George Owens (26 Nov 1894 – Dec 1978), also known by the nickname of 'Dodger', 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 1910s and 1920s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for

Swansea RFC Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premiership. The club play at St Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea and are also known as ''The Whites,'' in reference to their home kit colours. History ...

, and representative level rugby league (RL) for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, and at club level 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 ...

and later St Helens (Jan-Mar 1928), as a .

Playing career

Change of code

Following a meeting with a Wigan rugby league club representative at the Bush Hotel,

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

on Sunday 28 September 1913,

's rugby union half-back pairing of Sidney Jerram, and George Owens were each signed for £180 down payment (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £61,630 in 2013), guaranteed win bonuses, and jobs for £2 per week cash.

International honours

George Owens won a

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 ...

for

(RL) while at Wigan in 1923.

Championship final appearances

George Owens played in

's 22–10 victory over

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 ...

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 1925–26 season 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 8 May 1926.

County League appearances

George Owens played in

's victories in the Lancashire League during the 1913–14 season, 1914–15 season, 1920–21 season, 1922–23 season, 1923–24 season and 1925–26 season.

County Cup Final appearances

George Owens played in

's 20–2 victory over

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 ...

in the

1922–23 Lancashire Cup The 1922–23 Lancashire Cup was the fifteenth staging of this regional rugby league competition. The trophy was won again by Wigan Warriors, Wigan who beat local rivals Leigh Centurions, Leigh in the final at The Willows, Salford, The Willows, S ...

Final during the 1922–23 season at

The Willows, Salford The Willows was a rugby league stadium in Weaste, Salford, England. It had a final capacity of 11,363 with 2,500 seats. History In 1900, Salford agreed a 14-year lease on of land belonging to the Willows Estate Company, named after the abunda ...

on Saturday 25 November 1922, and played in the 11–15 defeat by Swinton in the

1925–26 Lancashire Cup The 1925–26 Lancashire Cup was the eighteenth tournament in the history of this regional rugby league competition, and another new name was added to the trophy. This time it was the turn of Swinton Lions, Swinton, one of the founding members o ...

Final during the 1925–26 season at

The Cliff A cliff is a vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliff, The Cliff or The Cliffs may also refer to: Buildings *Cliff Brewery, a former brewery near Ipswich, England *Cliff Palace, largest cliff dwelling in North America *The Cliffs, a histo ...

, Broughton on Wednesday 9 December 1925.

Notable tour matches

George Owens played , in

's 36–15 victory over

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 ...

in the tour match during the 1925–26 season at

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

on Saturday 11 December 1926.

References

External links

Statistics at wigan.rlfans.comTeam – Past Players – O at swansearfc.co.uk (profile missing)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owens, George 1894 births 1978 deaths Footballers who switched code Place of birth missing Rugby league five-eighths St Helens R.F.C. players Swansea RFC players Wales national rugby league team players Welsh rugby league players Welsh rugby union players Wigan Warriors players