Arise, Sir Billy

• Billy Boston awarded one of the highest honours in King’s Birthday Honours list.
• Knighthood will likely be rugby league’s most prestigious moment to date.

Everybody at Wigan Warriors is today filled with joy at the news that Billy Boston, Wigan’s greatest player, WILL BE made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE), and becomes Sir William John Boston KBE.

Billy was born on 6 August 1934 as the sixth child of 11 to an Irish mother Nellie and a father from Sierra Leone John Boston, who lived in Butetown, Tiger Bay, Cardiff.

Billy attended South Church Street School and it was evident from the early days that he would not be an academic, and upon leaving school, he joined a local factory, Elliot Equipment, whose main business was rubber dinghies and parachutes.

Boston’s sporting abilities were spotted at an early age, especially his speed and potential talent for rugby, so much so that before turning 17 he was playing for the Cardiff International Athletic Club (CICA) – formed in 1946 by young men in the Tiger Bay district of Cardiff, many of whom were ex-servicemen.

The name Boston was quickly reverberated around South Wales, and having played for Neath, Billy was invited to play for Aberavon and Neath against the touring Springboks in November 1951, however, this clashed with a Welsh Youth International game and wiser heads advised the latter fixture to be more significant.

In 1952, Boston was called up for Military Service and dispatched to Catterick, North Yorkshire. His reputation had gone before him and he found himself being head-hunted to join the Royal Signals who just happened to be the top Rugby Union unit in the services.

It was during Boston’s military service that many Rugby League clubs came calling – seeking Billy’s signature, including Workington and Hunslet.

Auspiciously, it was the Wigan Club who secured Boston’s signature for £3,000 after an initial offer of around £1,500. Billy Boston duly became a Wigan player on Friday 13 March 1953 – unlucky for some?

The 1953-54 season saw Wigan in the midst of an indifferent start having played 18 games winning only nine and losing the Lancashire Cup to St Helens. Then on 21 November 1953, a crowd of 18,247 entered Central Park to witness William John Boston make a try-scoring debut against Barrow, Wigan winning by 27 points to 15 and Boston earning the Heritage Number 553.

In that first season, Boston appeared in 10 matches and returned 14 tries – a sign that perhaps the Wigan directors, Joe Taylor and Billy Gore, had uncovered a try-scoring phenomenon which the next 15 seasons proved they had.

Boston, in comparison to many that have worn the Cherry and White shirt of Wigan, did not gain many major medals during his career, but he had the ability to create scoring records with his speed, strength, support play, power and cleverness to beat his opponent with a unique side-step.

He actually won seven major honours at Wigan – including one Championship Play-Off v Wakefield Trinity on 21 May 1959 at Odsal. Boston and Eric Ashton scored a brace of tries, Bill Sayer adding a fifth with Fred Griffiths converting six goals with a convincing 27-3 win in front of 83,190.

Boston followed up with three Challenge Cups medals from six finals, his successes coming in 1958 v Workington, 1959 v Hull where he scored two tries in a 30-13 victory (the only tries he scored at Wembley), and the final triumph coming in 1965 v Hunslet. Although he had a 50% success rate at Wembley, he probably regrets the hallowed turf never saw the best of Billy Boston.

He won one Lancashire Cup in 1966 in a tightly fought affair v Oldham, winning 16-13, again Boston appearing on the scoresheet having lost out to Oldham in the 1957 Final. Boston completed his medal haul with two Lancashire Championships in seasons 1958-59 and 1961-62 respectively.

Boston gained international honours with Great Britain, returning 24 tries whilst gaining 31 caps and was Wigan’s most capped player until Andy Farrell surpassed his appearances with 34. Boston toured in 1954 and 1962 and was a member of the World Cup squad in 1957 and 1960.

He was the first non-white player to be selected to tour Australia and New Zealand in 1954, on which he set a new record of 36 tries in 18 games. During that tour, Boston became the first player to score four tries in a game for Great Britain against New Zealand on 24 July 1954.

In July 1955, Wigan made another significant signing in Eric Ashton who struck up a considerable partnership with Boston and contributed to the scoring records Boston achieved.

