Russ Pepperell

Rugby league player for Huddersfield

Russell Pepperell, rugby league player: born Seaton, Cumberland 23 April 1918; married; died Sydney, New South Wales 15 January 2003.

Russ Pepperell was two days past his 35th birthday when he captained Huddersfield to victory over St Helens in the 1953 Challenge Cup final and thus became one of the oldest players ever to lift the famous rugby league trophy. It was the highlight of a career which, despite Pepperell's only playing for one professional club, was rich in variety.

Born in Seaton in Cumberland, Pepperell played for his county and for England as an amateur before signing for Huddersfield, who already had his brother, Stan, on their playing staff, in 1938.

Russ Pepperell made his first-team début at Bradford Northern the following year, but, like many players of his generation, he found his progress interrupted by the Second World War. At least his service in the Royal Artillery enabled him to take part in an historic oddity. Although the barriers between rugby league and rugby union were high and wide at the time, a wartime dispensation allowed a team of league players to play a union XV – under union rules – at Odsal in 1943. Pepperell was at full-back as the team of rugby league players won 18-11.

After the war, Huddersfield began to put together a formidable team, their best since the all-conquering "Team of all the Talents" of more than 30 years earlier, including three fine Australians – Johnny Hunter, Lionel Cooper and Pat Devery – and the Scottish loose-forward Dave Valentine. In their company, Pepperell won a Championship medal in 1949, when Warrington were beaten 13-12 at Maine Road, and he was in the side that lost the final to Wigan the following season.

He was also part of sides that won the Yorkshire Cup in 1950 and 1952, but his finest hour was in 1953, when he led them at Wembley. By then, he was Huddersfield's coach as well as their captain and played centre as Saints were beaten 15-10 in a highly physical confrontation. It was the undoubted highpoint of his career, but Pepperell played on for Huddersfield until 1956 – and just short of his 38th birthday – before retiring with a career record of over 350 games and 300 points for the club.

He had also made his mark on the representative scene, playing 10 times for Cumberland, in the days when their county sides were invariably strong, and four times for England. After retiring as a player, he coached at Keighley, before emigrating to Australia, where he had strong links through former team mates, and where he coached Manly in 1964 and 1965. After that, he stayed on in Sydney.

Although his great days were half a century ago, Pepperell was never forgotten at Huddersfield, whose current chairman, Ken Davy, credits Pepperell with igniting his passion for the game. Pepperell had twice returned to his old club in recent years, to watch their first game in Super League in 1998 and for the opening of the Huddersfield Hall of Fame the following year.

Dave Hadfield