TOMMY MARTYN pulled his Challenge Cup medal close to his chest and smiled, writes DAVID HODGKINSON.

"This one I'm keeping," he said.

The Leigh lad, a landslide winner of the coveted Lance Todd Trophy as man of the match in Saturday's Rugby League Challenge Cup Final, gave his 1996 medal to proud dad Tommy.

But, following St Helens' back-to-win against Bradford Bulls, he confirmed the '97 medal would remain a cherished possession.

Tommy was the undisputed star as super Saints blasted the Yorkshire giants to defeat in the Wembley showpiece.

He polled 31 of the votes cast by the Rugby League Writers Association. The remainder didn't count - Bobbie Goulding 5, Chris Joynt 3, Karle Hammond 2.

"This is a proud moment for me," he said. "Last year I played only 20 minutes of the final, and I vowed then to return and play a full match."

He did in stunning style, scoring the first try and then adding a super second as Saints took command.

The glory wiped out all the pain and uncertainty of the Winter of '95 when, through eight desperate months, he needed major construction of his shattered left knee in a Gazza-style operation.

"Lying in that hospital bed I was worried about my future in Rugby League," he said.

His first step to recovery came when making his comeback against Wigan on Good Friday last year; within a month he was a Wembley winner.

Now he is being dubbed "the best stand-off in Britain" - a player with a big international future.

Tommy was born to be an RL winner. Uncle Mick is a Leigh and Great Britain legend, a try-scoring forward of pace and power through the 50s and 60s. Dad Tommy was a star with Leigh, Warrington and England.

Young Tommy, 26 next month, came through the ranks at Leigh Miners before signing for Oldham in February 1989 and joined St Helens in a swap deal in 1993.

The good days were just beginning.

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