No one messed with this mighty Max

SOME famous players had to make do with bearing the name of one place in England’s green and pleasant land, like the last pre-war captain of the All Blacks, Jack Manchester. More recent examples include the revered Springbok flanker Tommy Bedford, the dual-code Australian Kangaroo-turned-Wallaby full-back Andrew Leeds and the versatile New Zealander Jon Preston.

That is not to forget the unluckiest of England coaches, Stuart Lancaster, nor the multi-dimensional Aussie Paul Warwick who featured in the last Munster team to win the European Cup. Then there were the few whose surnames were synonymous not merely with one city and town but a whole county.

Charlie Kent used to be one, the former Oxford University, Rosslyn Park and England centre who came from Somerset. His early passing at the age of 51 left a Welsh warrior to play a lone hand in bearing the name of a shire from the other side of Offa’s Dyke.

In an Aberavon team of hard nuts, Max Wiltshire stood out which took some doing given that his contemporaries included Billy Mainwaring, John Richardson, Peter Jones and Richie Davies to name but four. English teams venturing into Port Talbot in those days would be given a friendly bit of advice free, gratis and for nothing: “Don’t mess with Max.”

The second row enforcer made his Wales debut against Brian Lochore’s All Blacks on Armistice Day 1967, locking the scrum with his club partner Mainwaring in a team featuring an uncapped duo from Aberavon behind the pack – full-back Paul Wheeler and centre Ian Hall.

Wiltshire, who died last month at the age of 83, had come a long way to play for Wales, from Milsom Point in Sydney. His parents emigrated there during the 1930’s, returning when Max was 18 months old.

His funeral, at Margam Crematorium next Tuesday afternoon, is by invitation only. Max Wiltshire’s final journey will allow those who revered him to pay their last respects with the cortege due to pass the Talbot Athletic Ground at approximately 1.15pm.