Richard Thomas Goddard (1879–1949) 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 ...

and 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 1890s and 1900s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, and at club level for

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

, and club level rugby league (RL) for

Hull FC Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and wer ...

( Heritage No.112).

Background

Dicky Goddard was born in

, England, he later worked as a plumber, and he died aged 69 in

, England.

Playing career

County honours

Dicky Goddard won caps for

(RU) against Midland Counties,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

and

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

during the 1901–02 season, and played in the 3–9 defeat by Durham in the 1902

County Championship The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...

Final at

Kingsholm Stadium Kingsholm Stadium is a rugby union stadium located in the Kingsholm area of Gloucester, England, and is the home stadium of Gloucester Rugby. The stadium has a capacity of 16,115. It is sometimes nicknamed 'Castle Grim', after the estate where ...

on Saturday 5 April 1902.

Club career

Goddard was initially described by

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

"Bill" Bailey (known as "W.B.") of the Gloucester Citizen as; ''"Goddard is looked upon as a promising half-back, but is hardly seasoned enough to take the gruelling that is dealt out in a first-class match"'', Dicky Goddard played in a trial match 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 ...

(RU) in the second match between 'The South', and 'The North' during the 1900–01 season, but he was not selected for England, following Goddard's omission from the England team, William "Bill" Bailey stated; ''"Had a club pair of half-backs (the Gloucester or Devon Albion couple) been operating behind the English forwards at Cardiff last January, we hardly think Wales would have triumphed by 13 points to nil"'', during the 1901–02 season, Goddard played in two trial matches for England; for the 'Rest of England' against the English Team, and for the 'London & Varsities' against the 'Rest of the South', but again he was not elected for England, William "Bill" Bailey stated; ''"Gloucester were, perhaps, never better served at half than by R Goddard and G Hall, and if there is a better couple playing under the Rugby Union, they have not been seen at Kingsholm"'', Goddard subsequently left rugby union for rugby league, and joined

Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and were ...

in 1902, playing alongside former

players; Jim Cook,

George Hall George Hall may refer to: People The arts * George Hall (actor) (1916–2002), Canadian-American actor * George Hall (musician) (c. 1893 – c. 1989), American bandleader * George Hall (cartoonist) (born 1960), Australian comic book writer and ...

and Jack Lewis.

Genealogical information

Dicky Goddard's marriage to Laura Elizabeth (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Taylor) was registered during third ¼ 1906 in

district. They had children; Mary Elizabeth Goddard (birth registered during second ¼ 1908 in

district). Dicky Goddard was the older brother,

John Goddard John Goddard may refer to: * John Goddard (engraver) (fl. 1645–1671), engraver *John Goddard (cricketer) (1919–1987), West Indian cricketer *Johnathan Goddard (1981–2008), American football player *John Goddard (adventurer) John Goddard (Ju ...

(1888–) who played 7 matches at half back for

, 3 in the 1905–06 season, and 4 in the 1909–10 season.

References

External links

Search for "Goddard" at rugbyleagueproject.org

-> {{DEFAULTSORT:Goddard, Charles 1879 births 1949 deaths English rugby league players English rugby union players Gloucester Rugby players Gloucestershire County RFU players Hull F.C. players Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league players from Gloucestershire Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union players from Gloucester