Harry Toft (second ¼ 1881 – fourth ¼ 1951), also known by the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

of "The Human Corkscrew", 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 1900s and 1910s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for

Glamorgan County RFC Glamorgan County RFC is a Welsh rugby union club that manages an invitational team, known as Glamorgan that originally played rugby at county level. The team is made up of amateur players from sports clubs in the Glamorgan region and historically ...

, and at club level for Swansea RFC, as a

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

, or fly-half, and club level rugby league (RL) for

Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the Leeds city centre, city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside (ward), Hunslet and Riverside ward of Lee ...

Background

Harry Toft's birth was registered in

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 ...

district,

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

, and his death aged 77 was registered 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 populati ...

district,

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, England.

Playing career

Notable county matches

Harry Toft played alongside fellow Swansea RFC players; George Hayward,

Phil Hopkins Phil Hopkins (31 January 1880 – 26 September 1966) was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Football Club. He won just four caps for Wales but made an important impact to the team's 1909 Triple Crown ...

, Fred Lewisbr>
Ivor Morgan and

Dicky Owen Dicky Owen (17 November 1876 - 27 February 1932) was a Welsh international scrum-half who played club rugby for Swansea RFCSmith (1979), pg 132. Owen is seen as one of the greatest Welsh scrum-halves and won 35 caps for Wales between 1901 and 1 ...

(

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

) in

's 3–16 defeat by

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

at Cardiff Arms Park on Wednesday 7 October 1908.

Notable tour matches

Harry Toft played in Swansea RFC's 6–0 victory over

St. Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground St Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground, commonly known simply as St.Helens, is a sports venue in Swansea, Wales, owned and operated by the City and County of Swansea Council. Used mainly for rugby union and cricket, it has been the home ground of Swa ...

on Saturday 26 December 1908 in front of a crowd of 40,000.

Genealogical information

Harry Toft's marriage to Florence Catherine (

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 ...

Westwood)
birth registered
during third ¼ 1882 in

Aston Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, England. Located immediately to the north-east of Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a ward within the metropolitan authority. It is approximately 1.5 miles from Birmingham City Centre. History Aston wa ...

district �
death registered
during fourth ¼ 1940 (aged 58) in

district) was registered during fourth ¼ 1905 in

district. They had four children; Irene, Olive, Harry and Beryl Toft
birth registered
during first ¼ 1915 in

district �
death registered
during second ¼ 1933 (aged 18) in North

district).

References

External links

Search for "Toft" at rugbyleagueproject.orgStatistics at swansearfc.co.ukThe Story Of Swansea RFC In The 1906-07 SeasonGeorge Hayward's profile at swansearfc.co.ukEx-Swansea Player. Harry Toft Talks About N.U. Football
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toft, Harry 1881 births 1951 deaths Hunslet F.C. (1883) players Rugby league centres Rugby league players from Swansea Rugby union centres Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union players from Swansea Swansea RFC players Welsh rugby league players Welsh rugby union players