Laurence Gant MBE (21 July 1922[2] – 19 October 2004) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played as a second-row forward in the 1940s and 1950s, coached in the 1960s and 1970s, and refereed in the 1950s and 1960s.
[4] Laurie Gant was the president of St Michael's Cricket club [1], and the Wakefield branch of the Royal British Legion.
[5] Laurie Gant was born in Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, he worked as a cobbler in Wrenthorpe, in the 1981 New Year Honours, Gant was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to rugby league,[6] and he died aged 82 in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.
[7] Laurie Gant played at second-row in Featherstone Rovers' 12–18 defeat by Workington Town in the 1951–52 Challenge Cup Final during the 1951–52 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 19 April 1952, in front of a crowd of 72,093, he played despite having pneumonia, but following massage with brandy and rum.
[8] Laurie Gant was the coach in Featherstone Rovers' 17–12 victory over Barrow in the 1966–67 Challenge Cup Final during the 1966–67 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 13 May 1967, in front of a crowd of 76,290.