Edward "Eddie" George Dowdall ( – ) was a Welsh

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 1920s and 1930s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for

Newport RFC Newport Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Casnewydd) is a Welsh rugby union club based in the city of Newport, South Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Premier Division. Until 2021 Newport RFC were based at Rodney Parade situated on t ...

, as a scrum-half (alongside

Jack Wetter Jack Wetter DCM (29 December 1887 – 29 July 1967) was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby predominantly for Newport. He was captain for both his club and country and earned 10 caps for Wales. Wetter's rugby career ...

), and club level rugby league (RL) for

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

( Heritage № 325) and St Helens ( Heritage № 372), as a or , i.e. number 6, or 7.

Background

Eddie Dowdall's birth was registered in

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

district, Wales, and his death aged 66 was registered in

district, Wales.

Playing career

Notable tour matches

Eddie Dowdall played in

's 10–13 defeat by

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

(RU) during the

1924–25 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland and France The Invincibles was a nickname given to the 1924–25 New Zealand national team which toured the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Canada. The team was captained by Cliff Porter, and numbered among its top players George Nēpia and brothers ...

Rodney Parade Rodney Parade is a stadium in the city of Newport, South Wales, owned and operated by the Welsh Rugby Union. It is located on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre. The ground is on Rodney Road, a short walk from the city's cen ...

, Wales on Thursday 2 October 1924, and played in the 0–0 draw with New Zealand Māori (RU) during the

1926–27 New Zealand Māori rugby union tour The 1926–27 New Zealand Māori rugby union tour was a collection of rugby union games undertaken by the New Zealand Māori team against invitational and national teams of New Zealand, Australia, France, Great Britain and Canada. The matches ...

, Wales on Thursday 21 October 1926.

Club career

Eddie Dowdall joined

in 1927 with a signing-on fee of £500 (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £79,180 in 2014), and he made his début for

as a in the 51–11 victory over Pemberton Rangers ARLFC ( Pemberton,

) at

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on Friday 12 February 1927, and he played his last match for

as a in the 8–15 defeat by

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staf ...

on Friday 25 February 1928, he joined St. Helens in 1929 with a transfer fee of £200 to £300 (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £32,020 to 48,030 in 2014), and he made his début for St. Helens as a in the 32–2 victory over Lindley ARLFC ( Lindley,

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

) at

Knowsley Road Knowsley Road in Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside, was the home ground of St. Helens from 1890 until its closure in 2010. St Helens Town FC played their home fixtures at Knowsley Road from 2002 until 2010. For a period, the venue also hosted ...

, St. Helens on Saturday 9 February 1929, scored his only

try Try or TRY may refer to: Music Albums * ''Try!'', an album by the John Mayer Trio * ''Try'' (Bebo Norman album) (2014) Songs * "Try" (Blue Rodeo song) (1987) * "Try" (Colbie Caillat song) (2014) * "Try" (Nelly Furtado song) (2004) * " Try (Ju ...

for St. Helens as a in the 18–5 victory over

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

at Clarence Street,

on Saturday 30 November 1929, and he played his last match for St. Helens as a in the 5–22 defeat by

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

at Wilderspool Stadium,

on Saturday 18 January 1930.

Genealogical information

Eddie Dowdall's marriage to Ada E. (

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 ...

Newman) was registered during second ¼ 1929 in Prescot district. Eddie Dowdall was "possibly" the nephew of the rugby union fullback of the 1880s for

, Fred Dowdall

References

External links

Statistics at blackandambers.co.ukSearch for "Dowdall " at rugbyleagueproject.orgStatistics at wigan.rlfans.comSaints Heritage Society profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowdall, Edward 1905 births 1968 deaths Newport RFC players Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league players from Newport, Wales Rugby union scrum-halves Rugby union players from Newport, Wales St Helens R.F.C. players Welsh rugby league players Welsh rugby union players Wigan Warriors players