Latest news with #WidnesVikings
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Controversial businessman Stephen Vaughan dies as son hails 'best man I've ever known'
Controversial Liverpool businessman Stephen Vaughan has died, his son has announced. The former football club owner's death was announced by his son, of the same name, in a Facebook post. Stephen Vaughan Jr, a former Liverpool reserves player, posted on social media: "Absolutely devastated the best man I've ever known RIP Dad our hero." Vaughan's football legacy is controversial after her bought Chester in 2001 from American Terry Smith and oversaw the club's promotion back to the Football League in 2004. The club ran into financial difficulty and collapsed into administration with debts of £8 million following relegation in 2009 – the same year Mr Vaughan also became the first owner to fail the Football Association's 'fit and proper person' test. READ MORE: Live updates as main road shut after police incident READ MORE: Woman who collapsed in holiday hotel room given devastating news It came after he had six fraud charges involving deception and obtaining high value cars dropped at Liverpool Crown Court in March 2008 while still serving as Chester City owner. They were alleged to have occurred between March, 2005, and March, 2006. The Liverpool-born businessman was also over the years a boxing promoter, a director of rugby league club Widnes Vikings and owner and chairman of Barrow. In late 2009 Mr Vaughan was disqualified from acting as the director of any company for 11 years following his involvement in an alleged £500,000 VAT fraud while he was owner of Widnes Vikings. Posting on Facebook, Liverpool-born former boxer Derry Mathews wrote: "They say he only takes the best and he's taking one of the greatest men ever, my first ever manager who got George out of retirement to train me, thank you for everything Ste people in the boxing world are going miss you. "No one could do a prep talk before a fight like you, you would have me wanting to walk through walls and with you by my side in changing rooms we could beat anyone. Gutted for my mate @stephen_vaughan_85, Pat and all the family on the loss. Goodnight God bless Ste." Mr Vaughan also bought Maltese club Floriana in April 2012 with his son, who captained Chester during his father's ownership and was appointed president soon after. The Vaughan family ended its association with Floriana in February 2014 but continued to have an involvement in Maltese football as sponsors of Mosta and Hibernians. The off-duty policeman died after he was struck in Colquitt Street in the early hours of Friday, December 19. His son's Facebook post was filled with tributes from friends and family, with many simply posting 'RIP' and broken heart emojis, while another said: 'So sorry to hear this sad news Ste, condolences to you and the family'. A second added: 'Condolences to the family Ste! What a gent your dad was!' And a third said: 'So sorry to hear this awful news about your Dad RIP. Sending my deepest sympathy and condolences and prayers to you and all your beautiful family.'
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Widnes' Gregson given eight-game ban over posts
Widnes Vikings forward Nick Gregson has been given an eight-game suspension having been found guilty of historical social media posts using unacceptable second-rower accepted the disciplinary charge at a hearing over the posts which dated back to of the eight games have been suspended for two years, meaning he will serve a three-match suspension which will begin will now miss the Vikings' Championship fixtures against Doncaster and Barrow Raiders as well as their 1895 Cup tie against York Knights.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
DISCIPLINARY: Widnes forward among six charged by Match Review Panel
ONE of the six charges handed out by the Match Review Panel following the weekend's Challenge Cup ties stems from Warrington Wolves' derby against Widnes Vikings. However, that charge has not been slapped upon a Wire player with Widnes forward Nick Gregson the man cited. Gregson has been hit with a Grade A charge of late contact with the passer following an incident during The Wire's 26-16 victory at the DCBL Stadium and as a result, one penalty point has been added to his record. The most serious charge of the weekend has gone to Hull FC's Jordan Rapana, who is close to receiving a suspension after a Grade B late contact charge. The three penalty points added to his record takes him to 4.5 for the year in all, with six required to trigger a ban. Wigan forward Kaide Ellis, Leeds prop Keenan Palasia, Wakefield's Jack Croft and Huddersfield's Taane Milne are the other players charged. Jordan Rapana (Hull FC) – Opposition: Wigan Warriors – Grade B Late contact on passer – Fine – Penalty Points: 3 – Total Penalty Points: 4.5 Kaide Ellis (Wigan Warriors) – Opposition: Hull FC – Grade A Late contact on passer – No further action – Penalty Points: 1 – Total Penalty Points: 1 Keenan Palasia (Leeds Rhinos) – Opposition: St Helens – Grade A Late contact on passer – No further action – Penalty Points: 1 – Total Penalty Points: 1 Nick Gregson (Widnes Vikings) – Opposition: Warrington Wolves – Grade A Late contact on passer – No further action – Penalty Points: 1 – Total Penalty Points: 1 Jack Croft (Wakefield Trinity) – Opposition: Huddersfield Giants – Grade A Late contact on passer – No further action – Penalty Points: 1 – Total Penalty Points: 1 Taane Milne (Huddersfield Giants) – Opposition: Wakefield Trinity – Grade A Late contact on passer – No further action – Penalty Points: 1 – Total Penalty Points: 1
