OFFICIALS of Moldgreen Amateur Rugby League Club have paid tribute to the work of founder member Trevor Welburn, who has died at the age of 62.

Mr Welburn was suffering from cancer and died after a short illness.

He will be remembered for all his hard work over many years on the amateur rugby league front in Huddersfield.

But it is his role at Moldgreen, where he was chairman, that he made the most significant contribution.

Besides helping to form the club 27 years ago, he is acknowledged as the man who kept the club going after the club's exclusion from the National Conference league four years ago.

He was also responsible for the development of many junior players and coached some of the club's most successful sides.

Moldgreen officials admit that he will be impossible to replace.

"Trevor Welburn was a founder member of the Moldgreen club and over the last 27 years put more time and effort into it than anyone else," said secretary Brian Tracey.

"Trevor will be remembered more for his contribution to the amount of junior players that he worked alongside, many of whom went on to turn professional.

"Along with Mick Ward, Trevor was responsible for probably the best junior side Huddersfield has produced.

"The likes of Seamus McCallion, Julian Sykes, Nigel Gittins, Darren McRae, Kenny Mullins and Andrew McGuire were members of a team that took us forward as a club," said Mr Tracey.

"Trevor also worked tirelessly over the last seven years, along with Jill Sykes, towards the new development at Ridgeway, and he was very happy to see it start.

"It is very sad he will not see that development completed.

"Without Trevor Welburn, Moldgreen would, at some stage over the last four years, have gone out of existence.

"I know he would like me to say how proud he was of all the lads who helped keep the club going during that time. Trevor will be sadly missed by all at Moldgreen and by many others whose lives he touched."

Before moving into the administrative side of the game, Mr Welburn was a highly respected player with St Joseph's and Moldgreen.

He was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer last summer.

He was a maintenance worker at Huddersfield University at the time.