Boxer Walker ‘The Life of a Cumbria Great’
A new book ‘The Life of a Cumbria Great’ has returned the limelight to one of West Cumbria’s sporting heros.
At the top of his game, Arnold ‘Boxer’ Walker, was voted the best scrum half in the world. Throughout his career he represented Cumbria and Great Britain in the rugby league and played for both Haven and Workington Town, gaining a well-deserved reputation as one of the greatest players to come out of west Cumbria.
Growing up in Kells, in Whitehaven, Boxer was the team mascot at the age of just four and his love for the sport grew with him. The book tells a story of one man’s remarkable life, through the highs of playing for Great Britain, to the lows of his injuries that would eventually end his rugby career overnight.
The author and former Sports Editor of the News and Star, Mike Gardner, watched Boxer play many times throughout his career. He believed him to be one of the last legendary, charismatic characters, both on and off the pitch.
Mike said: “I thought Boxer was the best scrum half I’ve ever seen and he was very much a character on and off the field.
“I wanted to bring out his character’s personality and what sort of player he was. It’s a very graphic, warts and all, account of his life, exactly how it was; full of drama, brilliant performances on the field, irresponsible behaviour off the field, but it’s the truth, it’s his life.”
Boxer was, in his own words “a bit of a bad ‘un”, who was once compared to George Best for his ability to stay out all night at a nightclub and still perform perfectly on the pitch the next day. However, the comradeship between Boxer and his teammates, both on the rugby field and in the 12 years he spent working at Haig Pit, is what made him the man he is.
Boxer said: “Back when I played, we had a special bond, we were one big family. The team had something very special, you would die for each other, just like down the mines.”
Boxer and his team mates would be down the the pit at five ‘o’clock in the morning before playing a match and the only dietary regime he believed in was “plenty of drink”. It is a million miles from the rugby league of today. Yet now, more than 30 years after he played his last rugby match, Boxer is inspiring the younger generations of west Cumbria.
He said: “I believe in giving young people a helping hand.It gives me such great pleasure to see the sparkle and the smile on their faces when I give them a trophy.”
He added: “And I love to give to amateurs, you should never, ever forget where you come from, never.”
‘Boxer: The Life of a Cumbria Great’ is only available from the following outlets: Michael Moon’s Bookshop, Duke Street, Whitehaven; McDowells Newsagents, Market Place, Whitehaven; Richard James, Finkle Street, Workington, P and D Newsagents, Corporation Road, Workington, Bookends – Carlisle & Keswick and Maryport News, Maryport.
Photo credit: Gary McKeating
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