BBC News
14-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Widnes eye double boost from Warrington cup derby
Widnes Vikings are hoping the Challenge Cup derby against Warrington Wolves this weekend could help them push for the Championship two teams meet for the first time since the Vikings were relegated from Super League in 2018 and executive chairman Stuart Murphy says the revenue the game will generate could make a big difference to their DCBL Stadium could host over 6,000 fans, with the club having to take the West Stand out of mothballs in order to accommodate the interest in the fourth-round tie, with Widnes already battling their way past Rochdale Hornets and North Wales Crusaders to land the plum one-time world champions have fallen on hard times and were rescued from oblivion in 2019 by a consortium which included Wiganer Murphy, who freely admits he still watched his home-town club as well as being committed to the told BBC Radio Merseyside that Saturday's game could be a catalyst for a successful season, with the team having won two out of three Championship matches this season despite a crippling injury list."It's astronomical," he said. "Our average gate brings us £10,000 in. In terms of this game, we've got an awful lot of cost to put it on and get this stand (West Stand) operational etc but in terms of gate receipts, although it's a shared gate with Warrington, we'll probably get more money through the door for this game than we will for the rest of the season." 'Hoping for higher' Murphy said the club "operated really stringently" last year to make sure they remained in the black, "because we needed it for IMG points and everything else. We stayed in the black by under £1,000," he added."We've already been hit by injuries this year that are costing us thousands to get sorted so it's a comfort blanket but also gives (coach) Allan (Coleman) the ability to have more loan players available, or get more players signed on until the end of the year."We were in the frame for challenging anyway. It does give us the ability, if we can get some players in on loan, or some signed for the back end of the year, to challenge."We came fifth last year and are hoping for higher again this year."The lure of playing Super League title challengers Warrington, based just seven miles away, has grabbed the interest of a town which once boasted a team containing greats of the game like Martin Offiah, Alan Tait and Jonathan Davies, and which became the first official World Club champions in 1989-90."We've surpassed 4,200 tickets as of this morning and Warrington have requested more so we've opened additional blocks. I'm hoping that we'll be getting 5,500 to 6,500 people here on Saturday," said Murphy.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Major injury blow confirmed as Burgess names Yates' replacement
WARRINGTON Wolves will be without one of their key forwards for the foreseeable future. Prop Luke Yates was forced off during the early stages of Sunday's Super League Round Four defeat to Wakefield Trinity with an ankle injury, and was seen leaving the ground on crutches and wearing a protective boot. In his post-match press conference, head coach Sam Burgess admitted the early prognosis was not a good one but now Yates has undergone scans, ligament damage has been revealed and he will be absent for an extended period. Centre Arron Lindop is also ruled out Saturday's Challenge Cup fourth round trip to neighbours Widnes Vikings under concussion protocol having failed an in-game head injury assessment against Wakefield, with Burgess also confirming he is not expecting any of the players who missed the game through injury to return to fitness That means full-back Matt Dufty, winger Matty Ashton, centre Toby King and second-rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon are again likely to sit out alongside longer-term absentees in scrum-half Leon Hayes and centre Connor Wrench. "He will be a while. We're looking at six weeks for him," Burgess said of Yates. "We won't get anyone back this week – we lose Yatesey and Arron Lindop with the concussion. "It's the nature of it – the next guy comes in." Burgess took the step of confirming who 'the next guy' is in terms of replacing Yates, with Zane Musgrove set to come into the team to face the Vikings. The Samoan prop has not featured in any of The Wire's past three matches, but his head coach has now challenged him to nail down a spot in his side. Having featured in the Round One victory at Huddersfield Giants, Zane Musgrove has not played in Wire's last three matches (Image: Mike Egerton/PA Wire) "Zane is a pretty accomplished player and he's the next man up, so he'll get his job done and the guys around him have got to improve on where they've been over the last couple of weeks," Burgess said. "Zane's just got to do his job. It's hard to pick 17 blokes when there's 30-odd that are fit and ready to go, and I think the middles have been doing a fairly decent job. "It's hard to leave out Jimmy Harrison and Paul Vaughan, who have both been going pretty well, then Jordy Crowther and Joe Philbin bring a different style of game for us. "It's been tough for Zane, but all he's got to do is get his job done. "We've got six weeks where we'll be without Yatesey, so he's the next man up."
