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6 unusual facts about Wigan


Andrew Surmani

He has toured throughout the USA, Europe and Japan, and has performed in the Istanbul International Jazz Festival (Turkey), Jazz à Juan (Juan les Pins, France), Umbria (Italy), Wigan (England) and the Lake Biwa (Japan) jazz festivals.

Conister

Conister has traditionally operated in the Asset Finance area providing finance to companies and individuals on the Isle of Man; to military personnel through its operation in Peterborough and to small / medium enterprise clients through its operation in Wigan.

Ethyle Batley

Batley was born Alice Ethel Murray in December 1876 in Wigan, north-west England, the second daughter of an iron merchant.

Footsee

By late 1974, the Northern soul music and dance scene centered on the Wigan Casino club in Lancashire, England, was attracting increasing attention from mainstream media in the UK, at the same time as original American R&B recordings which met the musical criteria of its fans, and which were new to listeners, were becoming more difficult to find.

Lee Mossop

Lee attended St John Rigby College in Orrell from 2005–2007 and gained A-levels in subjects such as Physical Education and Business Studies.

Steppin' Out with the Grateful Dead: England '72

May 7 at the Bickershaw Festival in Wigan – Disc 1, tracks 2-3, 6 & 13 & Disc 2, tracks 1-2 & 6-7


1996 Bradford Bulls season

This meant that the Bulls had to travel to Central Park to play Wigan in the Premiership Trophy Semi-Final, in what was his last game in a Wigan shirt Shaun Edwards scored 4 tries to end Bradford's hopes of a Premiership final appearance in a hard fought 42-36 Wigan win.

2008 Wigan Warriors season

During 2008 Wigan will continue to rebuild their squad under coach Brian Noble but they will have a new owner and chairman in Ian Lenagan from 1 December 2007 after Maurice Lindsay retired and Dave Whelan decided to sell the club.

2012 Super League season results

Wigan Warriors, as the highest ranked team in the Qualifying Semi Final (a combination of league leaders and Qualifying play-off winner), get to choose their semi-final opponents from the two winners of the Preliminary Semi-Finals in the Club Call, which was made on 23 September 2012 at 12:30 BST on Sky Sports News, where they chose Leeds Rhinos.

Albert Bellamy

Bellamy was born in Wigan, Lancashire and took up employment as an engine-driver for the London and North Western Railway.

An Eye on X

The film follows Wigan's quest in carving two statues of American black activist Malcolm X to commemorate his visit to Smethwick, Birmingham in 1965.

Arjan de Zeeuw

In the summer 2005, after falling out with then-Portsmouth manager Alain Perrin, he returned to Wigan Athletic for the nominal fee of £90,000.

Ashley Slanina-Davies

Ashley Slanina-Davies (born 18 December 1989) is an English actress born in Standish, near Wigan, who is notable for playing the role of Amy Barnes on Channel 4's teen soap, Hollyoaks.

Athletic Grounds, Rochdale

The highest attendance at the Athletic Grounds was the 1924 Challenge Cup final between Oldham and Wigan when 41,831 saw Wigan win 21-4.

Bamfurlong

Bamfurlong, Greater Manchester a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England

Brett Kenny

Kenny was acclaimed as the best player in rugby league history by former GB and Wigan great Billy Boston.

Brian Nordgren

Wigan lost to Wakefield Trinity in 1946 after Nordgren missed a long-range penalty goal, estimated by Nordgren to be about 54m.

Butter pie

From 2006, the butter pie was included in the annual World Pie Eating Championship in Wigan, in the vegetarian category.

Craven Park, Barrow-in-Furness

For the visit of Wigan in the Challenge Cup improvements were made and the capacity is now 7,600 (up from 6,500).

Crawford Library

The family library, the "Bibliotheca Lindesiana" located at Haigh Hall in Haigh near Wigan, had its origins in the sixteenth century and became world famous among scholars for its scope and the many bibliographies of its stock which exceeded 100,000 volumes.

Danny Sculthorpe

Wigan coach Stuart Raper commented: "Danny is fit, but we've nowhere to play him. At Rochdale he's in an environment he'll be comfortable in and it will enable us to assess his return to fitness. It is another step on his road back to match action."

Dean Parrish

Interest in Parrish's mid 1960s recording career began to gain in popularity but Parrish himself remained completely unaware of his popularity on the other side of the Atlantic and the Wigan Casino itself until the early 2000s.

Edward Brocklehurst Fielden

He married firstly, in 1884, Mary Ellen (died 1902), a daughter of Thomas Knowles of Darn Hall, Cheshire, who was M.P. for Wigan, by whom he had three sons and one daughter.

Empress Mill, Ince

Empress Mill, Ince was a single storey shed mill alongside the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, spinning cotton in Ince, Wigan, Greater Manchester, England.

