OUR picture of the Leigh Rugby League team of the early 20s certainly generated a lot of interest.

The photograph, found by Wilf Valiant, was quickly identified.

Last week we told how reader Sandra Grainey spotted her grandfather, Arthur Blackburn, on the picture.

But the story continues to unfold . . .

Also named in the 1921/22 picture is Jimmy France. And his son Vincent paid us a visit from his home in Car Bank Avenue, Atherton.

Vincent - a full-back with Bedford Recs and, for a few years in the early 50s, with Swinton - proudly showed us his father's runner's-up medal from the 1922 Northern Union Lancashire Cup.

Jimmy France, a miner who died in November 1943, was a tricky and speedy right winger with a great knack for scoring tries, 30 in his best year of 1923/24 when he partnered goalkicker Abraham Johnson.

Rugby was a family tradition.

Jimmy's father Teddy France was a well-known Leigh forward.

Albert Worrall was another of the players on that fading photograph of 77 years ago.

And his son, also Albert, of Moor Lane, Leigh, reminded us of Albert's time with the club, originally as a winger, later in the front row.

Coalbagger Albert joined the club from Ince All Blacks and went on to play a Test against Australia at Gateshead: £3 for a loss, £4 the draw, £5 the win.

Albert was in the Leigh side which met the New Zealand tourists on September 15 1926, when there was a special luncheon at Leigh's Rope & Anchor.

And in 1934 - by then a publican, first at the Bridgewater Arms, later at the Lord Nelson on Bradshawgate - Albert had a benefit season.

He earned the princely sum of £80.16s.6d.

That year Albert, as shown in this marvellous picture, presented the prize to Cotton Queen Alice Kirkham.

Ahh, the memories!

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.