AS a former St Helens Rugby League star, Leigh builder Paul Jones was used to tackling big challenges.

And when injury brought his professional sporting life to an end after six seasons, he seized on an opportunity abroad to set himself new goals.

Now the 32-years-old is managing director of his own successful company, Lightburn Construction (Leigh) Ltd, which last year saw a gamble to build a centrepiece cone house at St Helens World of Glass pay off.

The firm's piece of complicated construction has just been featured in the Building Magazine of the Year.

Paul and his colleagues had to learn and adapt Victorian skills in a bid to develop a special trammel system - to make sure that the 80,000 bricks used in the 50ft tall cone house were placed accurately to within 1cm.

Paul, who set up his company in Germany in 1993, and returned to Leigh in 1999, said: "I took a big risk. The company working on the World of Glass site couldn't get local brickies to take on the job.

"Nothing like this had been built for 100 years and another one is unlikely to be built again.

"Such precision was essential to make sure that the incline of the brickwork measured exactly 15 degrees up the entire height.

"I took on three big challenges - to built it, complete it at a fixed price on time and do a top quality job.

"I was very confident. It's was a matter of just using your loaf and not being afraid, and everyone seems happy with it."

Father of Lou (nine) and Esther (four), Paul - a former Bedford High School boy and England Schools' RL star -played for Leigh East and signed for St Helens in the 1987-88 season.

After injury ended his career at Oldham he dedicated himself to his bricklaying job and went to Germany where he set up his company with 8 UK employees.

Because of the high £ he returned to Leigh last year, and wife Andrea now helps to run the firm which employs 28.

Paul said: "We are now getting recognised as a northern-based sub contractor and are at present working for HBG on a new special needs school in Swinton."

He added: "I have no time for sport now I am too engrossed in the business. We take a great pride in our work."

The cone house can be seen at the World of Glass Museum, St Helens, which opened in March.