In Memoriam: Alan Briers

Reputed to be the first signing from the Blackbrook club, Alan made his debut at stand-off against Hull at Knowsley Road on 14^th April 1959. This gave him the Heritage Number #764 and Saints won 37-16 in front of over 18,000 fans. His scrum-half was Alex Murphy, who scored a hat-trick of tries. In the centre was another ex-Brooker, Brian McGinn, who had come through the amateur ranks later.

In the late 1950s he was called up for National Service with the 7^th Armoured Division in Germany, part of the British Army of the Rhine. He won two inter-unit seven-a-side rugby union championships during his tenure in khaki.

Top of the table Saints were League Champions in 1958-59 but it was Alan’s only appearance. He broke into the seniors the following season with 19 starts, essentially in the halves but Alan was a skilful, speedy player with an eye for the gap who could play anywhere in the backline if required, especially as a centre. The squad won the Lancashire League and Alan’s contribution of 6 tries in 19 appearances made the fair-haired flyer a crowd favourite. His last match of the campaign again saw him in the halves with Alex Murphy, against Wigan in the Championship semi-final on 5^th May at Knowsley Road in front of 33,000 fans. Top-of-the-table Saints lost Murphy, who was dismissed after tangling with Wigan’s Mick Sullivan and the match, 9-19. A case of what might have been.

Alan continued as a squad member, in competition with the likes of Brian McGinn, Ken Large and Wilf Smith for a place in the team. On 3^rd December 1960, Alan scored a brilliant try against the visiting Australians from right centre, in a memorable 15-12 success. Yet he was not selected for the Wembley squad in 1961 against Wigan, Large and McGinn getting the nod in the centres and gradually, he began to feel disillusioned with his progress at Knowsley Road.

His last match for the Saints was at home to Castleford on 18^th October 1962, when he was centre to Tom van Vollenhoven. Although he drifted away from the game briefly, he returned and was snapped up by Widnes, in April 1963. The following season he won a Challenge Cup winner’s medal with the Chemics, together with two other former Saints – Vince Karalius and Jimmy Measures. His winger was another St Helens born player, Bobby Chisnall. Alan scored the first try after 52 minutes as Widnes overcame Hull KR 13-5 which made him very proud indeed.

Second-rower Jimmy Measures was a team-mate of Alan at both Saints and Widnes and is fulsome in his praise: “A tough lad, for sure and a real player’s player. Alan was a good footballer who would always look both ways when he broke through the line for support. Alan was born off Park Road, and a quiet lad. I worked with him for a while at the Water Board and other places too, when your weekly wage was more than your football money.”

Alan married Pamela in the summer of 1964, and they remained in the same house in Old Nook Lane, off Chain Lane, for 56 years. He played 71 matches overall for the Saints, scoring 17 tries and there were some exciting ones amongst those too! Some of his team-mates, such as Dick Huddart, Alex Murphy, Vince Karalius and Tom van Vollenhoven were some of the greatest in the club’s history. It was a pity that his tenure at Knowsley Road was relatively short, considering his all-round ability and value as a utility player.