BILL BROOK, the forward thinking first-ever Town promotions officer and former Huddersfield and Yorkshire rugby union player, has died aged 77.

Mr Brook, who also worked in textiles and engineering after spending his National Service down the mines as a `Bevan Boy', had been ill for the last five months.

The son of former Huddersfield Mayor, Alderman Harry Brook, William France Brook made his sporting name as a hooker at Huddersfield RU Club.

His first-team debut came against Headingley Old Boys on the opening day of the 1945-46 season and he went on to make 339 appearances through to 1960 and play 24 times for the county, one of the highest totals of any player in Huddersfield's history.

Club captain for the 1953-54 season, his skill in both dribbling in the loose and `shinning' the ball in the middle of the scrum won widespread admiration.

Never one to take a backward step, he was renowned for asking his opposite number before a match whether he wanted to play it "hard or friendly".

Mr Brook showed his flair for sporting finance as early as 1958, when he played a pivotal role as the rugby union club marked their golden jubilee by raising £5,000 for ground improvements.

His continuing fund-raising helped the club purchase the old junior pitches at Waterloo, the sale of which enabled them to move to Lockwood Park in 1997.

That talent had chance to flourish when he left the family textiles firm HF Brook and Son to take the newly-created role of Town promotions officer in May 1969.

While manager Ian Greaves did the business on the pitch, moulding a side which won promotion to the top flight as old Second Division champions in 1970, Mr Brook provided the flair off it.

He was the man who rebranded the club by coining the Terriers nickname, recruiting family pet Skippy, from Honley, as the matchday mascot.

After revamping the matchday programme, he set about creating the Terrier Pool, which at its height, was the biggest and most lucrative of its kind in the country.

Mr Brook also played a pioneering role in introducing pitchside advertising at Leeds Road and launching a successful club shop at the old ground.

He succeeded Tony Galvin as club secretary in 1970, and after leaving that post in 1974 to set up the Brook Hollow-Ware engineering firm at Brighouse, he was a club director for two years.

After cutting his ties with football, Mr Brook returned to his first love, Huddersfield RU, where he was made a life-member.

He coached the Colts and became a vital member of the back-up team by going to watch and making reports on future opponents.

He continued to watch matches right up to the end of last season.

Mick Brown, the Yorkshire RFU president and Huddersfield management committee member, said: "Bill was an excellent player and a loyal club man.

"His fund-raising work was of the highest order and he was very hospitable to club visitors.

"I remember when a party of tourists from Belfast came over in the late Fifties, he put his furniture into storage in order to fit them all into his house!

"It's fair to say Bill wasn't a man to do things by halves."

Mr Brook, who lived at Birkby with his partner Mollie, was predeceased by daughter Elizabeth and leaves a son James and grandsons Chris, who plays junior rugby at Huddersfield, and Alex.

His funeral is at Huddersfield Crematorium on Thursday (11.30).