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Eric Harris (rugby league)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other people with the same name, see Eric Harris.

Personal information
Born(1909-08-22)22 August 1909
Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
Diedunknown
Playing information
PositionWing
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1927–30 Wests (Brisbane)
1930–39 Leeds 383 391 16 1208
Total 383 391 16 0 1208
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1929–41 Queensland 11 8 0 24
1937 British Empire 1
Coaching information
Representative
Years Team Gms W D L W%
1964 Queensland 2 0 0 2 0
Source: [1]

Eric Harris (22 August 1909 – death unknown), also known by the nickname of "Toowoomba Ghost", was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s. He played as a wing, at representative level for Queensland and British Empire, and at club level for Western Suburbs (Brisbane) and Leeds.[1]

Playing career

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Championship final appearances

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Harris played on the wing in Leeds' 2–8 defeat by Hunslet in the Championship Final during the 1937–38 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 30 April 1938.[2][3]

County Cup Final appearances

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Harris played on the wing in Leeds' 14–8 victory over Huddersfield in the 1937–38 Yorkshire Cup Final during the 1937–38 season at Belle Vue, Wakefield on Saturday 30 October 1937.

Records and legacy

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Harris holds a number of try scoring records at Leeds, including most tries scored in a season (63), and highest career total of tries with the club (392).[4]

Harris also jointly holds Leeds' "Tries In A Match" record, with eight tries scored against Bradford Northern.[5] His sequence of 36 tries in 17 consecutive matches for Leeds is a joint record in British rugby league, equalled only by Luke Briscoe for Featherstone Rovers in 2018.[6]

In 2019, Harris was inducted into the Leeds Rhinos Hall of Fame.[7]

Baseball

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Eric Harris was one of the most successful of the Rugby League players who did summer seasons in the semi-professional baseball leagues in the north of England during the second half of the 1930s. He played for Leeds Oaks in 1936,[8] 1937,[9] and 1938.[10] He also played baseball for Yorkshire.[11]

Outside rugby league

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Eric Harris became a teacher at the new Carnegie Physical Training College in Leeds, married a lady from Leeds, but returned to Australia at the start of World War II.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  2. ^ "History of Leeds Rugby League Club". britishrugbyleague.blogspot.co.uk. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  3. ^ "Eric Harris at rugbyleagueoralhistory.co.uk". rugbyleagueoralhistory.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  4. ^ Smith, Peter (30 March 2020). "Leeds Rhinos' top-10 greats – Eric Harris". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Profile at leedsrugby.dnsupdate.co.uk". leedsrugby.dnsupdate.co.uk. 31 December 2011. Archived from the original on 17 November 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  6. ^ "World record mix-up means new target for Featherstone Rovers winger Briscoe". Yorkshire Evening Post. JPIMedia Publishing. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  7. ^ Daley, Phil (14 July 2019). "Four Legends Inducted Into Leeds Rugby League Hall Of Fame". Leeds Rhinos. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  8. ^ 'Opening of Yorkshire Season', Leeds Mercury, 11 May 1936, p.5 - retrieved via British Newspaper Archive
  9. ^ 'County Baseball Cup Tie'. Yorkshire Evening Post, 8 June 1937, p.8 - retrieved via British Newspaper Archive
  10. ^ 'Eric Harris The Captain', Leeds Mercury, 8 May 1938, p.9 - retrieved via British Newspaper Archive
  11. ^ 'Baseball Returns', Leeds Mercury, 4 July 1936, p.11 - retrieved via British Newspaper Archive
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Ted Verrenkamp
1960–1963
 Coach

Queensland
1964 		Succeeded by
Ian Doyle
1965–1967
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