Isaac Cole

For the American jazz pianist and composer, see Ike Cole.

Isaac Cole (9 April 1886 – (1940-03-30)30 March 1940) was an English rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s and 1910s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for Castleford, and representative level rugby league (RL) for England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Castleford, Huddersfield, Wakefield Trinity, (York and Halifax during World War I) and Keighley playing mainly in the forwards, though occasionally on the Wing.

Isaac Cole

Cole in 1906
Personal information
Full name	Isaac Cole
Born	(1886-04-09)9 April 1886 Pontefract, England
Died	30 March 1940(1940-03-30) (aged 53) Halifax, England
Playing information
Weight	13 st 10 lb (87 kg)
Rugby union
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P –Dec 1904 Castleford (incomplete) 2 2 1 8
Rugby league
Position	Wing, Forwards
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1904–06 Castleford 17 4 3 18 1906–10 Huddersfield 50 8 7 38 1910–13 Wakefield Trinity 19 2 0 0 6 1910–10 Castleford 2 0 0 0 0 1913–14 Keighley 32 1 1 0 5 1914–18 Others – World War I years (York/Halifax), Benefit (1919), Friendlies (Wakefield Trinity (1910) 7 0 0 0 0 Total 127 15 11 0 67 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1905–06 Yorkshire 1 0 0 0 0 1905–06 Yorkshire trial games 2 0 0 0 0 1906 England 1 0 0 0 0
Source:

Isaac Cole scored 6 tries playing on the wing for Huddersfield on 30 January 1907 in the 63–0 victory over Liverpool City.

He played for Huddersfield in the 8–19 defeat by New Zealand on Saturday 12 October 1907.

Upon signing for Wakefield Trinity on Tuesday 1 February 1910, the game against Rochdale Hornets was cancelled due to the weather, resulting in them being unable to qualify him for the cup ties, although he did receive a Yorkshire League winners medal in that year.

In the benefit match played for Ernest Whitehouse, on 21 December 1919, Isaac Cole played for the defeated Billy Batten XIII versus Halifax by 6–16. Ernest Whitehouse was a World War I leg amputee who had played for Whitwood Melbourne (RU), Castleford (1912), been registered with Hull F.C. (28 January 1913 – 1916) and played for York and Halifax in 1917–18. The benefit match was the first rugby league game to be played at Wheldon Road, Castleford.

Background

Cole was born in Pontefract, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, and he died aged 53 in Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.

Playing career

International honours

Isaac Cole won a cap for England (RL) while at Castleford in 1906 in the 3–3 draw with Other Nationalities on Monday 1 January 1906 at Central Park, Wigan.

This game was the last 15-a-side rugby league international to be played, and 'Cole at 19 years and eight months old, was thought to have been the youngest forward of either code to have played at international level up to that time'.

County honours

In Yorkshire trial games, Isaac Cole played for "The Stripes" in the 8–13 defeat by "The Whites" at Huddersfield on Monday 25 September 1905, and "The Possibles" in the 18–15 victory over "The Probables" at Hull on Tuesday 10 October 1905.

Isaac Cole won one cap for Yorkshire in the 0–8 defeat by Lancashire at Hull on Saturday 4 November 1905, while at Castleford.

He was also selected as reserve for Yorkshire against Cumberland for the game at Whitehaven on Saturday 13 January 1906.

County League appearances

Isaac Cole played in Wakefield Trinity's victory in the Yorkshire League during the 1910–11 season.

County Cup Final appearances

Isaac Cole didn't play in Huddersfield's 21–0 victory over Batley in the 1909 Yorkshire Cup Final during the 1909–10 season at Headingley, Leeds on Saturday 27 November 1909, in front of a crowd of 22,000, and he didn't play in Wakefield Trinity's 8–2 victory over Huddersfield in the 1910 Yorkshire Cup Final during the 1910–11 season at Headingley, Leeds on Saturday 3 December 1910, in front of a crowd of 10,000.