Frederick "Eric" E. Batten (13 June 1914
– 3 September 1993) 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 it ...
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 11 ...
footballer who played in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, and
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
ed rugby league in the 1950s. He played club level rugby league (RU) for
Sandal RUFC
Sandal Rugby Union Football Club is an English rugby union team based in Sandal Magna near Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The club runs three senior sides, a veterans team, academy and colts teams and ten junior teams. The first XV plays in North Pre ...
, and representative level rugby league (RL) for
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
and
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
Wakefield Trinity
Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the ...
(
Heritage No. 393) (two spells, including the second as a
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
guest),
Hunslet
Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the city centre and has an industrial past.
It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central parliamentar ...
,
Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers are a professional rugby league club in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England, who play in the Championship. Featherstone is a former coal mining town with a population of around 16,000 and Rovers are one of the last "smal ...
(
Heritage No. 178) (four spells, including the first three as a
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
guest) (
captain),
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
(two spells, including the first as a
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
guest),
Castleford
Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins th ...
(
Heritage No. 221) (
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
guest) and
Bradford Northern
The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is pre ...
, as a , i.e. number 2 or 5, and coached at club level for Featherstone Rovers, and
Batley.
[Bailey, Ron (1956). ''The Official History Of Featherstone Rovers R.L.F.C.''. Wakefield Express. ASIN: B00O1TLDPC] Eric Batten appeared in eight
Challenge Cup Finals; two for Leeds, five for Bradford Northern, and one for Featherstone Rovers, winning three, and losing five, he scored a total of 443 tries during his career,
he his third on the all-time try scorers list behind
Brian Bevan
Brian Eyrl Bevan (24 January 1924 – 3 June 1991), also known by the nickname of "Wing Wizard", was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s who became the only player ever to have been induc ...
(796 tries), and
Billy Boston (571 tries),
[Gate, Robert (1989). ''Rugby League - An Illustrated History''. Arthur Barker (A division of Weidenfeld Publishers Limited, London). ]
Background
Eric Batten's birth was registered in
Sculcoates district,
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-ea ...
,
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...
, England, he was a
dustman
A waste collector, also known as a garbageman, garbage collector, trashman (in the US), binman or (rarely) dustman (in the UK), is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and dispose of municipal solid waste (refuse) and r ...
in the cleansing department for
Hemsworth Rural District council, he died aged 79 in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, England, and he is buried in
Lawnswood Cemetery,
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
.
Playing career
Club career
Eric Batten started his rugby career playing
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 it ...
at
Sandal RUFC
Sandal Rugby Union Football Club is an English rugby union team based in Sandal Magna near Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The club runs three senior sides, a veterans team, academy and colts teams and ten junior teams. The first XV plays in North Pre ...
before signing for 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 11 ...
club
Wakefield Trinity
Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the ...
in September 1933. He made his début for Wakefield Trinity in the 9–3 victory over Bradford Northern at
Odsal Stadium,
Bradford on Saturday 30 September 1933. He played 41 matches for Wakefield Trinity, scoring 12
tries in those matches, including a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
against Hull Kingston Rovers in March 1936, before he moved to
Hunslet
Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the city centre and has an industrial past.
It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central parliamentar ...
in September 1936 for £400. During the war years, Eric returned to Wakefield Trinity as a
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
guest, playing two matches in May 1940, and one February 1943, in these three wartime matches he scored eight tries, including four against Huddersfield in May 1940, making his club total 20 tries in 44 appearances. he also played one match for
Castleford
Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins th ...
as a
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
guest, he played , i.e. number 2, against
Dewsbury 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 ...
,
Dewsbury on Saturday 14 February 1942.
International honours
Eric Batten won
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 ...
s 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 ...
while at
Hunslet
Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the city centre and has an industrial past.
It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central parliamentar ...
in 1938 against Wales, in 1939 against France, and Wales, in 1940 against Wales, in 1941 against Wales, in 1943 against Wales, while at Bradford Northern in 1944 against Wales, in 1945 against Wales (2 matches), in 1946 against France (2 matches), and Wales, in 1947 against France, in 1948 against France,
and won
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 ...
s for
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
while at Bradford Northern in 1946 against Australia (2 matches), New Zealand, and in 1947 against New Zealand.
Championship Final appearances
Eric Batten played right-, i.e. number 3, in
Hunslet
Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the city centre and has an industrial past.
It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central parliamentar ...
's 8–2 victory over
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
in the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
Final during the
1937–38 at
Elland Road,
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
on Saturday 30 April 1938.
and played in
Bradford Northern
The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is pre ...
