Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | John Denis Gray | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 9 October 1953 Meriden, Warwickshire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Hooker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop, Hooker, Second-row, Loose forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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John Denis Gray (born 9 October 1953) [1] is an English cricketer, rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played cricket for Warwickshire and Marylebone Cricket Club, as a left-hand bat, and right-arm medium-fast bowler, playing representative rugby union (RU) for England (7s), and at club level for Coventry R.F.C., as a Hooker and representative rugby league (RL) for Great Britain and England, and at club level for Wigan, North Sydney Bears (two spells) and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles as a round the corner style goal-kicking prop , hooker , second-row or loose forward. [1]
Gray was born in Meriden, Warwickshire, England on 9 October 1953. He was a pupil at Woodlands Comprehensive School, Coventry.
He represented England (RU) in the 1973 International Seven-A-Side Tournament.
Gray switched to rugby league with English club Wigan, and played at prop, scoring 4 conversions in their 19–9 victory over Salford in the 1973 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1973–74 season at Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington, on Saturday 13 October 1973. [5] Gray won caps for England (RL) while at Wigan in 1975 against France, and Wales, in the 1975 Rugby League World Cup against France, [2] and won caps for Great Britain (RL) while at Wigan in 1974 against France (sub) (2 matches), Australia (2 matches), Australia (sub), and New Zealand (3 matches). [3] Gray was one of the first players to introduce the now routine round-the-corner style of goal kicking to Australia, he won the 1976 Amco Cup 'superstar' prize for player of the competition, he was the 1982 Dally M Award-winning hooker, a series of broken forearms, and constant back pain ended his career in 1983.
John Gray was named on the bench in the North Sydney Bears Team of the Century.
Frank Castle was an English Olympic Games sprint trialist, rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for Warwickshire, and at club level for Coventry R.F.C., and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain and England, and at club level for Leigh and Barrow, as a wing. Castle was inducted in to the Barrow Hall of Fame in 2019.
Thomas Kelvin Coslett is a Welsh former dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s, and coached rugby league in the 1970s and 1980s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for Wales, and at club level for Aberavon RFC and Llanelli RFC, as a goal-kicking full-back, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Wales and Other Nationalities, and at club level for St. Helens (captain), and Rochdale Hornets, as a toe-end kicking style goal-kicking fullback, prop, second-row, or loose forward, and coached at club level for Rochdale Hornets, Wigan and St. Helens.
James "Jim"/"Jimmy" Ledgard was an English rugby union and World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and coached rugby league in the 1960s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for Sandal RUFC, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain, England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Dewsbury, and Leigh, as a goal-kicking fullback, and coached at club level for Bradford Northern.
George Alan Prescott was an English rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s. He played initially at wing, and then later at prop, second-row or loose forward. In 404 matches for St Helens. Prescott scored 31 tries for a total of 93 points. He played 14 times for Lancashire, 12 times for England, once for Rugby League XIII, once for British Empire, and made 31 Great Britain appearances.
Chris Joynt is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A Great Britain international representative prop, second-row and loose forward, he played his club football with St Helens, with whom he won numerous titles, as well as Oldham and a stint in Australia with the Newcastle Knights. He lifted many trophies throughout a glittering Knowsley Road career, including consecutive Super League championships in 1999 and 2000.
Steve McCurrie is an English former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
George Nicholls is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. A Great Britain and England international representative forward, he played his club rugby for English sides Widnes and St. Helens. Eventually becoming a St Helens R.F.C. Hall of Fame inductee, he also became the first player to win the Man of Steel Award, Harry Sunderland Trophy and Lance Todd Trophy with the club. With Great Britain, Nicholls also won the 1972 Rugby League World Cup.
Kenneth Gee was an English rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. He played at representative level for Great Britain winning 17 caps between 1946 and 1951, England winning 18-caps between 1943 and 1951, and Lancashire, and at club level for Wigan and Oldham, as a prop, i.e. number 8 or 10, during the era of contested scrums. He is an inductee of the Wigan Hall of Fame, having featured in Wigan's Rugby Football League Championship wins of 1945–46, 1946–47 and 1949–50 as well as their Challenge Cup victories of 1948 and 1951. He also won Lancashire Cup winner's medals seven times.
Albert "Alec" Edward Fildes was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Lancashire, and at club level for St Helens Recs and St Helens as a prop, second-row or loose forward, i.e. number 8 or 10, 11 or 12, or 13, during the era of contested scrums.
Harold Paul Charlton is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England, Cumberland and Cumbria, and at club level for Kells ARLFC, Workington Town, Salford and Blackpool Borough, as a fullback, and coached at club level for Workington Town. He was part of the Great Britain squad which won the 1972 World Cup.
Brian Edgar was an English rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for Workington RFC, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain (captain), and England, and at club level for Workington Town, as a prop or second-row.
Henry "Harry" Gifford was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Lancashire, and at club level for Ulverston Hornets ARLFC, and Barrow, initially in the backs; as a fullback (182-appearances), wing (65-appearances), centre (54-appearances), or stand-off/scrum-half (25-appearances), i.e. number 1, 2 or 5, 3 or 4, 6, or 7, and latterly in the forwards, and prop (25-appearances), hooker (6-appearances), second-row (6-appearances), or loose forward (39-appearances), during the era of contested scrums.
Emlyn Jenkins was a Welsh cinema manager, trainee teacher, landlord of a public house, rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s, and coached rugby league in the 1950s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for Treorchy RFC, and Cardiff RFC, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain, Wales and England, and at club level for Salford, Wigan and St Helens, Leigh, as a fullback, wing, centre, stand-off, or scrum-half, and coached club level rugby league (RL) for Leigh and St Helens.
Albert Edward "Bert" "Slosher" Avery was an English rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s and 1910s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for Devon, and at club level for Plymouth and Devonport Albion, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain, England and Lancashire, and at club level for Oldham, as a centre, stand-off, or more usually as a forward.
Robert A. Irving was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s. A Great Britain and England international, and Yorkshire representative second-row, he played at club level for Oldham, Wigan, Salford, Barrow, Blackpool Borough and Swinton.
Robert Sloman was an English rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s. He played club level rugby union (RU) or Plymouth Albion, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain and England, and at club level for Oldham (captain), as a second-row.
Tommy Woods was an English dual-code international rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for England and Somersetshire, and at club level for Bridgwater & Albion RFC, as a forward, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain and England, and at club level for Rochdale Hornets, as a forward, during the era of contested scrums.
Anthony Starks was an English dual-code international rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1890s and 1900s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Castleford RUFC, as a forward, and representative level rugby league (RL) for England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Hull Kingston Rovers (captain), as a forward, during the era of contested scrums. England's Anthony Starks, and Wales' Jack Rhapps took the field in the inaugural rugby league international of Tuesday 5 April 1904 between England and Other Nationalities. Starks had made two rugby union Test appearances for England in 1896, and Rhapps had made a single rugby union Test appearance for Wales in 1897, and thus in April 1904 they became the world's first dual-code rugby internationals.
John Brian Hogan was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for England and Lancashire, and at club level for St. Helens, Wigan, Workington Town, Bradford Northern, Widnes, and Oldham, as a prop, or second-row.
Thomas Woods was a Welsh-born dual-code international rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1910s and 1920s. Woods was the first man to play international rugby union (RU) for England, and international rugby league (RL) for Wales.
