Arthur Gower Thomas (19 October 1901 – 1970), also known by the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

of "Ginger", was a Welsh born English professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s. He played at representative level for

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

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 ...

and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, and at club level for Hunslet Intermediates ARLFC,

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, as a or . Although born in

Llanelli Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. ...

, Wales, Thomas moved to

Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the Leeds city centre, city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside (ward), Hunslet and Riverside ward of Lee ...

as an infant.Robert Gate (1986). "Gone North - Volume 1". R. E. Gate

Playing career

International honours

Thomas won caps for

while at Leeds in 1926 against

Other Nationalities The Other Nationalities rugby league team are a rugby league representative team that usually consists of non-English players. They have also played under the name The Exiles and more recently Combined Nations All Stars. They competed in the first ...

, in 1930 against Other Nationalities, in 1931 against Wales, and won caps for

while at Leeds in 1926 against New Zealand, in 1927 against New Zealand, in 1930 against Australia (2 matches).

County honours

Thomas won caps for

while at Leeds.

County Cup Final appearances

Thomas played in

' 5-0 victory over Featherstone Rovers in the

1928–29 Yorkshire Cup The 1928–29 Yorkshire Cup was the 21st occasion on which the Yorkshire Cup competition had been held. Leeds won the trophy by beating Featherstone Rovers in the final by the score of 5-0. The match was played at Belle Vue, in the City of Wakef ...

Final during the 1928–29 season at Belle Vue,

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

on Saturday 24 November 1928, and played in the 10-2 victory over

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

in the

1930–31 Yorkshire Cup The 1930–31 Yorkshire Cup was the twenty-third occasion on which the Yorkshire Cup competition had been held. Leeds won the trophy by beating Huddersfield in the final by the score of 10–2. This was Leeds' second of six victories in a period ...

Final during the 1930–31 season at Thrum Hall, Halifax on Saturday 22 November 1930.

Club career

Thomas made his début for

against

Rochdale Hornets The Rochdale Hornets are a professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, competing in the Championship, the second tier of European rugby league. The Rochdale Hornets are one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs ...

on Saturday 26 August 1922, and became a first-team regular during the 1923–24 season, consequently he missed out on the 1922-23 Challenge Cup as he was not a first-team regular, and the

1931–32 Challenge Cup The 1931–32 Challenge Cup was the 32nd staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup. First round Second round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1931-32 Challenge Cup Challeng ...

Final as he had already transferred to

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Arthur 1901 births 1970 deaths England national rugby league team players Great Britain national rugby league team players Leeds Rhinos players Place of death missing Rugby league players from Llanelli Rugby league props Rugby league second-rows Welsh rugby league players York Wasps players Yorkshire rugby league team players