William Henry Benson (1893-1968) was an Australian

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 11 ...

footballer who played in the 1910s and 1920s.

Career

Bill "Binghi" Benson was a pioneer halfback in the early years of the NSWRFL. He played halfback for the

Glebe Dirty Reds The Glebe Dirty Reds are an Australian rugby league foundation club which played in the New South Wales Rugby Football League's Sydney premiership, the major competition for the sport in Sydney, from 1908 until their exit at the end of 1929. Th ...

for ten seasons between 1916 and 1924. Benson played in the 1922 NSWRL grand final for Glebe against North Sydney which ended in a 35–3 loss at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Benson then switched to St. George for his final season with his Glebe team-mate

Frank Burge Frank Burge (14 August 1894 – 5 July 1958) was one of the greatest Rugby league positions#Forwards, forwards in the history of rugby league in Australia. Later Burge became one of the game’s finest coaches. His club career was with Glebe (ru ...

, and the two of them took St George to the 1927 Final after the club got the wooden spoon the year before. He represented

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

on five occasions between 1921 and 1924, but was never selected to play for Australia.

Death

A resident of

Forest Lodge, New South Wales Forest Lodge is a small, inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Forest Lodge is located 4 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City ...

for his entire life, Benson died after watching a world cup match between Australia and England at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 25 May 1968. He was aged 75. His funeral was held two days later and he was cremated at Woronora Crematorium,

Sutherland, New South Wales Sutherland is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sutherland is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the ...

Sydney Morning Herald: Death Notice 27/5/1968

References

1893 births 1968 deaths Glebe rugby league players St. George Dragons players Australian rugby league players New South Wales rugby league team players Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league players from Sydney {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-1890s-stub