's 26-20 aggregate victory over
Halifax in the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
Final during the
1944–45 season; the 2–9 defeat at
Thrum Hall
Thrum Hall was a rugby league stadium on Hanson Lane in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. It was the home of Halifax for 112 years. The site on which the ground stood is now occupied by a supermarket.
History
In 1878, Halifax, who had just w ...
,
Halifax, and the 24–11 victory at
Odsal Stadium,
Bradford.
Challenge Cup Final appearances
Eric Batten played in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
' 19–2 victory over
Halifax in the
1940–41 Challenge Cup Final during the
1940–41 season at
Odsal Stadium,
Bradford, in front of a crowd of 28,500, played in the 15-16 aggregate defeat by
Dewsbury in the
1942–43 Challenge Cup Final during the
1942–43 season; the 9–16 defeat 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 ...
,
Dewsbury on Sunday 9 May 1943, in front of a crowd of 10,470, and the 6–0 victory at
Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...
,
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
on Sunday 16 May 1943, in front of a crowd of 16,000, played in
Bradford Northern
The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is pre ...
's 8-3 aggregate victory over
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the 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 north-east and Warrington t ...
in the
1943–44 Challenge Cup Final during the
1943–44 season; the 0–3 defeat at
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
,
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the 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 north-east and Warrington t ...
on Saturday 15 April 1944, and the 8–0 victory at
Odsal Stadium,
Bradford on Saturday 22 April 1944, played in the 9-13 aggregate defeat by
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 ...
in the
1944–45 Challenge Cup Final during the
1944–45 season; the 4–7 defeat at
Fartown,
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 ...
, and the 5–6 defeat at
Odsal Stadium,
Bradford, played in the 8–4 victory over
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
in the
1946–47 Challenge Cup Final during the
1946–47 season at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
on Saturday 3 May 1947, played , i.e. number 2, in the 3–8 defeat by
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the 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 north-east and Warrington t ...
in the
1947–48 Challenge Cup Final during the
1947–48 season at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
on Saturday 1 May 1948, in front of a crowd of 91,465,
and played in
Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers are a professional rugby league club in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England, who play in the Championship. Featherstone is a former coal mining town with a population of around 16,000 and Rovers are one of the last "smal ...
' 10–18 defeat by
Workington Town
Workington Town R.L.F.C. is a semi-professional rugby league club playing in Workington in west Cumbria.
Their stadium is Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team.
They became Rugby League Champions in 1951 and ...
in the
1951–52 Challenge Cup Final during the
1951–52 season at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
on Saturday 19 April 1952, in front of a crowd of 72,093.
Bradford Northern
The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is pre ...
played in five of the six
Challenge Cup finals between 1944 and 1949, the first two finals; the
1943–44 Challenge Cup Final against
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the 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 north-east and Warrington t ...
, and the
1944–45 Challenge Cup
The 1944–45 Challenge Cup was the 44th staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup.
Qualifier
First round
Second round
Semifinals
Final
In the final of the Rugby league Challenge Cup, Huddersfield beat Bradf ...
Final against
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 ...
were played over two-legs, five Bradford Northern players played in all five of these finals, they were; Eric Batten,
Vic Darlison
Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense): ...
,
Donald Ward
Donald Ward (born – death unknown) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s, and Coach (sport), coached in the 1950s. He played at club level for Dewsbury Rams, Dewsbury, Bradford Bulls, Bradford ...
,
Ernest Ward, and
Frank Whitcombe
Frank William Whitcombe (29 May 1913 – 17 January 1958), also known by the nickname of "The Big Man", was a Welsh rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s. He played rugby union (RU) for Cardiff ...
.
Other notable matches
Eric Batten played , i.e. number 2, for a
Rugby League XIII
The Rugby League XIII was an invitation team run along the same lines as the Rugby Union Barbarians team.
Particularly in the Second World War, when international fixtures were restricted to England V Wales. The Rugby League would play representat ...
against
Northern Command XIII
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a ...
at
Thrum Hall
Thrum Hall was a rugby league stadium on Hanson Lane in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. It was the home of Halifax for 112 years. The site on which the ground stood is now occupied by a supermarket.
History
In 1878, Halifax, who had just w ...
,
Halifax on Saturday 21 March 1942.
Notable tour matches
Eric Batten played , i.e. number 2, in
Wakefield Trinity
Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the ...
's 6–17 defeat by
Australia in the
1933–34 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain
The 1933–34 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain was the fifth Kangaroo tour, and took the Australia national rugby league team around the north of England, to London and Paris. The tour also featured the 11th Ashes series which comprised three Tes ...
match during the
1933–34 season at
Belle Vue,
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
on Saturday 28 October 1933.
