The Immortals...and the Hall of Fame
John McKeown - fullback
A living legend, probably the
greatest goal kicker in Cumberland RL history. His phenomenal
left boot set the club record of 141 goals in a season. Memorable
performance to help beat Australia in 1956. He is seen below
kicking against Huddersfield in either 53 or 54. Picture thanks
to Joe Burns who is sitting as a lad on the top of the bank.
Bill Smith - right wing
Another Aussie beater. Powerful,
straight running winger and rugged defender whose 29 tries in
a season stood for many years as a club record. Earned and England
shadow team place in an era of brilliant wingmen.
Vince Gribbin - right centre
 At
19 years of age he was the club's youngest ever Great Britain
cap. Electric pace, smashing Smith's try scoring record with
31 touchdowns and scoring a record six tries in a match against
Doncaster.
Eppie Gibson - left centre
Won both the Wembley Challenge
Cup and League Championship winners medals with neighbours Workington
Town before joining Haven as player-coach. Took Haven to their
best ever league position in 1960 and also to the quarter final
of the Challenge Cup when 18,500 people packed the Recreation
Ground for the tie against eventual winners, Wakefield Trinity.
Syd Lowdon - left wing
Match winner and crowd pleaser.
One of the most naturally talented and versatile backs in the
club's history. Skipper of the team that beat Australia before
being sold to Salford. Fine goalkicker and unlucky not to play
for Great Britain. Like Smith, a key member of the 1957 Challenge
Cup semi-final team.
Phil Kitchin - stand off
Capped for Great Britain against New
Zealand. Edged out Bill Garrett from the Immortals, such was
his talent and overall impact on the club.
Arnold Walker - scrum half
 Another full international. Brave and skilful,
'Boxer' Walker was a record £30,000 signing from Workington
and like Kitchin later coached Haven.
Bill McAlone - prop forward
A forward of Herculean strength.
A cornerstone of the great 1957 and 1960 teams, holding his own
with the greatest props of the day and grooming some of Whitehaven's
finest forwards such as Huddart, Holliday and Tembey.
Aaron Lester - hooker
Only present day Haven player
to join The Immortals. New Zealander noted for clever play making
and dynamic running suited to the modern game.
John Tembey - prop
Started as a centre and developed
into an international class front-row forward. One of the 1960
stars and later transferred to St Helens to win the Test honours.
Dick Huddart - second row
One of the all time rugby league greats. Sensational player and
a big star of two Great Britain Ashes series wins over Australia.
Won even greater honour in the game with St Helens and later
Sydney St George in Australia. Still Haven's only GB Tourist.
Bill Holliday - second row
Followed Huddart into the Great
Britain team. Joined Hull KR and became the only Cumbrian to
captain his country, leading Britain in three Tests against Australia.
Also captained the Cumbrian side to a 1967 win over the Kangaroos.
Gordon Cottier - loose forward
Unlucky not to win international honours
but ranked as one of the club's most accomplished footballers. Classy
with leadership skills and good enough to take the Immortals no 13 shirt
away from Geoff Robinson. Sadly Gordon who play 320 times (plus 20 sub
appearances) for the Recreation Ground club paased away at the age of
74 in 2023.
Reserves:Bill
Garratt, Geoff Robinson, Dave Watson and Les Moore.
The Hall
of Fame
latest...Prop forward Bill
McAlone has become the third player to be inducted into the
club's hall of fame.
McAlone played 327 times for Haven after making his debut in
1950 and he also represented Cumberland 11 times.
He joins legendary goal-kicker John McKeown and the club's only
British Lion Dick Huddart in the Hall of Fame which was opened
last year.
In 2006 Jeff Bawden, who was born and brought up in Whitehaven,
died aged 82.
Bawden started his Rugby League career with Whitehaven amateur
club, Hensingham, and after making his debut for Huddersfield
in the Yorkshire |Cup against |Hull at Fartown on October 23,
l943, gained l4 Cumberland caps.
In June 2006 THE rugby league world was in mourning after the
sudden death of Cumbrian legend Ike Southward at Workington.
Unstoppable winger Southward, 71, who was once transferred for
a world record fee, starred for Workington, Oldham and briefly
Whitehaven during an illustrious career.
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