William "Willie" Whiteley (31 May 1870 – 28 October 1938), 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 "Bobby", was an English

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 its m ...

footballer who played in the 1890s. He played at representative level 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 ...

, and at club level for Bramley, as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

, e.g. front row,

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

, or back row. Prior to Tuesday 2 June 1896, Bramley was a rugby union club.

Background

Bobby Whiteley was born in

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, England, and he died aged 68 in

Dearnley Dearnley is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Ben Dearnley (born 1964), English sculptor *Christopher Dearnley Christopher Hugh Dearnley (11 February 1930 – 15 December 2000) was an English cathedral organist, who served i ...

, Littleborough,

, England.

Playing career

International honours

Bobby Whiteley won a

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

for

while at Bramley in the

1896 Home Nations Championship The 1896 Home Nations Championship was the fourteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 4 January and 14 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Table Results ...

against Wales at

Rectory Field Rectory Field is a sports ground in Blackheath in the Royal Borough of Greenwich in south-east London. It was developed in the 1880s by Blackheath Cricket, Football and Lawn Tennis Company and became the home ground of rugby union team Blackheath ...

Blackheath, London Blackheath is an area in Southeast London, straddling the border of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Lewisham. It is located northeast of Lewisham, south of Greenwich and southeast of Charing Cross, the traditional ce ...

Change of Code

When Bramley converted from the

code to the

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 ...

code on Tuesday 2 June 1896, Bobby Whiteley would have been approximately 25 years of age. Consequently, he may have been both a rugby union and rugby league footballer for Bramley.

References

External links

Search for "Whiteley" at rugbyleagueproject.orgSearch for "Bobby Whiteley" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.ukSearch for "William Whiteley" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.ukSearch for "Willie Whiteley" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whiteley, Bobby 1871 births 1938 deaths Bramley RLFC players England international rugby union players English rugby union players Place of death missing Rugby league players from Bury, Greater Manchester Rugby union forwards