Great Britain rugby league player who went on to become coach of the formidable Widnes side of the 1980s

Doug Laughton, who has died aged 80, was a member of the last Great Britain team to defeat Australia in a three-match Rugby League Ashes series in 1970. As a player he was also a two-time Challenge Cup winner.

However, he is possibly better known for his post-playing coaching career and his astute eye for spotting nascent talent. In three stints as coach of his hometown club Widnes he won every trophy available, tempting a host of big-name rugby union internationals to switch codes and move to Cheshire, where his formidable team became known as “the cup kings”.