He played club level rugby union (RU) for Morley R.F.C., and club level rugby league (RL) for Leeds Schools and Wakefield Trinity, as a wing, .
Ken Hirst played on the wing scored a try in Wakefield Trinity's 21-9 victory over St. Helens in the Championship Final replay during the 1966–67 season at Station Road, Swinton on Wednesday 10 May 1967.
[2] Ken Hirst played on the wing and scored a try in Wakefield Trinity's 12-6 victory over Huddersfield in the 1961–62 Challenge Cup Final during the 1961–62 season at Wembley on Saturday 12 May 1962, and played on the wing and scored two tries in the 10-11 defeat by Leeds in the 1967–68 Challenge Cup "Watersplash" Final during the 1967–68 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 11 May 1968, in front of a crowd of 87,100.
[2] Ken Hirst played on the wing, making his début, and beat Clive Churchill to score a try within the first two minutes in Wakefield Trinity's 17-12 victory over Australia in the 1956–57 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France match at Belle Vue, Wakefield on Monday 10 December 1956.
Following his retirement from rugby league, Ken and his wife Irene were the landlord and lady of The Tawny Owl Inn, Prospect Road, Ossett for twenty years.