Leeds quartet join club’s hall of fame

Members of the 1957 and 1977 Challenge Cup winning teams have become the first players inducted into Leeds Rugby League’s hall of fame.

Lewis Jones, Keith McLellan, John Holmes and David Ward are the initial names on what is intended to be a roll call of the club’s greatest servants.

The honour was handed out at a reunion dinner last night to mark the 60th anniversary of Leeds’s Wembley triumph against Barrow – when McLellan captained a team which also included Jones – and 40 years since Holmes and Ward helped beat Widnes.

Rhinos plan to hold a celebration every year to mark a significant anniversary, when four more players will be inducted to the hall of fame.

All members must have played at least 150 first team games for Leeds, made an exceptional contribution to rugby in the city, achieved representative honours during their playing career and been retired for a minimum of five years.

McLellan, an Australian centre, scored 69 tries and five goals in 215 games for Leeds in the 1950s.

He also represented Combined Nationalities and at 86 is believed to be Leeds’s oldest surviving ex-player.

He flew from Melbourne to attend the reunion, but only learned of his entry into the hall of fame at last night’s dinner.

Jones, also a centre, played for Great Britain and Wales and scored 2,920 points and 1,244 goals – both club records until being overtaken by Kevin Sinfield – in 385 games.

Stand-off Holmes and hooker Ward both won every available honour with Leeds and also played for Great Britain, England and Yorkshire.