John William Westhead (first ¼ 1966 – 29 May 2000) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played for at representative level for Great Britain Under-21s, and at club level for Leigh (Heritage №), as a second-row.
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | John William Westhead[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | first ¼ 1966 Ince, Lancashire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 29 May 2000 (aged 34) Leigh, Greater Manchester, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Second-row | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Background edit
John Westhead's birth was registered in Ince, Lancashire, England, and he died aged 34 in Leigh, Greater Manchester.
Career edit
Westhead made his début for Leigh in 1983 in a 22–13 victory over Barrow. He went to make over 100 appearances for the club, scoring 25 tries, but was forced to retire in 1990 due a recurring shoulder injury.[4] He also made three appearances for Great Britain Under-21s between 1985 and 1986.[5]
Death edit
On 29 May 2000, Westhead severed an artery after smashing his arm through a glass panel at his home in Leigh, Greater Manchester. He was taken to Royal Bolton Hospital, but died due to severe blood loss shortly after arriving.
References edit
- ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ^ "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Westhead, John". Leigh Centurions. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ^ "Tearful farewell for rugby's John Westhead". Lancashire Telegraph. 9 June 2000. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ^ Fletcher, Raymond; Howes, David (1998). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1998. London: Headline. p. 352. ISBN 978-0-7472-7683-8.