Berwyn Jones
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Thomas Berwyn Jones | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | 13 February 1940 Rhymney, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 11 January 2007 (aged 67) Ross-on-Wye, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Wing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Wing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record | ||
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Representing Great Britain | ||
European Championships | ||
Belgrade 1962 | 4x100 metres | |
Representing Wales | ||
British Empire and Commonwealth Games | ||
Perth 1962 | 4x100 metres |
Thomas Berwyn Jones (13 February 1940 — 12 January 2007 (aged 66)) born in Rhymney, was a Welsh sprint athlete,[1] and professional rugby league footballer of the 1960s, playing representative level rugby league for Great Britain, and Commonwealth XIII, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity (Heritage #690), Bradford Northern, and St. Helens, as a Wing, i.e. number 2 or 5,[2] he died in Ross-on-Wye.
Early career
Jones had a brief career in rugby union with hometown club Rhymney RFC in the South Wales Valleys, but it was in athletics that he looked set to excel until switching to rugby league.
Bronze Medal, Belgrade 1962
He won the Bronze medal in the men's 4 x 100 metres relay at the 1962 European Championships in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, alongside Alf Meakin, Ron Jones, and David Jones. He also won a bronze medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay while competing for Wales at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
British Record Holder
He had been touted as a potential Olympian for 1968 when he was invited to try out for Wakefield Trinity in 1964. He had been a member of the Great Britain 4 x 110 yards relay team and a British record-holder (10.3 seconds) and champion over 100 metres.
Rugby League Career
Playing under the ironic alias 'A. Walker', he impressed for Wakefield in reserve team games against Huddersfield and Doncaster and soon took to the sport. Within nine months he was playing for Great Britain and scored on his international début against France in Perpignan.
Berwyn Jones represented Commonwealth XIII while at Wakefield Trinity in 1965 against New Zealand at Crystal Palace National Recreation Centre, London on Wednesday 18 August 1965,[3] and was selected for the 1966 tour of Australia and New Zealand but did not make the Test team due to the form of Barrow's William "Bill" Burgess and Geoffrey "Geoff" Wriglesworth of Leeds.
Berwyn Jones played Right-Wing, i.e. number 2, and scored 2-tries in Wakefield Trinity's 18-2 victory over Leeds in the 1964 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1964–65 season at Fartown Ground, Huddersfield on Saturday 31 October 1964.
He moved to Bradford in 1967/68 for £3000, where he was joined by Leeds' Geoff Wrigglesworth. The pair formed a potent right wing/centre partnership. Jones scored 26 tries that season, his best haul.
Retirement
He moved on again to St Helens in 1969 but scored just two tries before announcing a premature retirement.
He died in January 2007 after a battle with motor neurone disease.
References
- ^ "Hall of Fame Athletes " Berwyn Jones". uka.org.uk. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ^ Graham Williams, Peter Lush, David Farrar (November 2009). "The British Rugby League Records Book [Page-108…114]". London League Publications Ltd. ISBN 978-1-903659-49-6
- ^ "…and win at Crystal Palace". rugbyleague.org. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
External links
- Great Britain Statistics at englandrl.co.uk
- Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org
- St Helens Profile at saints.org.uk
- Kiwis open British tours…
- …and win at Crystal Palace
- Welsh-born Great Britain international dies
- Photograph "Ken Roberts pulled down" at rugbyleagueheritageproject.com
- Photograph "Berwyn Jones races clear" at rugbyleagueheritageproject.com
- Photograph "Colin Dixon gets the ball away" at rugbyleagueheritageproject.com
- Photograph "Going down the steps" at rugbyleagueheritageproject.com
- 1940 births
- 2007 deaths
- Bradford Bulls players
- Great Britain national rugby league team players
- People educated at Lewis School, Pengam
- People from Rhymney
- Rugby league wingers
- Rugby union wings
- St Helens RLFC players
- Wakefield Trinity Wildcats players
- Welsh rugby league players
- Welsh rugby union players
- Welsh male sprinters
- European Athletics Championships medalists
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
- Commonwealth Games competitors for Wales
- Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Wales
- Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics