Derek Pyke (born 7 November 1959) is an English former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He played representative level rugby union for England Schoolboys, and representative level rugby league for Lancashire, and at club level for Leigh, Widnes and Oldham, as a prop.
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| Born | 7 November 1959 Leigh, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Prop | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Background
editDerek Pyke's birth was registered in Leigh, Lancashire, England.
Playing career
editPyke started his career in rugby union, where he was an England schoolboys international,[3] before switching codes and joining Leigh.
In January 1988, Pyke was signed by Widnes in exchange for former Great Britain captain Harry Pinner, and £50,000.[4] He played 66 games for Widnes, and also played in the team that won the 1989 World Club Challenge.
In 1990, Pyke was transferred from Widnes to Oldham for £50,000, but suffered a serious knee injury after playing only five matches for the club. After failing to make a full recovery from the injury, Pyke announced his retirement at the end of the 1990–91 season.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- ^ "Player Summary: Derek Pyke". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ Irvine, David (10 October 1979). "Victims of the code war". The Guardian. London. p. 25. ProQuest 186150449.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Paul (12 January 1988). "Widnes pull in Pyke". The Guardian. London. p. 27. ProQuest 186797938.
- ^ "Injury forces Pyke to retire". The Guardian. London. 23 May 1991. p. 17. ProQuest 187224450.