Former Super League stalwart and record holder Ben Crooks hangs up boots
Ben Crooks all smiles following a Hull FC win in 2013
Former Super League stalwart Ben Crooks has taken to social media to announce his retirement following the conclusion of Halifax Panthers’ Championship campaign.
Crooks – who turned 33 in June – has spent three-and-a-half years with Fax, and played the final game of his career in their colours on Sunday afternoon as they were narrowly beaten at home by his former club Keighley Cougars.
The veteran remains the holder of the fastest try in Super League history having scored after just seven seconds for Hull KR in Round 3 of the 2021 season behind closed doors against Huddersfield Giants at Craven Park during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
He hangs up his boots with 278 first-grade career appearances on his CV, and over 150 of those were made in Super League.
Former Super League stalwart and record holder Ben Crooks hangs up boots
Born in Pontefract, Crooks – who made the Super League Dream Team in 2013 as he was named Super League’s Young Player of the Year – is a product of Hull FC’s youth system.
Making his first-team bow for the Black and Whites back in April 2012 during a Challenge Cup tie against Huddersfield, FC are among four clubs he has represented in Super League alongside Castleford Tigers, Leigh and cross-city rivals KR.
Doncaster, Keighley and Fax are the other clubs the outside-back donned a shirt for in the British game, while a 2015 switch to NRL outfit Parramatta Eels did not bring any first-grade appearances.
Instead, he spent that year plying his trade at second-grade level in the New South Wales Cup for Wentworthville Magpies.
Fast forward 11 years and Crooks has retired after captaining Fax in a campaign which produced eight Championship victories despite the club being deducted 12 points mid-season having hit serious financial issues.
The 33-year-old took to social media to announce his decision following Sunday’s defeat to Keighley, posting a collection of images from his career on Instagram.
That Instragam post is captioned: “What a ride it’s been, but it’s time to get off 🎢”
Crooks rounded off with the 134th and final try of his first-grade career on Sunday against Keighley. Added to by 47 goals, his career points tally sits at 630 in 278 appearances across all competitions.