FORMER York sportsman Anthony "Dan" Rippon suffered a fractured skull in an attack with a totem pole, a court heard.

Mr Rippon, who died in January aged 43, was a leading footballer, rugby player and cricketer in York in the 1980s.

He played rugby for York All Blacks, was a batsman in the Osbaldwick team which won the Myers and Burnell Cup in 1986 and played football for Cliftonville, Rowntree and Tadcaster.

But he was left with a 9cm fracture in his skull, cuts and blood in his ears when he was assaulted on September 13 last year.

Thomas Jack Kennedy, 33, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at York Crown Court yesterday to causing grievous bodily harm after accepting responsibility for the fracture.

But his barrister, Paul Williams, said he denied using any weapon during the assault, in which he had punched Mr Rippon three times while the victim was sitting down.

Judge Trevor Kent-Jones said it was absolutely clear that a blood-spattered totem pole must have been used during the attack.

But he said that whether or not Kennedy had used the totem pole would make no difference to his sentence and remanded him in custody, adjourning the case for pre-sentence reports.

Christopher Attwooll, prosecuting, said Kennedy's claim that he did not use the pole "flies in the face of our evidence".

Kennedy is currently serving 18 months in jail for burgling a house in Huntington Road, York.

Martyn Neil Briggs, 39, of Glenside Flats, Fourth Avenue, Tang Hall, pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm on the basis that although he knew Kennedy was going to attack Mr Rippon, he did not realise how far his co-accused would go.

The prosecution accepted his denial to a charge of causing grievous bodily harm. He was released on bail and his case was also adjourned for a pre-sentence report.

Neither man was charged in connection with Mr Rippon's death earlier this year.

Mr Rippon's sporting achievements in the York area were well known in the 1980s.

He played rugby league for York All Blacks when they were coached by his eldest brother, Dave Rippon, the former York and Batley professional player.

He was a regular player in Osbaldwick's York and District Football League side when they were moving up to the top division, and he was a batsman in Osbaldwick's York and District Senior League team for some years.

He also played football for Cliftonville, Tadcaster and Rowntree, and cricket for Ovington.

Updated: 11:53 Tuesday, September 17, 2002