Club career
Eric Batten made his début for Featherstone Rovers on Saturday 2 December 1939.
[Bailey, Ron (20 September 2001). ''Images of Sport - Featherstone Rovers Rugby League Football Club''. The History Press. ]
Coaching career
Club career
Eric Batten was the coach of
Batley from October 1956 to April 1958.
Honoured at Featherstone Rovers
Eric Batten is a Featherstone Rovers Hall of Fame inductee.
Genealogical information
Eric Batten was the son of the rugby league footballer
Billy Batten
William Batten (26 May 1889 – 26 January 1959) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Hun ...
. Eric Batten's marriage to Annie (
née Saxton, born in
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
district – died aged 81 on 13 April 1995) was registered during first 1937 in
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
district.
They had children; John Michael Batten (birth registered third 1940 in
Hemsworth
Hemsworth is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire and had a population of 13,311 at the 2001 census, with it increasing to 13,533 at the 2011 Census.
Hist ...
district) Janet Batten (birth registered first in
Hemsworth
Hemsworth is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire and had a population of 13,311 at the 2001 census, with it increasing to 13,533 at the 2011 Census.
Hist ...
district), and Gaynor Batten (birth registered second in
Hemsworth
Hemsworth is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire and had a population of 13,311 at the 2001 census, with it increasing to 13,533 at the 2011 Census.
Hist ...
district). He was buried at Lawnswood Cemetery, Leeds.
References
External links
*(archived by web.archive.org
The Millennium Masters – BacksPhotograph "Team to visit Barrow in the Cup 1946 - The team to visit Barrow in the 1946 Challenge Cup waits to board the coach. - 07/03/1946" at rlhp.co.ukPhotograph "Ernest Ward holds the Cup aloft - Ernest Ward holds the Cup aloft as he walks to the dressing rooms at Wembley. - 01/01/1947" at rlhp.co.ukPhotograph "Eric Batten scores - Eric batten seen beating Ted Carroll of Hunslet to score in Northern's 14-7 win in the 1948 Challenge Cup semi at Headingley in front of 38,125. - 03/04/1948" at rlhp.co.ukPhotograph "1948 Championship Semi-final - Ces Mountford kicks as Eric Batten tries to block the ball in the 1948 Championship Semi-final. - 24/03/1948" at rlhp.co.ukPhotograph "1948 Challenge Cup Final - A world record crowd of 91,465 saw Bradford Northern lose to Wigan by 8 points to 3 in this 1948 Final at Wembley. Here King George VI is seen being introduced to the Bradford Northern side. - 01/05/1948" at rlhp.co.ukPhotograph "Four Northern Greats - Four Northern Greats re-unite at Odsal. - 19/06/1980" at rlhp.co.ukPhotograph "Northern Greats - A collection of Northern Greats return to the pitch to celebrate 50 years at Odsal Stadium. - 26/08/1984" at rlhp.co.ukPhotograph "Eric Batten leap - Eric Batten leaps over his opposite number at Headingley. - 21/05/1947" at rlhp.co.ukPhotograph "First visit to Odsal - Workington Town pay their first visit to Odsal in February 1946. Workington's Billy Iris tackles Eric Batten. - 02/02/1946" at rlhp.co.ukPhotograph "Championship winning team 1945 - Bradford Northern's Championship winning team of 1945. - 01/01/1945" at rlhp.co.ukPhotograph "Eric Batten Kicks - Eric batten kicks the ball forward after a scrum. - 01/01/2000" at rlhp.co.uk (actual date 22 April 1944)Photograph "Challenge cup winning side. - The Bradford Northern Challenge Cup winning side of 1944. Northern beat Wigan 8-0 after losing 3-0 away from home in the first leg. - 22/04/1944" at rlhp.co.ukPhotograph "Eric Batten Kicks - Eric batten kicks the ball forward after a scrum. - 01/01/1939" at rlhp.co.uk (actual date 22 April 1944)Photograph "Northern at Fartown - The Northern side that took on Huddersfield in 1948. Bradford won 7-2 at Fartown. - 30/03/1948" at rlhp.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Batten, Eric
1914 births
1993 deaths
Batley Bulldogs coaches
Bradford Bulls players
Castleford Tigers players
England national rugby league team players
English rugby league coaches
English rugby league players
Featherstone Rovers captains
Featherstone Rovers coaches
Featherstone Rovers players
Great Britain national rugby league team players
Hunslet F.C. (1883) players
Leeds Rhinos players
People from Sculcoates
Rugby league players from Kingston upon Hull
Rugby league wingers
Rugby League XIII players
Wakefield Trinity players