WENDY Challinor harbours feelings of guilt when watching her grandsons play for Lymm Rugby Club.

Although as proud as one can be, she notes the absence of her husband of 20 years Jim Challinor – a Warrington rugby league legend.

“Quite honestly, I feel guilty at being able to watch the boys play,” said the 81-year-old from Fearnhead.

“It should be Jim doing it. He would have been so interested in them and their rugby. I feel guilty at me getting the pleasure.”

Today (Sunday, December 18, 2016) marks the 40th anniversary of Jim’s tragic death from cancer at the age of 42.

Warrington Guardian:

Jim Challinor during his days with Warrington Rugby League Club

Through four grandsons – Richard and Adam Halford, Aaron and Saul Rasheed – the family’s rugby line has continued at a club that has been for many years a family hub, not only through training and playing but helping out around the place too.

All four came through the highly successful minis and juniors section, from which the vast majority of Lymm’s adult players hail.

Jim had history with Lymm RFC too, having visited regularly socially with Wendy as vice-presidents.

Sadly, none of the men met their grandad – who had a decorated career as a player and coach at club and international level.

But they are inspired by stories they hear not only from their grandma and mothers – Jim’s daughters Yvonne Halford and Nadine Rasheed – but rugby supporters they meet on their travels.

Estate agents employee and second rower Aaron, 22, said: “It’s not the occasional person who says ‘your grandad was a good player’, it’s everyone.

“We’ll go somewhere across the country and there’ll be someone who knew him or saw him play. I’ve never heard a bad story about him.”

His cousin Adam, a 27-year-old second rower with a landscaping and tree surgery business, added: “When we hear the stories we do feel as though we knew him.

"From the sounds of who he was, he would have had a massive part in the coaching side of things with us.”

It is in Leeds University student Richard, a 22-year-old back, who Yvonne, 56, mostly sees her dad’s rugby attributes.

“He’s very much like my dad with his style of running, the way he reads the game, the way he stands,” she said.

Yvonne, who followed her dad everywhere during his career, said: “I do feel sorry for dad missing out. To have all these lads that play it would have been so nice for him to have been involved.”

Her sister Nadine, 52, added: “Talking about him keeps him in the family because he left us so early.

“I was only 12 when my dad died, and so it is nice for us to keep that memory alive, going over stories, and knowing how well respected he was.”

And does Adam sense the pride in his grandma when she watches on from the sidelines?

“I just hear her shouting at us for missing tackles,” he said.

“And when you come off the pitch, you could have scored a million tries but she’d remember the missed tackles.”

Wendy was impressed with her husband’s clever play and defensive qualities, with Jim often appearing as centre to world record try scorer Brian Bevan while with The Wire.

“I didn’t see Jim when he came off the pitch but I’d tell him at home if I thought there was something he didn’t do or did wrong in a game.”