Wilf Wooller

Wilf Wooller
	Wilfred Wooller in 1948
Personal information
Full name	Wilfred Wooller
Born	20 November 1912; Rhos-on-Sea, Denbighshire, Wales
Died	10 March 1997 (aged 84); Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium-fast
Domestic team information

Wilf Wooller
Birth name	Wilfred Wooller
Date of birth	20 November 1912
Place of birth	Rhos on Sea, Wales
Date of death	10 March 1997 (aged 84)
Place of death	Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	14 st (89 kg)
School	Rydal School
University	Cambridge University
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Centre
Amateur team(s)
Years	Team
	Rydal School; Colwyn Bay RFC ; Sale ; Glamorgan ; Cambridge University R.U.F.C. ; Cardiff RFC ; The Army; Barbarian F.C.
International career
Years	Team
1933–1939	Wales

Last updated July 01, 2024

Wilfred Wooller (20 November 1912 – 10 March 1997) was a Welsh sportsman (playing cricket, rugby union, and football), cricket administrator, and journalist.

Personal history

Wilf Wooller was born at Rhos-on-Sea in Denbighshire. He was educated at John Bright School, Llandudno, Rydal School (now Rydal Penrhos) and Christ's College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a third-class degree in Archaeology and Anthropology in 1936.^[2]

He married twice, first to Gillian Windsor-Clive, an unsuccessful wartime marriage that was dissolved in 1946, and in 1948 to Enid James. The couple had five children. Wooller survived incarceration by the Japanese in the Changi prisoner of war camp in Singapore during the Second World War. He was a successful BBC broadcaster and Sunday Telegraph sports journalist.

Rugby career

Wooller first played rugby for Rydal School and played his first international game for Wales while still a schoolboy. This was mainly due to the fact that in October 1932 Wooller failed to pass Latin, and therefore could not progress to Cambridge.^[3] In 1932 he played a few games for North Wales Schoolboys, then he turned out for Sale at centre in the school holidays. While representing Sale he played alongside established Welsh international Claude Davey and the two joined up in a 1933 Welsh selection game as part of the 'Possibles' team. Wooller himself believed the selectors were 'mucking about' with him and Davey,^[3] so the two were over physical with their opposing numbers, which forced the selectors to choose both of them to face England at Twickenham in 1933. The 1933 England game is seen as a classic in Welsh rugby history as it was the game when the 'Twickenham bogey' was broken after nine failed attempts to beat England on their home ground. Wooller played his part in the match, which is normally remembered as Ronnie Boon's game, when he chased a breakaway Walter Elliot with forty yards to the tryline and tackled him ten yards short of a try.^[4]

Wooller won 18 international rugby union caps for Wales and represented Cardiff RFC at club level. In 1935 he was inspirational in the Welsh victory over the All Blacks. He was a Cambridge blue in 1935 and 1936.

International rugby matches played

Wales^[5]

England 1933, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939
Ireland 1933, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939
Scotland 1933, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939
New Zealand 1935

Cricket career

Billot, John (1972). All Blacks in Wales. Ferndale: Ron Jones Publications.

Godwin, Terry (1984). The International Rugby Championship 1883–1983. London: Willows Books. ISBN 0-00-218060-X.

Smith, David; Williams, Gareth (1980). Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0766-3.

Thomas, Wayne (1979). A Century of Welsh Rugby Players. Ansells Ltd.

Hignell, Andrew (1995). The Skipper, A Biography of Wilf Wooller. Royston: Limlow Books Ltd. ISBN 1-874524-12-2.

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References

↑ Welsh Rugby Union player profiles
↑ Richards, Huw, "Wooller, Wilfred (1912-1997)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, September 2004. Retrieved 3 June 2019 (subscription required)
1 2 Thomas (1979), p. 85.
↑ Smith (1980), p. 277.
↑ Smith (1980), p. 474.
↑ David Foot, Beyond Bat & Ball: Eleven Intimate Portraits, Aurum, London, 1993, p. 33.
↑ Hignell, Andrew (1995). The Skipper, A Biography of Wilf Wooller. Royston: Limlow Books. p. 224. ISBN 1-874524-12-2.

External links

Wilf Wooller at CricketArchive (subscription required)
Wilf Wooller at ESPNcricinfo

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[1] Welsh Rugby Union player profiles

[dnb-2] Richards, Huw, "Wooller, Wilfred (1912-1997)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, September 2004. Retrieved 3 June 2019 (subscription required)

[Thomas85-3] 1 2 Thomas (1979), p. 85.

[Smith277-4] Smith (1980), p. 277.

[Smith474-5] Smith (1980), p. 474.

[6] David Foot, Beyond Bat & Ball: Eleven Intimate Portraits, Aurum, London, 1993, p. 33.

[7] Hignell, Andrew (1995). The Skipper, A Biography of Wilf Wooller. Royston: Limlow Books. p. 224. ISBN 1-874524-12-2.

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Authority control databases
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National	United States