Malcolm Thomas (rugby union player)

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Malcolm Thomas
Birth name Malcolm Campbell Thomas [1]
Date of birth(1929-04-25)25 April 1929
Place of birth Machen, Wales [2]
Date of death 9 April 2012(2012-04-09) (aged 82)
Place of death Burnham, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight 13 st 10 lb (87 kg; 192 lb)
School Bassaleg Grammar School
University Caerleon Training College
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
?
1946-1959
?
1950-≥1958		 Devonport Services R.F.C.
Newport RFC
London Welsh RFC
Barbarian F.C. 		()
National team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1949-1959
1950-1959		 Wales
British Lions 		27
4		 (22)
(0)

Malcolm Thomas (25 April 1929 – 9 April 2012) was a Welsh and British Lions international rugby union player. A centre, he played club rugby for Newport. He won 27 caps for Wales and was selected to play in the British Lions on two tours of Australia and New Zealand.

Wales Country in northwest Europe, part of the United Kingdom

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2 (8,023 sq mi). Wales has over 1,680 miles (2,700 km) of coastline and is largely mountainous, with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon, its highest summit. The country lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable, maritime climate.

British and Irish Lions rugby union team

The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for any of the Home Nations – the national teams of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The Lions are a Test side and generally select international players, but they can pick uncapped players available to any one of the four unions. The team currently tours every four years, with these rotating among Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The most recent series, the 2017 series against New Zealand, was drawn 1-1.

Newport RFC Welsh rugby club

Newport Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in the city of Newport, South Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Premier Division. Newport RFC are based at Rodney Parade situated on the east bank of the River Usk.

Contents

After his rugby career Thomas became a successful business man. He died on 9 April 2012 in Burnham, Buckinghamshire. [3]

Burnham, Buckinghamshire village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England

Burnham is a large village and civil parish that lies north of the River Thames in the South Bucks District of Buckinghamshire, on the boundary with Berkshire, between the towns of Maidenhead and Slough, about 23 miles west of Charing Cross, London. It is probably best known for the nearby Burnham Beeches woodland.

Early and club career

Born in Machen in 1929, Thomas went to school at Bassaleg Grammar and was chosen for the Welsh Secondary Schools rugby and cricket teams, before attending Caerleon Training College. After qualifying from college he became an instructor-lieutenant in the Royal Navy, playing for and captaining Devonport Services before playing for the Navy XV. [4]

Royal Navy Maritime warfare branch of the United Kingdoms military

The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by the English kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years War against the Kingdom of France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK's armed services, it is known as the Senior Service.

Devonport Services Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team based in Plymouth, Devon. The club was originally called United Services Devonport and had their first recorded match back in 1904. Devonport Services play their homes games at the Rectory Field and their strip and club colours are dark blue and red. They are currently competing in Tribute South West 1 West at tier 6 of the English rugby union league system following their promotion from Tribute Western Counties West via the play-offs.

He joined Newport in 1946 and played against South Africa (1952), New Zealand (1954) and Australia (1957) for the club. A versatile player, Thomas found himself being moved between centre and wing and was chosen many times due to his ability as a utility back. [5] He was also recognized as an accurate placekicker and was strong in the tackle, with a powerful hand-off. [6] Thomas also represented Cornwall and Monmouthsire at county level, and played invitational matches for the Barbarians and Crawshays. In 1958 ha was a member of the 1958 touring Barbarian team that played in Africa, scoring a try and two conversions in the win over East Africa.

Barbarian F.C. rugby union team

The Barbarian Football Club, usually called the Barbarians and nicknamed the Baa-Baas, is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain. The Barbarians play in black and white hoops, though players wear the socks from their own club strip. Membership is by invitation, and as of 2011, players from 31 countries had played for the Barbarians. Traditionally at least one uncapped player is selected for each match.

Crawshays Welsh RFC is an invitational rugby union team.

East Africa rugby union team

Established in 1950, The East Africa rugby union team is a multi-national rugby union team drawing players from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, though the vast majority of these came from Kenya which has traditionally been the strongest rugby playing nation in this part of the world. The team has played against incoming international, representative and club touring sides and it conducted seven tours between 1954 and 1982.

He also played cricket for Cornwall in the 1951 Minor Counties Championship, making four appearances. [7]

Cricket Team sport played with bats and balls

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a 20-metre (22-yard) pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striking the ball bowled at the wicket with the bat, while the bowling and fielding side tries to prevent this and dismiss each player. Means of dismissal include being bowled, when the ball hits the stumps and dislodges the bails, and by the fielding side catching the ball after it is hit by the bat, but before it hits the ground. When ten players have been dismissed, the innings ends and the teams swap roles. The game is adjudicated by two umpires, aided by a third umpire and match referee in international matches. They communicate with two off-field scorers who record the match's statistical information.

Cornwall County Cricket Club is one of twenty minor county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Cornwall. The team has played in the Minor Counties Championship since 1904 and finally becoming champions in 2012. They also play in the MCCA Knockout Trophy. Cornwall played List A matches occasionally from 1970 until 2004 but is not classified as a List A team per se.

International career

Thomas made his debut against France in 1949 in an away game in the Stad de Colombe Paris which Wales lost. The selectors kept faith with Thomas and he turned out for the next four Five Nations Tournament games, which saw Wales win the Grand Slam in 1950, the first time since 1911. Thomas was also part of the Wales Grand Slam team in 1952. In 1953 he was dropped from the squad as the selectors believed his play was becoming stale and was blamed for a bad pass in the game against England. [4] In a 1954/55 pre-season club trial he broke a leg, however he was back playing for Newport the next season and a return to club form saw his return to the Welsh side. On 19 January 1957 he was awarded the captaincy of Wales against England, and again later in the season against Scotland.

International matches played

Wales [8]

British Lions

Bibliography

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References

  1. ↑ Newport RFC player profile Archived 17 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ WRU player profiles [ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ "Welsh rugby's 'Mr Versatile' dies". WRU. 13 April 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  4. 1 2 Thomas (1979), pg 119.
  5. ↑ Smith (1980), pg 324.
  6. ↑ Smith (1980), pg 339.
  7. ↑ "Player profile: Malcolm Thomas". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  8. ↑ Smith (1980), pg 472.
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