Richard 'Dickie' Garrett (1865 – 17 February 1908) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

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 ...

player who played club rugby for

Penarth Penarth (, ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg), Wales, exactly south of Cardiff city centre on the west shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay. Penarth is a weal ...

and international rugby for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. Garrett was a collier by trade and in 1908 was killed when he was crushed by a coal truck.

Rugby career

Garrett first came to prominence as a rugby player when representing Penarth. During the 1888/89 season he was the captain of the Penarth senior team, winning the Cardiff District Cup in 1888. In December 1888 he was first selected to represent his country as part of the Wales team to face the New Zealand Māoris. Although the Welsh crowd was hostile to many of their own players; due to the belief that the

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

back row had been unjustly overlooked, the team played well beating the visitors by a goal and two tries to nil.Billot (1972), pg 18/ Garrett's next international game was against Scotland in the opening match of the

1889 Home Nations Championship The 1889 Home Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Three matches were played between 2 February and 2 March. It was contested by Ireland, Scotland and Wales. England were excluded from the Ch ...

. Under the captaincy of

Frank Hill Frank Robert Hill (21 May 1906 – 28 August 1993) was a Scottish association football, football player and manager. Playing career Forfar and Aberdeen Hill was born in Forfar and started his career at Forfar Athletic F.C., Forfar Athletic, jo ...

, Wales lost the game by two tries to nil. although Garrett missed the last game of the 1889 Championship, he was re-selected in

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

and played in all three matches of the tournament. Wales lost the opening game against Scotland, but won a historic victory over England at

Crown Flatt Crown Flatt, currently known as the Tetley's Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a rugby league stadium in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of the Dewsbury Rams, who play in the Championship. The ground occupies the site of t ...

in Dewsbury, when Wales beat the English for the first time. The final game of the Championship saw Wales draw against Ireland. Garrett represented Wales on three more occasions. He played in the away game at

Raeburn Place Raeburn Place is the main street of the suburb of Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Scotland, and the name of the playing fields there. Rugby The first ever international rugby football game was played on the playing fields at Raeburn Place on 27 Ma ...

to Scotland, which Wales lost heavily, and the home game at

Stradey Park Stradey Park (Welsh: ''Parc y Strade'') was a rugby union stadium located near the centre of the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was the home of the Scarlets region and Llanelli RFC rugby teams. The stadium was a combination of s ...

against Ireland which Wales won narrowly; both as part of the

1891 Home Nations Championship The 1891 Home Nations Championship was the ninth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 3 January and 7 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The 1891 Championship was won ...

. His final game was in

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

against eventual

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 * Trip ...

winners, England.

International matches played

Wales (rugby union)Smith (1980), pg 466. * 1890, 1892 *

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 ...

1890, 1891 * 1888 * 1889, 1890, 1891

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garrett, Dickie 1865 births 1908 deaths Accidental deaths in Wales Industrial accident deaths Penarth RFC players Rugby union centres Rugby union players from Cardiff Wales international rugby union players Welsh miners Welsh rugby union players