I have read on Facebook that he has died but nothing on the club site yet. He was the only big prop we had at the time in the 1960s. He was always a steady & reliable player & in my opinion underrated. He was of course a member of the 1964 Challenge Cup winning side. RIP Wally & condolences to his family & friends.
A hero of mine when I first started watching the Chemic's. Never took a backward step, great forward and a lovely person off the field. RIP Wally❤️
Not old enough to remember him as a player but, as a kid, he lived next door but 1 to my Nan and Grandad and was a nice bloke. RIP Wally.
One of the old breed of honest workers RIP Wally.
Yes RIP Wally, when I started watching in the early 1960s, Wally Hurstfield and Edgar Bate were our two props, with George Kemmel hooking, a pretty solid front row.
Wally was surprisingly quick for a big man and his party piece was to play the ball forward, within the opposition 25, (when this was allowed in the rules) and keep kicking the ball over the line to score. As I remember the rules at the time, if a player did play the ball forward he had to score, if he didn't get over the line an offence was deemed to have occured, but I cant remember whether it was a penalty or scrum to the opposition. I remember Wally doing this several times, pretty nimble for a big man and took the opposition markers by surprise!
RIP Wally.
Hope there is recognition on Sunday.....also for Gaydon too.
Lots of memories of watching Wally Hurstfield and the Widnes team of the late 50's and 60's. Wally was a barnstorming prop, who gave everything in attack and defence. That was in the days when the term "prop" actually meant something and required both scrummaging and playing skills.
One tale I can remember was a game against St Helens on New Years Day, when we lost to St Helens. It later came out in the Weekly News that most of the team were seen out partying in the early hours prior to the game, with a story of Wally seen climbing up a lamp post a bit worst for wear. They still managed to get out on the pitch at 3pm.