Howard Nicholls
| Birth name | Howard Charles Warrender Nicholls | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 2 June 1931 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Maesteg, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 2 March 2011 (aged 79) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Porthcawl, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Maesteg Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | banker butcher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Howard Charles Warrender Nicholls (2 June 1931 – 2 March 2011)[1] was a Welsh rugby union player who at club level represented Maesteg, Bridgend and Cardiff. He gained just a single cap for Wales, awarded for facing Ireland in the 1958 Five Nations Championship.
Personal history
He gave up his banking career to take over the family butchers. Nicholls was born in Maesteg in 1931, and attended Maesteg Grammar, who he represented on the rugby field. He later attended Hereford Cathedral School, and played in the same school cricket team as future England internationals Peter and Peter Richardson.[2] After leaving school, Nicholls returned to Wales, to begin a career with Lloyd's Bank.[2] He later left banking to take over the family butchers from his father, Percy.[3] He moved to Porthcawl in 1963 after marrying Jill Jones, whose father was ex-Wales international rugby player Arthur Hugh Jones.[2][3] The couple had four children.
A keen amateur photographer and birdwatcher, Nicholls was often published in various birding magazines.[3] He died at Danygraig Care Home in Porthcawl in 2011, having survived his wife.[3]
Rugby career
Nicholls played rugby for both Maesteg Grammar and Hereford Cathedral School and continued to play rugby on his return to Wales, firstly for Maesteg Celtic before switching to Maesteg. Nicholls also turned out for Bridgend before, in the 1952-53 season, switching to first-class team Cardiff. Nicholls spent seven seasons with Cardiff, playing in 150 senior games. In 1958 he was selected for his one and only Wales cap, in that year's Five Nations Championship encounter with Ireland.
Notes
- ^ Howard Nicholls player profile Scrum.com
- ^ a b c "Obituary: Howard Nicholls". Welsh Rugby Union. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ a b c d Moses, Rachel (10 March 2011). "Member of the 1957 Wales team has died". Glamorgan Gazzette. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
Bibliography
- Davies, D.E. (1975). Cardiff Rugby Club, History and Statistics 1876-1975. Risca: The Starling Press. ISBN 0-9504421-0-0.
- Jenkins, John M.; et al. (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Rugby Players. Wrexham: Bridge Books. ISBN 1-872424-10-4.