Garfield David Owen (20 Mar 1932 – 17 Jan 2019) was a Welsh

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

, and dual-code 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 ...

, 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 1950s and 1960s. He first played amateur rugby for

Llanharan RFC Llanharan Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Llanharan, South Wales. Llanharan RFC was formally established in 1891-92 when Llanharan was little more than an agricultural hamlet. The earliest photograph on the clubhouse wall is date ...

Maesteg RFC Maesteg is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English translation of Mae ...

Wrexham RFC Wrexham Rugby Football Club (Welsh: Clwb Rygbi Wrecsam) is a Welsh rugby union team based in Wrexham, Wales. Wrexham RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union. Wrexham was one of the nine founder clubs of the North Wales Rugby Union, which form ...

and Newport RFC at club level before winning six caps 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 ...

. He also played rugby union for the invitational club;

Barbarian F.C. The Barbarian Football Club, known as the Barbarians is a British-based invitational rugby union club. The Barbarians play in black and white hoops, though players wear socks from their own club strip. Membership is by invitation. As of 2011, p ...

He later switched to the professional code in 1956 joining Halifax ( Heritage № 637) where at international level he also played for the

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 ...

, and the

rugby league team at his favoured position of , i.e. number 1.

International honours

Garfield Owen represented

while at Halifax in 1958, and represented

while at Halifax in 1959.

Honoured at Halifax

Garfield Owen is a Halifax Hall Of Fame Inductee.

Career records

Garfield Owen is one of fewer than twenty-five Welshmen to have scored more than 1000 points in their rugby league career.

Personal life

Garfield Owen married Marlene ( née Sternson) in 1957 in Surrey. They had two children; Russell H. Owen and Sally L. Owen. His death was announced on 17 January 2019, he was 86-years-old.

References

External links

*(archived by web.archive.org
Profile at blackandambers.co.ukThe Welshman who kicked an amazing 535 goals for Halifax
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Garfield 1932 births 2019 deaths Barbarian F.C. players Dual-code rugby internationals Halifax R.L.F.C. players Keighley Cougars players Llanharan RFC players Maesteg RFC players Newport RFC players People from Glamorgan Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league players from Rhondda Cynon Taf Rugby League XIII players Rugby union fullbacks Rugby union players from Llanharan Wales international rugby union players Wales national rugby league team players Welsh rugby league players Welsh rugby union players