Whilst wearing the Cherry and White of Wigan, Boston has scored three tries or more on 51 occasions and recorded a total try tally of 478 in 488 games. Both records remain intact and may never be surpassed and he is one of a select few Welshmen to have scored more than 1,000-points in their Rugby League career.

For 15 seasons, Boston was a living legend and played his last game for Wigan at Belle Vue, Wakefield in a 26-9 Play-Off Semi Final defeat on 27 April 1968.

The 1967-68 season saw the end of Billy Boston at Wigan and the start of his retirement from the game, however, 18 months later, Blackpool Borough announced Boston had signed for them. Boston though had to seek permission from the Rugby League Management Committee to resume playing due to some complications regarding his second testimonial.

He made another try-scoring debut for Blackpool on 26 December 1969 against Rochdale Hornets. Rochdale won the game 20-6 in front of Blackpool’s biggest crowd of the season – 3,447 – a significant increase from their previous home game of 250 against Workington.

Boston managed 11 games for Blackpool, returning five tries, and then subsequently retired from Rugby League for good, several weeks after his 36th birthday. On retirement, Boston became the licensee of the Griffin public-house in Standishgate – literally a drop kick from Central Park – until 1995.

After hanging up his boots, Boston had accumulated many honours in recognition of his Rugby League achievements, including an MBE in 1996, Honorary Life Member of Wigan Warriors, inducted into the Club’s Hall of Fame, inducted into the Rugby League Hall of Fame in 1988 , Member of the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame 1989, received the Tom Mitchell Trophy as Lion of the Year from the British Rugby League Lions Association in 1999, received ‘Honorary Freeman of the Wigan Borough’ in 2000 and winning the BBC Wales Elite Lifetime Achievement in 2016.

Boston’s playing career is just a small part of his effect on the Club and the town of Wigan, where he resided for over 60 years, however, for those 15 seasons he was the epitome of Rugby League, so much so that if you mention Wigan Rugby League around the world, the name on everyone’s lips is that of Billy Boston.

Boston now has a permanent residence at Wembley, Believe Square in Wigan, and Cardiff depicted in three bronze statues. The East Stand at the then DW Stadium was also renamed the Boston (East) Stand.

Commenting on Boston’s Knighthood, Wigan Warriors Owner Mike Danson said: “One of the biggest thrills in my ownership of Wigan Rugby League Club has been enjoying the company of Billy Boston.  Without doubt Billy was a player who was – and still is – the biggest crowd favourite in Rugby League.

“He is my mum Jean’s favourite player – they are of the same age! She remains in awe of the great man and his Rugby League legacy – not least his 478 tries in 488 magical games for the Club!

“I am therefore thrilled that at long last, Billy will be appointed as Rugby League’s first Knight!  A richly deserved honour which means this most humble of men, rightly receives at last, fitting recognition for his extraordinary efforts. Many congratulations to Billy, his wife Joan and the family on this magnificent achievement.”

Wigan Warriors Chairman Chris Brookes said: “I am absolutely delighted and so happy that Billy – and Rugby League – will finally receive the ultimate recognition his stellar career deserves by being appointed to a Knighthood in the King’s Birthday Honours.

“What a career! A three times Challenge Cup winner, 478 tries in 488 matches for his beloved Wigan Rugby League and the first black player to represent the Great Britain Lions – he was picked to tour Australia after just six matches for Wigan!

“He went onto play 31 games for Great Britain including being the first player to score four tries in a game v New Zealand. He also scored against Australia in the decisive game in the 1960 World Cup Final that earned Great Britain the World Crown!

“Heady times indeed yet this most modest of men has transcended time, becoming without doubt, the most revered player of our wonderful Sport.

“He attracts huge deserved accolades and attention wherever he goes and it was the privilege of my life to walk out onto the pitch at Wembley with Billy last year at the Challenge Cup Final. True to form, he explained to me how he had previously walked the hallowed turf many times with his great friend and teammate Eric Ashton.

“Billy represents our Town and Wigan Rugby League like no other and is thoroughly deserving of his new role and honour as Rugby League’s first Knight! My warmest congratulations to him, his wife Joan and all his lovely family “

Wigan Warriors’ Round 17 home game against Huddersfield Giants on Friday 11 July will be the Billy Boston tribute game – an event that is not to be missed.