by Brian Bevan in 1954. Ellaby was Liverpool's first rugby league superstar, who saw a promising Association football career with Rotherham United ended by a knee injury before going on to become a St. Helens legend. He set the club's record for most tries in a match with six on 5 March 1932. A record that has since been matched, but never broken. Ellaby scored 50 tries in the 1926–27 season and 280 in 289 matches. A Great Britain, England, and Lancashire representative player, he was dubbed the "Hat-trick King", with 31 for his home-town club. Ellaby was transferred to Wigan in the mid 1930s to help ease the club’s financial burden but returned to Knowsley Road to complete his fantastic career.

Alf was, at various times, the landlord of the Veevers Arms and Ardwick Hotel in Blackpool, together with the George Hotel at Garforth, becoming a Director of Castleford for a spell. A member of the Saints’ Past Players’ Hall of Fame, he lived in Garforth until his death at the age of 90 in 1993. There was to be a final twist, however, quite befitting to one of the great sporting heroes of St.Helens. His ashes were taken home on the Saints ‘A’ Team coach after a match at Castleford and were later scattered on the pitch at his beloved Knowsley Road.

It was no surprise when Alf was inducted into the Saints Greatest 17 in the autumn of 2010 and he was joined by Les Fairclough, his stand-off who had done so much to keep the threequarter line moving to provide Alf with so many of his scoring opportunities.

International honours

Alf Ellaby won caps for England while at St. Helens in 1927 against Wales, in 1928 against Wales (2 matches), in 1930 Other Nationalities, in 1931 against Wales, in 1932 against Wales (2 matches), in 1934 against France, while at Wigan in 1935 against France, and won caps for Great Britain while at St. Helens in 1928 Australia (3 matches), and New Zealand (2 matches), in 1929 against Australia, 1930 against Australia, in 1932 Australia (3 matches), and New Zealand (2 matches), in 1933 Australia.

External links

• Alf Ellaby at saints.org.uk
• Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org
• International Statistics at englandrl.co.uk
• Lions 'nil' Kangaroos
• GB too strong in Christchurch…
• Lions win in Dunedin