Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 21 June 1948 Widnes, Lancashire, England[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 21 August 2023 (aged 75) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing, Centre, Second-row, Loose forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eric Prescott (21 June 1948 – 21 August 2023) was an English rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for Widnes ICI RUFC, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Lancashire, and at club level for St Helens,[3] Salford (two spells), Widnes and Runcorn Highfield, as a wing, centre, second-row or loose forward. He was the father of England international rugby league player, Steve Prescott.
Eric Prescott was born in Widnes, Lancashire, England. He died on 21 August 2023, at the age of 75.[4]
Prescott joined St Helens in 1968 and appeared in his first Championship final in the 1969–70 season when he played left wing, and scored two-tries in St. Helens' 24-12 victory over Leeds at Odsal Stadium, Bradford on Saturday 16 May 1970,[3] The following season he was a substitute (replacing prop Graham Rees) in St. Helens' 4-7 defeat by Leigh in the 1970 Lancashire Cup Final at Station Road, Swinton on Saturday 28 November 1970.
Prescott appeared for St Helens in three finals of the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy. In the 1968 final he was substitute as St Helens lost 4–7 to Wigan at Central Park, Wigan on Tuesday 17 December 1968,[5] In 1970 he was in St Helens' starting line-up, playing right-second-row in the 5-9 defeat by Leeds at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Tuesday 15 December 1970. He was, eventually, on the winning side in 1971 when he played at left-second-row in the 8-2 victory over Rochdale Hornets at Headingley Stadium on Tuesday 14 December 1971.
Prescott was transferred from St. Helens to Salford for a world record fee of £13,500 on 6 September 1972. As well as being part of the Salford team that won the league in the 1973–74, and 1975–76, Prescott appeared at loose forward in Salford's 2-15 defeat by St. Helens in the Premiership Final during the 1975–76 season at Station Road, Swinton on Saturday 22 May 1976.[6]
Prescott and Salford appeared in four consecutive Lancashire Cup finals between 1972 and 1975, losing all of them. At loose forward Prescott was in Salford's 25-11 victory over Swinton in the 1972 Final at Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington on Saturday 21 October 1972, played loose forward in the 9-19 defeat by Wigan in the 1973 Final at Wilderspool on Saturday 13 October 1973,[7] played loose forward in the 2-6 defeat by Widnes in the 1974 Final at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday 2 November 1974, played loose forward in the 7-16 defeat by Widnes in the 1975 Final at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday 4 October 1975.
Prescott played loose forward in Salford's 0-0 draw with Warrington in the 1974 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Final during the at The Willows, Salford on Tuesday 17 December 1974, and played loose forward in the 10-5 victory over Warrington replay at Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington on Tuesday 28 January 1975.[8]
Prescott was transferred from Salford to Widnes for a fee of £22,000 in 1980. With Widnes he made two appearances in the Challenge Cup final. The first in the 1981 final as Widnes defeated Hull Kingston Rovers 18–9 at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 2 May 1981.[9] The second was the following year when Widnes drew 14–14 with Hull F.C. at Wembley on Saturday 1 May 1982 in front of a crowd of 92,147. Two weeks later he played right-second-row in the 9-18 defeat by Hull F.C. in the replay at Elland Road, Leeds on Wednesday 19 May 1982, in front of a crowd of 41,171.
His career at Widnes also included two more Lancashire Cup finals; the 3-8 defeat by Leigh in the 1981 Final at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday 26 September 1981, and in the 8-12 defeat by Barrow in the 1983 Final at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday 1 October 1983.
Prescott returned to Salford in January 1984 in a player exchange deal which saw John Wood make the move in the opposite direction.[6] He retired at the end of the 1984 season.[10]
Fours years later Prescott made a comeback with second division side Runcorn Highfield and retired for a second, and final, time at the end of the 1988–89 season having made 10 appearances.[11]
Prescott represented Lancashire on 11 occasions between 1970 and 1979.[2]