Bill Wookey

Last updated

Bill Wookey
Personal information
Full nameWilliam Wookey
Born1936
Barrow-in-Furness, England
Died6 August 2019 (aged 83) [1]
Playing information
Position Wing, Centre
Club
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
1954–61 Workington Town
1961–64 Barrow
1964–65 Blackpool Borough 60000
Total60000
Source: [2] [3]

William Wookey was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He spent most of his career with Workington Town, with whom he played in two Challenge Cup finals. He also played for Barrow and Blackpool Borough, and was selected by Great Britain for the 1958 Lions tour, but did not earn any caps.

Contents

Playing career

Born in Barrow-in-Furness, Wookey initially played rugby union for Furness RUFC, making his first team debut at the age of 15. [1] He turned professional in 1954, switching to rugby league to join Workington Town. [4]

Wookey played at stand-off in Workington Town's 12–21 defeat by Barrow in the 1954–55 Challenge Cup final at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 30 April 1955. He returned to Wembley with Workington in the 1957–58 Challenge Cup final on Saturday 10 May 1958, but was once again on the losing side, playing on the wing in the 9–13 defeat by Wigan. [5]

Wookey was one of four Workington Town players to be selected by Great Britain for the 1958 Lions tour. He made 10 appearances for Great Britain during the tour, but did not feature in any Test matches.

In January 1961, he was transferred to his hometown club Barrow, [6] where he scored 12 tries in 64 appearances. [1] He finished his playing career with one season at Blackpool Borough.

Personal life

Wookey married in November 1958 to Mary Teresa Pattison. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Tributes paid to former Barrow-born rugby star Bill Wookey". The Mail. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  2. ↑ "William Wookey – Playing Career". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  3. ↑ "Player Summary: Bill Wookey". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  4. ↑ "Best capture since Boston joined Wigan" . Yorkshire Post and Leeds Mercury. 6 May 1954. p. 6 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ↑ "1957-1958 Challenge Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Barrow on Saturday" . Rochdale Observer. 4 January 1961. p. 8 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ↑ "Miss M.T. Pattison - Mr. W. Wookey". Barrow News. 28 November 1958. p. 14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.