Daughter's request about her father Brian Bevan's statue at Halliwell Jones Stadium

MANY of us have hard-working, honest, loyal and supportive dads and we love them to pieces.

Jeanette Lane had such a father and spoke movingly about him at The Halliwell Jones Stadium last week.

She received a standing ovation for her efforts.

Her father’s name was Brian Bevan, the former Warrington winger, who was born 100 years ago on June 24, 1924.

Jeanette recalled that her father was born in Sydney, Australia, in Bondi, and grew up with a huge love of sport and wanted to be a professional rugby league player, just like his father, Rick.

After watching cricket matches in Sydney, he would run home, sidestepping round the telegraph poles on the way to improve his balance and sprinting skills. He would also work on tactics by arranging differently coloured marbles into various formations.

At 17, in 1942, he joined the Australian navy to fight in World War Two. The ship he served on was hit by the enemy. Bevan could have been killed and was left shell-shocked. After that experience he became a heavy smoker.

His ship was sent to England for repairs and Brian was given shore leave.

A family friend, Bill Shankland, the former Warrington captain, tried to arrange a trial for him with Leeds. But Leeds were not interested in the unknown Australian sailor who played with bandages on his knees and so Shankland said he should try Warrington instead.

The rest, as Jeanette said, is history. Warrington signed him for £300 and he went on to score a world record 796 tries, including a club record 740 for Warrington. On two occasions, he scored seven tries in a match.

VIEW: Amazing 150 pictures to mark 100 years since Brian Bevan's birth

He was the fastest player of his day. Jeanette recalled that during one family holiday at Butlin’s Brian won the camp’s 100 yards sprint race in an unofficial time of 9.3 seconds, beating the official world record.

Jeanette revealed that Brian, like many sportsmen and women, had his own habits, rituals and superstitions. On match day, he always wore the same pair of socks and, before home games, he was always dropped off at the old Thames Board factory at Arpley before walking the rest of the way to Wilderspool.

After Bevan’s 620th and final appearance for Warrington, against Leigh on Easter Monday 1962, he appeared at the front of the old wooden main stand at Wilderspool with Jeanette and his wife, Doreen, to wave to his adoring fans one last time.

The fans wanted him to make a speech but, said Jeanette, he was far too emotional to do that. He was a quiet man, a humble man, and a dedicated professional. So dedicated that he twice interrupted his honeymoon to attend training sessions.

TRIBUTE: Incredible career of Brian Bevan, whose try-scoring feats will never be broken

He was also musical and could play the piano and the banjo. His younger brother, Owen, also played for Warrington and, according to Brian, never received the credit and recognition he deserved. But then he was always going to be in his brother’s massive shadow.

Jeanette spoke of her pride in the Brian Bevan Wall and Brian Bevan Statue at The Halliwell Jones Stadium and had one request. Could the statue be provided with floodlights so that it could be illuminated at night?

I suppose that planning permission may be required for that but it sounds like a good idea and a fitting way to honour Warrington’s greatest player.

Gary Slater, Penketh