Hamish Dawson

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Hamish Dawson
Birth nameJames Cooper Dawson
Date of birth(1925-10-29)29 October 1925
Date of death19 October 2007(2007-10-19) (aged 81)
Place of death Mauchline, Scotland
School Glasgow Academy
Strathallan School
University The Queen's College, Oxford
Occupation(s)Chartered accountant
Managing Director
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock / Prop
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
- Oxford University ()
– Glasgow Academicals ()
– London Scottish ()
– Barbarians ()
Provincial / State sides
YearsTeamApps(Points)
- Glasgow District ()
- Cities ()
- Scotland Probables ()
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1947–1953 Scotland 20 (3)

James 'Hamish' Cooper Dawson (29 October 1925 – 19 October 2007) was a rugby union international who represented Scotland from 1947 to 1953 gaining 20 caps. [1]

Contents

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

Dawson was educated at Glasgow Academy, Strathallan School in Perthshire and The Queen's College, Oxford. [2] He was a talented all-round sportsman, particularly swimming, cricket and rugby. [2] Dawson received a blue for Oxford University, playing against Cambridge University in the 1943–44 season. [3]

He played club rugby for Glasgow Academicals RFC, London Scottish FC and the Barbarians FC. [2]

Provincial career

Dawson was capped for Glasgow District. [4]

He played for the Cities District side in their match against Australia in October 1947. [5]

He turned out for the Scotland Probables side in 1947. [6]

International career

Dawson made his debut for Scotland in a 16–7 loss to Australia at Murrayfield during their 1947–48 tour of Great Britain, one of eight new Scotland caps that day. [2] His first three caps were played at lock, which included a 9–8 victory over France at Murrayfield and a 14–0 loss to Wales in Cardiff in the 1948 Five Nations Championship. [1]

Dawson's next seventeen caps were played at prop starting with an 8–0 victory over France in the 1949 Five Nations Championship in Paris. [1] This was followed by a 6–5 win over Wales at Murrayfield and a 13–3 defeat to Ireland at the same venue. [1] He played all four matches in the 1950 Five Nations Championship, starting with a third consecutive victory over France, 8–5 in Edinburgh. [1] Scotland lost 12–0 to Wales and 21–0 to Ireland in Cardiff and Dublin respectively. [1] Regaining some pride with a 13–11 win against England at Murrayfield. [1]

In 1951 Dawson played on five occasions for Scotland, starting with a 14–12 loss to France in Paris. On 3 February, he scored his only points for Scotland with a try in a 19–0 win against Wales at Murrayfield. [1] Three weeks later Scotland lost narrowly to Ireland, 6–5 in Edinburgh, starting a run of 17 consecutive matches without a win, lasting until 1955. [1] [7] Dawson also played in the 5–3 defeat to England at Twickenham; Scotland avoiding the 1951 Five Nations Championship wooden spoon on points difference. [1] Later that year Scotland suffered a record 44–0 loss to South Africa at Murrayfield, with South Africa losing only once on their 31-game 1951–52 rugby tour. [1]

Dawson played in all four matches of the 1952 Five Nations Championship. [1] Scotland losing all four matches: 13–11 to France in Edinburgh, 11–0 to Wales in Cardiff, 12–8 to Ireland in Dublin and 19–3 to England at Murrayfield. [1] Dawson played his last match for Scotland against England at Twickenham in a 26–8 loss in the 1953 Five Nations Championship, Scotland receiving the 'wooden spoon' for the second consecutive year. [8]

Military career

In 1943 he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, initially serving as a midshipman based at HMS King Alfred and then transferring to HMS Ulysses (R69) in the British Pacific Fleet. [3] [8] Dawson then served as a sub-lieutenant on a minesweeper in Hong Kong until December 1946. [3]

Outside of rugby

After the war, he qualified as a chartered accountant in 1948. He rose through the ranks of Ritchies Paper Products Limited finally becoming managing director in 1968. [9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Hamish Dawson". ESPNscrum. 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Former Scots prop Dawson dies at the age of 81". The Scotsman. 24 October 2007. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "Rugby Internationalists" (PDF). Strathallan School. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  4. ↑ https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/19471208/064/0002 – via British Newspaper Archive.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ↑ "Wallabies' Display Was Best of Tour". Sydney Morning Herald. 17 October 1947. p. 10 – via Trove.
  6. ↑ https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/19471222/070/0002 – via British Newspaper Archive.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ "Mike Blair backs Scotland's Frank Hadden". The Daily Telegraph. 24 October 2007. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Hamish Dawson". Scottish Rugby Union. 23 October 2007. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  9. ↑ "Hamish Dawson". Scottish Rugby Union.[ permanent dead link ]
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