Des Drummond

Who is Des Drummond?

Desmond Lloyd Drummond is an English/Jamaican former rugby league footballer. He played on the Wing.

Des was a legendary figure throughout the 1980s, where he won 24 Great Britain caps, the first against New Zealand in 1980, the last against France in 1988. Drummond signed for Leigh almost by accident, having travelled to watch his older brother Alva Drummond play for the reserve team. Leigh found themselves a player short due to injury, and Des was persuaded to play. He made such an impact that he was offered a professional contract within the week. Drummond quickly became a star player at the Lancashire club, particularly after a series of televised appearances during the club's run to the final of the 1976 BBC2 Floodlit trophy, a competition specifically created for television.

The arrival of Alex Murphy as coach in 1980 marked an upturn in fortunes for the club. In 1981, Drummond won his first silverware with Leigh, as the club defeated Widnes in the Lancashire Cup Final. Then, as the weather-disrupted season reached its end, Leigh needed only to defeat already-relegated [Whitehaven] to win their first league title since 1907. Despite trailing at half time, Drummond scored a try in a second half revival which made the unfashionable Lancashire club the National Champions.