Frederick William Ashworth (14 January 1907 – 9 September 1989), also known by the nickname of "Basher", was an English rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for Aspatria RUFC, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Cumberland, and at club level for Oldham, as a forward, after retiring as a player he served Oldham as a member of the club's committee.
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Frederick William Ashworth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 14 January 1907[1] Watchhill, Cumberland, England[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 9 September 1989 (aged 82)[3] Oldham, Lancashire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Background
editFred Ashworth was born in Watchhill, Cumberland, to coalminer James Ashworth and Mary Ellen Ashworth.[2]
Playing career
editAspatria Rugby Union Club
editAshworth (or ‘Basher’ as he was known to his friends and colleagues) came to prominence when at the age of fourteen, he played in the local school team that won the Cumberland Silver Shield, a knockout competition open to boys aged sixteen and under.[4] In 1924 the majority of the team were runners-up in the Cumberland Under 18’s Challenge Cup, after they were narrowly defeated by Silloth. In 1925, Ashworth captained the side that won the same competition, defeating Egremont by 11 points to nil.[5] By 1925 he was a regular member of the senior squad and won a runners-up medal in that years Challenge Cup, when Aspatria were narrowly defeated by Workington.
In 1926, Ashworth, along with T. E Holliday signed professional forms for Oldham.
Oldham
editAshworth played in Oldham's 26–7 victory over Swinton in the 1927 Challenge Cup Final during the 1926–27 season at Central Park, Wigan, in front of a crowd of 33,448.
Ashworth is an Oldham Hall Of Fame Inductee.[6]
County honours
editAshworth represented Cumberland (RL).
References
edit- ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916–2007
- ^ a b 1911 England Census
- ^ England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858–1995
- ^ Aspatria The History of a Rugby Union Football Club page 52
- ^ Aspatria The History of a Rugby Union Football Club pages 89-90
- ^ "Oldham Hall of Fame". orl-heritagetrust.org.uk. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
Bibliography
edit- Terry Carrick (1995). Aspatria: The History Of A Rugby Union Football Club. Nottingham: Adland Press.