Charles Edward Thompson (1874 – ?) 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 ...

international

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 ...

fullback who played club rugby for

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

and county rugby for Lancashire. Thompson was selected for the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

team on its 1899 tour of Australia, but despite representing Great Britain, never played international rugby for England.

Rugby career

Thompson first came to note as a rugby player through his selection in the 1899 British Isles team that toured Australia. He was uncapped before his selection, and did not have the distinction of an Oxford or Cambridge sporting 'Blue', a factor common to many of the touring party. The players were normally chosen at this early stage of touring parties, on sporting ability and just as importantly on the ability to take an unpaid five-month leave of absence. Thompson was described by his tour captain

Matthew Mullineux Matthew Mullineux MC (8 August 1867 – 13 February 1945) was an English rugby union scrum-half who, although not capped for England, was selected for two British Lions tours. He gained one cap during the 1896 tour to South Africa and cap ...

, as having 'a good kick' and having the ability to play at three-quarters and in the forwards. This would have made Thompson an all round player, because as a specialist full back, the only positions on the pitch excluded by his captain were at half-back. Thompson played in 13 games of the British Isles tour, including three Test matches against the Australian national team. Thompson was not selected for the first test in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, with Mullineaux selecting

Esmond Martelli Arthur Esmonde Martelli (16 June 1878 – 1926) was an Irish international rugby union fullback back who played club rugby for Dublin University. Martelli played international rugby for the British Isles team on its 1899 tour of Australia. He w ...

at full back. The British team lost the opener, and Mullineux reacted by reshuffling his squad, including dropping himself from future Test games, and also selecting Thompson rather than Martelli. Mullineux's tactics resulted in the British Isles winning the remaining three Tests, and Thompson finishing the tour with three international wins. When selected for the British Isles, Thompson is listed as representing Lancashire, but in the 1900/01 season he is listed as playing for northern team, Manchester Rugby Club. While at Manchester, he was approached by the Barbarians, an invitational touring team that played within Britain. Thompson accepted the invitation becoming one of the earliest members of the club.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Charles 1874 births English rugby union players Rugby union fullbacks Lancashire County RFU players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England Barbarian F.C. players Year of death missing