Great winger in his time and well respected in the game. Remember him playing in the final game of the 1981/82 season when Leigh, coached by Alex Murphy came to ‘Haven in the last game of the season. A win for Leigh would see them win the first division championship and they were backed by a massive following in a crowd of over 5,500.
Despite ‘Haven winning by 4-1 at HT the game turned on one piece of magic from Des when he evaded the touch line and Haven fullback Tony D’Leny to score a spectacular 50 yard try. Despite arguments that he’d stepped in to touch the Drummond try stood and Leigh pulled away to gain a 13-4 win and secure the title.
Speaking to Mal McClure the ‘Haven try scorer on the night he told me he broke his hand trying to stop Des on his way to the line.
A tough little character and a great winger. RIP Des.