HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Harold Wagstaff (9 May 1891 – 19 July 1939), 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 "Waggy", was an English 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, 1910s and 1920s. He played as a and was nicknamed the ''Prince of Centres''. A captain of
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 is ...
, he also played representative rugby league for England, and
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
. Wagstaff has been inducted into the Rugby Football League Hall of Fame, and the
Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants are an English professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, the birthplace of rugby league, who play in the Super League competition. They play their home games at the John Smiths Stadium which is sh ...
Hall of Fame.


Background

Wagstaff was born in the village of Underbank within Holmfirth on 9 May 1891 and first played at local amateur side, Underbank Rangers, aged 14.


Playing career


1900s

Wagstaff's first professional game, for
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 1906, was at the age of 15 years and 175 days. For many years he was considered to be the youngest person to play professional rugby league. However it is Harold Edmondson who holds this accolade, making his first try for Bramley against Bradford Northern on 1 February 1919 aged 15 years 81 days. Edmondson later joined Wagstaff at Huddersfield. Wagstaff became the youngest representative in rugby league football when he turned out for Yorkshire age 17 years and 141 days, and a few months later made his début for England against the first ever touring Australian side: the 'First Kangaroos' of 1908.


1910s

By 1912 Wagstaff was appointed captain of Huddersfield, aged 19. He captained
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 ...
at in their 2–8 loss against
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 the
1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas ''Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York Ci ...
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
County Cup Final during the 1910–11 season at
Headingley Rugby Stadium Headingley Rugby Stadium shares the same site as Headingley Cricket Ground and is home to Leeds Rhinos. Headingley is the 5th largest rugby league stadium in England. History 1889-1980s: Construction and development Leeds St Johns, who ...
,
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 ...
on Saturday 3 December 1910, played right-, i,e, number 3, and scored a try in the 22–10 victory over
Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challenge ...
in the
1911 A notable ongoing event was the race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * Ja ...
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
County Cup Final during the 1911–12 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 25 November 1911, In 1914 Wagstaff was made captain of Great Britain, a post held during that year's tour of Australia and New Zealand. He was captain in the famous 'Rorke's Drift' match on 4 July 1914. Wagstaff and played right-, i.e. number 3, and scored 2- tries in the 31–0 victory over Hull F.C. in the
1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
County Cup Final during the 1914–15 season at
Headingley Rugby Stadium Headingley Rugby Stadium shares the same site as Headingley Cricket Ground and is home to Leeds Rhinos. Headingley is the 5th largest rugby league stadium in England. History 1889-1980s: Construction and development Leeds St Johns, who ...
,
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 ...
on Saturday 28 November 1914. During his career as the captain of the Huddersfield team, known as ''The Team of all The Talents'', he led them to victory in the Rugby League
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves a ...
, the Championship Trophy, the
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
County Cup, and the
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
County League in 1915. They thus became the second of only three teams ever to win
All Four Cups Winning All Four Cups referred to winning all four competitions available to a British rugby league side in the top division between 1907 and 1970. The cups available to win were the First Division Championship, Challenge Cup, county league (La ...
, the others being
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 parliamentary ...
(1908) and Swinton (1928). Wagstaff was also stationed in Egypt during World War I.


1920s

Wagstaff once again captained Great Britain on their 1920 tour of Australasia. In November that year, rugby league's first players' union, the 'Northern Rugby Union Players' Union was founded in Huddersfield under the chairmanship of Wagstaff, with his Huddersfield team-mate Gwyn Thomas as secretary. The enrolment fee was five shillings with a weekly contribution from each member; the declared aims of the union were (i) the promotion of the spirit of comradeship amongst the players, (ii) to redress grievances, (iii) to obtain modification of the transfer rules and (iv) to obtain benefits for players after fixed term of service. Wagstaff played his last Test match in January 1922, when he helped Great Britain beat Australia and regain the Ashes. His career had lasted for 19 years until his retirement in 1925.


Post-playing

Wagstaff was the manager of the Royal Swan Hotel, Westgate,
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 died in 1939. In 1988 he was inducted into the
British Rugby League Hall of Fame The Rugby League Hall of Fame honours the leading players of the sport of rugby league. It was established by the sport's governing body in the UK, the Rugby Football League, in 1988. Players must have been retired for at least five years to be ...
. He was one of five famous players to feature on a set of British stamps issued in 1995 to commemorate the centenary of Rugby League. Wagstaff and his contribution to Anglo-Australian rugby league culture were the subject of 2003's annual
Tom Brock Lecture The Tom Brock Lecture is an annual scholarly lecture organised by the Australian Society for Sports History at the bequest of Australian sports historian Tom Brock. The topic of the lecture is the history of rugby league football. It has been give ...
, given by Tony Collins.


References


External links

*(archived by web.archive.org
Harold Wagstaff at rugbyleaguehistory.co.uk
*(archived by archive.is

*(archived by web.archive.org

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagstaff, Harold 1891 births 1939 deaths British Army personnel of World War I Royal Army Service Corps soldiers England national rugby league team captains England national rugby league team players English rugby league players Great Britain national rugby league team captains Great Britain national rugby league team players Huddersfield Giants captains Huddersfield Giants players People from Holmfirth Publicans Rugby league centres Rugby league players from Yorkshire Yorkshire rugby league team players