HAPPY Lancashire Day!

As April Fools go, hacking up the county of Lancashire on April 1,1974 and at the stroke of a pen sending towns and villages north to Cumbria, south to Cheshire and lumping proud, independent boroughs into the city conurbations of Merseyside and Greater Manchester took the biscuit.

Bizarrely, in rugby league land, if you take those boundaries at face value, then there’s no longer a single professional club in the Lancashire.

Minnows Blackpool Borough were the only representatives, post re-organisation, but they have sadly long since bitten the dust.

In 1974 Saints and Huyton were shunted into Merseyside, Wigan, Leigh, Rochdale, Salford, Swinton and Oldham are in Greater Manchester, Barrow was whisked off to Cumbria and Widnes and Warrington were swallowed up by Cheshire’s encroachment north of the River Mersey.

But ignore that bureaucratic meddling – those of us who are still proud Lancastrians should celebrate Lancashire Day, especially in rugby league towns like St Helens.

St Helens will always had a strong affinity with the county cup, winning the trophy 11 times between 1926 and 1990, dominating the competition in the sixties.

Who could forget that rainy Sunday afternoon at Central Park in 1984, when Big Mal Meninga swatted off Shaun Edwards to score twice and help Saints end a seven-year trophy drought?

Saints also won the Lancashire League 11 times for good measure – and the ornate piece of silverware that went with it.

And when it came to the county team, Saints have had dozens of Lancashire representatives over the decades, playing in the County Championship, War of the Roses or Origin games.

So for old time’s sake – and for the Red Rose county, have a crack at naming a best Saints Lancashire-capped XIII.

(Image: Archives)

There’s plenty to choose from across all eras!

Saints’ Lancastrians: Chris Arkwright, Jack Arkwright, Len Aston, Frank Barrow, Billy Benyon, Tommy Bishop, Bill Bretherton, Billy Briers, Albert Butler, Frank Carlton, Dave Chisnall, Eric Chisnall, Charlie Crooks, Eddie Cunningham, Keiron Cunningham, Bob Doherty. Dave Eckersley, Alf Ellaby, Les Fairclough, Albert Fildes, Bill Finnan, Jim Flanagan, Paul Forber, Tom Foulkes, Ray French, Alf Frodsham, Jack Garvey, Martin Gleeson, Charlie Glover, Peter Glynn, Dougie Greenall, Paul Groves, Roy Haggerty, Albert Halsall, Jack Halsall, Peter Harvey, Stan Hill, Neil Holding, Jimmy Honey, Lou Houghton, Les Jones, Bob Jones, Tim Jonkers, Chris Joynt, Tony Karalius, Vince Karalius, Ken Kelly, Doug Laughton, Barrie Ledger, Frank Lee, Graham Liptrot, Paul Loughlin, Jimmy Mavitty, Kevin McCormack, Stan McCormick, Teddy McLoughlin, Kevin Meadows, Bill Mercer, Peter Metcalfe, Peter Molyneux, Alex Murphy, Frank Myler, George Nicholls, Andy Northey, Steve Peters, Geoff Pimblett, Harry Pinner, Andy Platt, Alan Prescott, Eric Prescott, William Prescott, Austin Rhodes, Frank Riley, Bill Sayer, Paul Sculthorpe, Nat Silcock, John Stankevitch, Jon Stephens, Tony Stewart, Jimmy Stott, Tom Sudlow, Ab Terry, Norman Thompson, David Traynor, Fred Trenwith, John Walsh, Paul Wellens, Alan Whittle, Tom Winnard.