Richard Ashcroft and then attended Winstanley College, where he met Nick McCabe. His teachers referred to him as "the cancer of the class", though one member of staff recalled him being "incredibly intelligent". Ashcroft was an avid football player, playing junior football for Wigan Athletic. For some time Ashcroft wanted to be a professional football player, idolising George Best, but as he grew older he lost interest in this, turning to music instead. Ashcroft formed The Verve (originally just Verve) in 1990 with McCabe, Jones, and Salisbury. The band signed to Hut Records and became well known for their appetite for both
Ernie Ashcroft League (4): 1945–46, 1946–47, 1949–50, 1951–52 LancashireCounty Cup (5): 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1951–52. Ernie Ashcroft's marriage to Vera (née Dean) was registered on 23 February 1952 in Wigan district. Ernie Ashcroft Ernest J. Ashcroft (28 February 1925 – May 1985), also known by the nickname of "Ernie", was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and coach of the 1950s and 1960s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and British Empire XIII, and at club level for Wigan (Heritage № 465), and Huddersfield, as a , or , i.e.