John Etty dies in hospital at the age of 97

IT is with the deepest sorrow and sympathy to the whole family that we report the death of our former winger John Etty, who has died in a Blackpool hospital at the age of 97.

He was the last surviving member of what is generally known as Oldham’s ‘great side of the 50s’ – the team that won the Lancashire Cup

In 1956, 1957 and 1958 and were Rugby League champions in 1957 when they beat Hull 15-14 in the play-off final at Odsal on a day that will forever be etched in the annals of Oldham sport.

John Etty avoids the tackle of Tommy Harris to score - May 18th 1957.

Oldham lined up like this: Ganley; Cracknell, Davies, Ayres, ETTY; Daley, Pitchford; Jackson, Keith, Vines, Little, Winslade, Turner.

They’ve all gone now, but anyone old enough to remember May 18, 1957 will never forget that day and that match or Etty’s two tries in a memorable triumph, writes ROGER HALSTEAD.

For the record, Oldham trailed 6-5 at half-time and then went 11-5 down, but the brilliant boot of Bernard Ganley and tries by Etty (his second) and centre Denis Ayres did the trick.

Back then, I was still a schoolboy and still a Rochdale Hornets fan, but I got to know John well in a later life and found him to be the most engaging of personalities. Someone who knew him much closer and longer than I, currently vice-president of the Oldham club, John Chadwick, said of John:

“He was a great player and a true gentleman, a top-class bloke by any standards.”
He added: “He was a very close friend of Derek Turner. John was everybody’s friend, but a few at Oldham were REAL friends and ‘Rocky’ was one of those. John thought the world of him — so much so that one summer he helped Derek to build his own bungalow. And when he went to Wakefield it was Derek who persuaded Trinity to go for John.”

Michael Turner wrote of John in his brilliant history of the club:

“His barnstorming runs down the flank made him a great favourite of Watersheddings fans. The 1956-57 season was a personal triumph for John when he established the Oldham post-war try record with 43 touchdowns, which included two in the Championship Final against Hull and one in the Lancashire Cup Final triumph over St Helens.
“The golden streak of form that John found that year was a major contribution to the Championship coming to Oldham.”
John, a Yorkshire man, played for Batley, Oldham and Wakefield and won every domestic honour the game had to offer.”

The sincere condolences of everyone at the club go to John ‘s family and friends. Thanks for the memory of a golden age in the club’s history.