William Dowell (21 May 1885[5] – 9 November 1949[6]) was a Welsh dual-code international rugby union and rugby league footballer who played rugby union for Newport, Pontypool, rugby league and Warrington RLFC. He won seven caps for the Wales rugby union team and after switching to league,[2][3] played one match for the Wales league squad.[4]
 Dowell in Newport jersey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | William Henry Dowell[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 21 May 1885 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Pontypool, Monmouthshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 9 November 1949 (aged 64) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Newport, Monmouthshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby career
editDowell first played for Newport in 1905 and was part of the team that faced two touring sides; the 1905 Original All Blacks, and the 1906 South Africans.
Dowell was first capped for Wales on 12 January 1907 when he played against England at St. Helens under the captaincy of Dicky Owen. It was a good victory for Wales, winning 22-0 and Dowell was back the very next two matches of the 1907 Home Nations Championship. Dowell was also part of the Wales Triple Crown winning team when he played in all three games of the 1908 Championship, including a winning match against France in the same year. His final four union international games were with Pontypool after he left Newport in 1908. Dowell may have been selected the next season but 'Went North', joining rugby league team Warrington and therefore making himself ineligible to play further union games. He later played one league international for Wales making him a dual code international.
Dowell played at prop in Warrington's 10-3 victory over Australia in the 1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain tour match during the 1908–09 season at Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington, on the 14th November 1908. He did this in front of a crowd of 5,000; however, due to the strikes in the cotton mills,[7] the attendance was badly affected, the loss of earnings meant that some fans could not afford to watch the first tour by the Australian rugby league team.[8]
International matches played
editWales (union)[9]
Wales (league)
England 1908
Bibliography
edit- Smith, David; Williams, Gareth (1980). Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0766-3.
References
edit- ^ Newport RFC player profile
- ^ a b "Statistics at en.espn.co.uk (RU)". espn.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Statistics at wru.co.uk (RU)". wru.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org (RL)". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Birth details at freebmd.org.uk". freebmd.org.uk. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ^ "Death details at freebmd.org.uk". freebmd.org.uk. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ^ Vallen, Lisa. "GSU Library Research Guides: Southern Labor Archives: Work n' Progress - Lessons and Stories: Part III: The Southern Textile Industry". research.library.gsu.edu. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ "100 years since Wire took on the Aussies for the first time". warringtonwolves.com. 31 December 2015. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 465.