Frederick Charles Parfitt (12 August 1869 – 20 March 1953) was a Welsh 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 it ...

scrum-half who played club rugby for Newport, regional rugby for Somerset and was capped nine times for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. On retiring from rugby union, Parfitt switched to bowls and also represented Wales in this sport.

Rugby career

Parfitt first played rugby for local club team Pontnewydd, before switching to first class club, Newport. At Newport, Parfitt was partnered at scrum-half with Percy Phillips, and played behind a formidable pack filled with Wales internationals Arthur Gould, Bob Gould and Charlie Thomas.Smith (1980), pg 72. Parfitt was first selected to represent Wales as part of the 1893 Home Nations Championship in the opening game against England. Under the captaincy of Arthur Gould, Parfitt was chosen to partner Phillips, who although was recognised as an elusive attacker was seen as a weak proposition in defence and poor at spot kicking.Smith (1980), pg 81. Where Phillips was an asset was in his link-up play with Gould, the team mates would break together in attack using inter-passing and feints to confuse their opponents. Parfitt's role was to cover Phillips and make sure that his offensive play did not cause defensive weaknesses. Parfitt and Phillips partnered each other in all three games of the 1893 Championship, which saw Wales win all matches and raise the

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 * Tri ...

for the first time in the country's history. Parfitt was reselected for Wales for the 1894 Championship, but Welsh campaign had a terrible start when England beat them 24-3. Parfitt gained his only international points during this game when he scored a

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 ...

, though the Welsh pack squabbled throughout the game, with Frank Hill working against the wishes of his captain Gould. After a win against Scotland, Parfitt saw his partnership at scrum-half change, when in the final game of the tournament against Ireland, Phillips was replaced by Cardiff's Ralph Sweet-Escott. Parfitt played just a single game of the 1895 Home Nations Championship, alongside Selwyn Biggs, in a loss to Scotland. He was reunited with Biggs in

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that ...

, this time in a win over Scotland. His final game was the last game of the 1896 tournament away to Ireland. On this occasion he was partnered with new cap

Llewellyn Lloyd George Llewellyn Lloyd (1877 – 1 August 1957) was a Welsh international half-back who played club rugby for Newport and county rugby with Kent. He won 12 caps for Wales and captained the team on one occasion against Scotland. Rugby career ...

, who would become a strong player for Wales and a groundbreaking captain for Newport.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 470. * 1893, 1894 * 1893, 1894, 1896 * 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896

External links

Newport RFC player profiles

Bibliography

* * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parfitt, Fred 1869 births 1953 deaths Newport RFC players Rugby union players from Cwmbran Rugby union scrum-halves Wales international rugby union players Welsh male bowls players Welsh rugby union players