John Gray (English sportsman)
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | John Denis Gray | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Meriden, Warwickshire, England | 9 October 1948|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Hooker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Prop, Hooker, Second-row, Loose forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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John Denis Gray (born 9 October 1948)[5] is an English cricketer, and rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He played cricket for Warwickshire, and Marylebone Cricket Club, as a left-hand bat, and left-arm medium-fast bowler, playing representative rugby union (RU) for England (7s), and at club level for Coventry R.F.C., as a Hooker, i.e. number 2, and representative rugby league (RL) for Great Britain, and England, and at club level for Wigan, North Sydney Bears (two spells), and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, as a prop, Hooker, Second-row, or loose forward/lock, i.e. number 8 or 10, 9, 11 or 12, or 13, during the era of contested scrums.[1]
Born in Meriden, Warwickshire on 9 October 1948, John Gray was a pupil at Woodlands Comprehensive School, Coventry. He represented England (RU) in the 1973 International Seven-A-Side Tournament.
Gray switched to rugby league with English club Wigan, and played at prop forward, scoring 4 conversions in their 19-9 victory over Salford in the 1973 Lancashire County Cup Final during the 1973–74 season at Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington, on Saturday 13 October 1973.[6] Gray won caps for England (RL) while at Wigan in 1975 against France, and Wales, in the 1975 Rugby League World Cup against France,[2] and won caps for Great Britain (RL) while at Wigan in 1974 against France (sub) (2 matches), Australia (2 matches), Australia (sub), and New Zealand (3 matches).[3] Gray was one of the first players to introduce the now routine round-the-corner style of goal kicking to Australia, he won the 1976 Amco Cup 'superstar' prize for player of the competition, he was the 1982 Dally M Award winning hooker, a series of broken forearms, and constant back pain ended his career in 1983.
John Gray was named on the bench in the North Sydney Bears Team of the Century.
References
- ^ a b "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ a b "England Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Great Britain Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ Yesterday's Hero
- ^ "Birth details at freebmd.org.uk". freebmd.org.uk. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ^ "1973-1974 Lancashire Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
External links
- Cricket Statistics at espncricinfo.com
- Rugby Union Statistics at en.espn.co.uk
- (archived by web.archive.org) Smethurst stars for Wigan
- John Gray
- Use dmy dates from August 2013
- 1948 births
- Coventry R.F.C. players
- England national rugby league team players
- England international rugby union players
- English cricketers
- English rugby league players
- English rugby union players
- Great Britain national rugby league team players
- Living people
- Manly Warringah Sea Eagles players
- North Sydney Bears players
- Sportspeople from Coventry
- Sportspeople from Solihull
- People from Warwickshire (before 1974)
- People from Warwickshire
- Rugby league hookers
- Rugby league locks
- Rugby league props
- Rugby league second-rows
- Rugby union hookers
- Warwickshire cricketers
- Wigan Warriors players
- England international rugby sevens players
- People educated at Woodlands Academy, Coventry