Alfred Allport (12 September 1867 – 2 May 1949) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

forward who played club rugby for

Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...

and international rugby for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. In 1890 Allport became one of the original members of the Barbarians Football Club. He also represented Surrey at County level.

Rugby career

Allport began playing rugby as a youth, playing and later captaining the London International College School team. For a short time Allport also played for Sutton RFC.Sutton and Epsom RFC
Club history Allport graduated from the London College to

Guy's Hospital Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. ...

, which had a renowned rugby team. He was given the captaincy of Guy's Rugby team, which went through a successful period under his leadership. From Guy's, Allport joined Blackheath, the team he would represent throughout his three-year international career. Allport gained his first international cap when he was called into the England team for the encounter with

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

as part of the

1892 Home Nations Championship The 1892 Home Nations Championship was the tenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 2 January and 5 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. England took the 1892 Champion ...

. Despite England's crushing defeat of Wales, Allport was replaced by the returning

Sammy Woods Samuel Moses James Woods (13 April 1867 – 30 April 1931) was an Australian sportsman who represented both Australia and England at Test cricket, and appeared thirteen times for England at rugby union, including five times as captain. He als ...

for the remaining two games of the Championship. England won all three international games in 1892, making Allport a

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

-winning player. The next season, Allport was given another international cap, chosen for the team to face

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

as part of the 1893 Championship. The Irish game was the only win for England during a season dominated by the Welsh team. Allport was selected for all three games of the

1894 Home Nations Championship The 1894 Home Nations Championship was the twelfth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 6 January and 17 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Table Results ...

, which started with a win over the previous year's winner, Wales. The next two matches, against Scotland and Ireland, both ended in defeat for England, and Allport was never selected for his country again.

Other sports

Allport was proficient in other sports, including rowing and boxing. In 1893 he was part of the eight-man Thames Rowing Club team that won that year's

Thames Challenge Cup The Thames Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's eights at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from a single rowing club A rowing club is a club for people interested ...

. As an amateur boxer, he fought in and won several gymnasium championships and was the heavyweight champion of Guy's Hospital.

Death

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allport, Alfred 1867 births 1949 deaths 19th-century English medical doctors 20th-century English medical doctors Barbarian F.C. players Blackheath F.C. players England international rugby union players English rugby union players People from Brixton Rugby union forwards Rugby union players from Brixton