Alan Lancaster

That was in 1947, and he was 15 when he became one of the club’s first rugby league players. He went on to play professionally as scrum half for Bradford Northern, Huddersfield and Doncaster.

He later moved into coaching and administrative roles, and after his return to Shaw Cross, he once again became involved in the young people’s club, serving in various capacities, including treasurer and chairman, and finally president.

He combined his work for the club with a successful business career which saw him become managing director of Ediprint Ltd and co-director of Ovenden Printing in Halifax.

An active member of the Bradford Northern and Huddersfield ex-players’ associations, Mr Lancaster was a long-serving member on the executive committee of the Yorkshire Association of Boys’ Clubs – now the Yorkshire Clubs for Young People – and chairman of its county sports committee.

In 1970 he and Douglas Hird jointly formed the Shaw Cross-Villeneuve youth RL exchange, which has continued ever since. It involves an exchange of 40 boys from each club on alternate years, and to date, 1,760 English and French boys have taken part in it.

In 1977, to mark the Queen’s Silver Jubilee and the Shaw Cross club’s 30th anniversary, Mr Lancaster and Mr Hird organised and led the first British Amateur Rugby League Association Under-18s tour to Australia and New Zealand, and in 2008 Mr Lancaster was awarded the MBE for services to young people.

He is survived by his wife Coral, their two daughters, Amanda and Belinda, and a grandson.