Alf Meakin's sporting story has a further chapter thanks to Leeds Rhinos

However, one final chapter has now been written courtesy of the Leeds Rhinos ex-Players Association and Heritage Foundation groups.

Part of their work involves contacting as many of the club’s senior ex-players as possible to present them with a Heritage Certificate and an original copy of their debut programme.

Every player who has featured for Leeds’ first team is eligible for a certificate, irrespective of whether they played hundreds of games or only one minute.

They are given a Heritage number which remains theirs forever, with Alf occupying 996 in the 1,500-strong list.

Alf played one game for Leeds, when they met Featherstone Rovers at Headingley on November 28, 1964.

Now aged 86, he is a resident at the Glen Tanar care home after being diagnosed with dementia.

The Gazette was delighted to put Tim Lawson, who works with the groups above, in contact with Alf’s wife, Joy, who arranged for him to receive his certificate and programme.

Speaking to the Gazette, Tim said: “We try and keep records of ex-players but Alf’s was one name that cropped up and I didn’t know who he was.

“It’s quite the task to try and track some of the players down, and to find out who they played and when, but they seem to love it.

“Old rugby players love to talk about their careers, so we started with players who are in their 90s and went from there really.”

Alf’s athletics career brought double success in 1962, when he was one of the GB 4x100m bronze medal winners at the European Championships in Belgrade, as well as claiming gold with England’s 4x110 yards team at the Commonwealth Games in Perth.

He was also part of the British sprint team which competed at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo.

His appearance for Leeds came a month after that, followed by 51 games as a winger for Blackpool Borough from 1965-67.

As well as honouring former players, the Heritage board is a way for Leeds’ younger fans to learn more about the history of their club and those who turned out for it.

“It’s a totally different game now; probably not as brutal,” Tim added.

“We’re seeing that now, so what we try and do is download a print of the team they played in, so they will go through that, recognise faces and start talking about players they haven’t spoken about for 50-odd years.

“They have all been really interesting guys, they all have a tale to tell.”

Joy, who remains at the family home on Cornwall Avenue, North Shore, also spoke to the Gazette about Alf’s honour.

She said of the Heritage Certificate: “It was quite a surprise considering he’d only ever played once for Leeds!

“The game with Leeds was after Tokyo; we were getting married and we didn’t have a lot of money.

“He’d never played rugby before, he was a football man. He used to say it was funny because he would jink inside, then jink back – but the opposition were still there, they hadn’t moved!

“It’s lovely he’s been remembered in that way and it’s something nice for our son and daughter as well.”