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 during the era of contested scrums. [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 County 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, i.e. number 2 or 5.
David J. Ward is an English former rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and England, and at club level for Leeds, as a hooker, and coached at club level for Hunslet, Leeds, Batley, and Featherstone Rovers. He won a total of 12 Great Britain caps.
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.
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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.
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