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| Born | (1967-04-04)4 April 1967 (age 58) Lytham St Annes,Lancashire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Wing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mark Preston (born 3 April 1967) is an English formerrugby league andrugby union footballer who played as awinger. He started his career withFylde RFC in rugby union, and representedEngland B. He switched to rugby league in 1988, where he played forWigan,Halifax andWidnes, and also representedLancashire.
Preston was born inLytham St Annes,Lancashire.[3] He attendedKirkham Grammar School, where he began playingrugby union.[4]
After leaving school, Preston continued playingrugby union withPreston Grasshoppers before later joiningFylde RFC. He was the country's leading try scorer during the1987–88 season, and received a call up for theEngland B team,[5] scoring a try in a 35–9 win againstItaly B atWelford Road,Leicester on 4 March 1988.[6] A few days later he switched codes torugby league, signing a contract withWigan.[7]
Preston made his debut for Wigan on 1 April 1988 in a 10–9 win against local rivalsSt Helens,[8] and scored his first try for the club a few days later in a 42–16 victory againstSwinton.[9] Later that month, he scored five tries in a 62–10 win againstHunslet.[10]
Preston's best season for Wigan came in the1989–90 season. He was the club's top try scorer with 32 tries in 41 appearances,[11] helping the club win the league championship that season. He also played for Wigan in the1989–90 Regal Trophy final victory againstHalifax, and scored two tries in the club's 36–14 win againstWarrington in the1990 Challenge Cup final.
In June 1991, he was transferred toHalifax for a fee of £50,000.[12]