FORMER Great Britain captain Mike Gregory died today from an illness his family believed he got from an insect bite on a tour of Australia.
He was 43.
Gregory, who played nearly all of his career with Warrington, had been suffering with a neurological disease for the past four years which eventually saw him confined to a wheelchair.
He lost consciousness on Sunday and died today.
The Gregory family believed his illness dated back to an insect bite he suffered while on a tour of Australia with the Great Britain academy team in 2003.
It is thought the bite caused Gregory to develop progressive muscular atrophy, a form of motor neurone disease.
Gregory was capped 20 times by Great Britain with arguably his most memorable appearance coming during the third Test in Sydney in 1988, when his long-range try clinched the first British victory over Australia in a decade.
He also captained Great Britain to two Test series victories over New Zealand.
Gregory leaves a widow, Erica, and two sons, Ben, 5, and Sam, 9.
A video tribute from granada news, R.I.P mike.
[yt]hsNRgd30ZEs[/yt]
He was 43.
Gregory, who played nearly all of his career with Warrington, had been suffering with a neurological disease for the past four years which eventually saw him confined to a wheelchair.
He lost consciousness on Sunday and died today.
The Gregory family believed his illness dated back to an insect bite he suffered while on a tour of Australia with the Great Britain academy team in 2003.
It is thought the bite caused Gregory to develop progressive muscular atrophy, a form of motor neurone disease.
Gregory was capped 20 times by Great Britain with arguably his most memorable appearance coming during the third Test in Sydney in 1988, when his long-range try clinched the first British victory over Australia in a decade.
He also captained Great Britain to two Test series victories over New Zealand.
Gregory leaves a widow, Erica, and two sons, Ben, 5, and Sam, 9.
A video tribute from granada news, R.I.P mike.
[yt]hsNRgd30ZEs[/yt]