DEFIBRILLATORS have been donated to the town’s seven community rugby league clubs in memory of a former player who died of a heart attack at the age of 47.

Mike Rouke, an ex-Crosfields amateur who lived in Howley, died in 2008.

Ever since, friends and family have remembered Mike with bowls tournaments in his memory.

The latest - held at the Tetley Walker Sports and Social Club in Orford in July - raised a total of £7,500 in order to buy potentially life-saving defibrillators for Crosfields, Rylands Sharks, Woolston Rovers, Latchford Albion, Bank Quay Bulls, Burtonwood Bulldogs and Culcheth Eagles.

Dad Tommy, from Orford, said: “The bowling days are our way of having a get together in Mike’s memory.

“It started off pretty low-key with about 20 or 30 of us in Blackpool, but it’s grown from there to having something like 250 to 300 of us.

“We’ve raised quite a considerable amount of money for various different causes - some for St Rocco’s Hospice, some from the British Heart Foundation, some for Macmillan Cancer Support.

“The event is always well attended, but this year there was more than ever.

“We never thought for one minute we’d get to the stage where we were raising £7,500 - everybody climbed on board.”

The seven amateur clubs were presented with the portable defibrillators by Warrington Wolves chairman Stuart Middleton during the Wire’s Super League clash with the Huddersfield Giants at the Halliwell Jones Stadium last month.

Additional funds raised will go towards a bench in Mike’s memory at the social club and to the Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation.

Tommy added: “My philosophy is that I hope they will never have to use them, but if they do need to and it saves one life then it will have paid for itself.

“You can’t put a value on that.”