Football Industries MBA

Since its inception, MBA(FI) graduates have gone on to work for (amongst others): Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Celtic, Everton, Wigan Athletic, MK Dons, Lech Poznan, FC Seoul, FIFA, UEFA, AFC, FA, Football League, SPL, Baltic League, J-League, K-League, Octagon, Sportfive, Sport+Markt, MP&Silva, Traffic, ESPN, Yahoo!, Red Bull, LG, Diageo, Nike, Prozone and Soccerex.

Harold Osbaldestin

Osbaldestin's marriage to Jane Ellen (Nellie) Gregson took place on Tuesday 27 December 1932 at St Stephen's Church, Whelley, Wigan.

Iafeta Paleaaesina

He was one of the best players for Wigan in the 2006 Super League season despite damaging his calf muscle in a game against the Warrington Wolves.

Ian Knott

He came through the ranks at the Mayfield and Wigan St Jude's amateur clubs and was acquired by Warrington Wolves as a youngster along with Paul Sculthorpe and Iestyn Harris.

Jennifer James

Jennifer James (born Jennifer Marie Reynolds; 3 December 1977) is an English actress born in Billinge Higher End, Wigan in Greater Manchester.

JJB Sports

The original JJB sportshop was founded in the early 1900s and expanded in 1971, when ex-footballer and supermarket chain operator Dave Whelan acquired a single sports shop in Wigan and immediately opened a second sports goods outlet in his Sutton, St Helens, supermarket.

John Maunsell

Maunsell acquired additional benefices including: "the Provost of Beverly" in 1247, "the living of Howden," "Chancellorship of St. Paul's, London," "the living of Bawburgh," "Prebend of South Malling," "Living of Haughley," "Prebend of Tottenhall," "Prebend of Chinchester," "Dean of Wimborn," "Rector of Wigan," "Papal Chaplain," as well as "Chaplain of the King."

Lancaster Canal Tramroad

The Lancaster Canal Company obtained an Act of Parliament (32 Geo. III c. 101) in 1792 to construct a canal linking the towns of Kendal, Lancaster and Preston to the coalfields around Wigan.

Liam Botham

Although playing well for the Rhinos, the 2004 Superleague Champions, Botham signed for struggling Wigan towards the end of the season, feeling he could not get a regular place in the Rhinos team.

Liverpool and District Cricket Competition

First Division: Ainsdale, Alder, Fleetwood Hesketh, Formby, Liverpool, Newton le Willows, Northop Hall, Orrell Red Triangle, Rainhill, Sefton Park, Wallasey, Wigan.

First Division: Ainsdale, Colwyn Bay, Highfield, Hightown, Liverpool, Newton le Willows, Northop Hall, Orrell Red Triangle, Rainford, Sefton Park, Wavertree, Wigan.

Liverpool to Wigan Line

Merseytravel (One of the two PTEs on the route) had previously stated their aspirations for the St Helens infill electrification; considering it a necessary addition to the (then-proposed) Liverpool to Manchester electrification, given the interworking of passenger services between the Chat Moss (Liverpool to Manchester) and St Helens (Liverpool to Wigan) lines imposed by the December 2008 timetable.

Marc-Antoine Fortuné

Fortuné scored his first goal for Wigan in a 1–0 victory away to Yeovil Town at Huish Park on 10 November 2013.

Mayoress of Wigan

The role is equivalent to being the First Lady or First Gentleman of Wigan, if there is a Mayor's Consort in place of a Mayoress.

Merseytravel

Electrification of Kirkby - Headbolt Lane, Bidston - Wrexham, Liverpool - Earlstown - Manchester, Huyton - St. Helens - Wigan sections

Michael McIlorum

McIlorum made his senior debut for Wigan on 8 June 2007 in a Challenge Cup quarter final tie against Harlequins RL at the JJB Stadium after an injury ruled out first team regular Shane Millard.

Mike Gregory

This resulted in Mike taking Wigan and the club's owner Dave Whelan to court claiming that Wigan should have done more to help him carry on.

Nick Powell

Powell then went on to score Wigan's first ever European goal, against NK Maribor on 3 October 2013, and later added the third goal in a 3–1 victory for his side.

Sport in Leeds

Leeds Rhinos are the best supported Rugby League club in the United Kingdom, their Headingley ground holds up to 20,500 spectators and is regularly filled, with sell out's particularly common, at games against Bradford Bulls, St. Helens and Wigan Warriors.

Station Road, Swinton

In its heyday it boasted a capacity of 60,000, although with a record attendance of 44,621 for Warrington v Wigan in the 1951 Challenge Cup semi-final this was never really tested.

Steve Renouf

Renouf's Wigan Warriors debut came in round four of the Challenge Cup against Whitehaven at Central Park.

The Lancashire Steel Company

In descending proportional order these were from the Workington, Harrington, West Cumberland, Wigan, Weardale and Forest of Dean areas.

Wigan F.C.

Wigan Warriors, rugby league club originally named Wigan Football Club

Wigan Urban Area

The historic town of Wigan forms an integrated conurbation along with the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan districts of Orrell and Ince-in-Makerfield, this is connected by ribbon development to Standish, Platt Bridge and Abram.


see also