LEIGH Centurions RL Club are mourning the death of legendary winger Joe Walsh.

Walsh, a crowd favourite in his 15 years at Hilton Park, died in a hospice near his Scunthorpe home on Christmas Eve. He had been battling against cancer for a few years and was aged 64.

Walsh was an enigmatic winger who was a star turn with Leigh between 1965 and 1978. During that time he scored 128 tries in 353 games.

He was always a larger than life character who turned professional with Leigh during the same season as his former team mate Charlie Middlehurst from Widnes amateur side Derby Arms.

While Charlie only made one appearance during that 1965-66 season, Walsh on the other hand, cemented his place on the Leigh wing and following a try scoring debut in a 17-7 defeat of Leeds at Hilton Park on December 4,1965, he appeared in 21 games.

Not particularly noted for his speed, Walsh made up for a lack of pace with his aggressive running and rugged defence.

Walsh played a crucial part in Leigh’s greatest day when they lifted the RL Challenge Cup against red-hot favourites Leeds at Wembley in May 1971.

Walsh’s role was crucial in Leigh’s path to the Twin Towers.

He scored one of only three Leigh tries in the competition - that a vital score in a first round 9-2 win over Bradford.

Leigh went on to cause one of the biggest-ever Challenge Cup Final shocks with a convincing 24-7 defeat of Leeds and the stories of his arrest for climbing a lamp-post, and refusing to come down, at the homecoming parade have passed into local folklore.

Representative honours came along after Leigh’s success with Walsh being called up for Lancashire and then, in October 1971, came selection for the full Great Britain side.

His solitary international appearance came against the touring New Zealanders. Great Britain had already lost the opening test of the series at Salford and lost again in the second test at Castleford. Walsh scored one of the hosts four tries but the usually reliable David Watkins had an off day with boot. Despite that try scoring debut, John Atkinson was preferred in the final test and Walsh became a one-cap wonder.

In the 1975-76 season Walsh joined an elite band when he passed the 100-tries mark for the club.

The following season proved to be Walsh’s last as a player at Leigh and came at a time when young stars Des Drummond and John Woods were starting to make their mark. Despite the competition, Joe played 17 games and scored eight tries. By the end of the campaign, Joe had played over 350 games for the club – a tally that comfortably places him amongst the club’s top 10 stalwarts.

After leaving Leigh, Joe had a short spell with Warrington where he scored a try in ten games before his career ended.

No funeral details have yet been announced.