John Arkwright (3 December 1902 – 20 January 1990), 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 "Big Jack", 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 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. He played at representative level for

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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, and at club level for St. Helens and

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 ...

, as a or , i.e. number 8 or 10, or, 11 or 12, during the era of contested

scrum Scrum may refer to: Sport * Scrum (rugby), a method of restarting play in rugby union and rugby league ** Scrum (rugby union), scrum in rugby union * Scrum, an offensive melee formation in Japanese game Bo-taoshi Media and popular culture * M ...

s, he is Warrington's oldest player aged-42.French, Ray (1989). ''100 Great Rugby League Players''. pg. 9. MacDonald Queen Anne Press.

Playing career

International honours

Jack Arkwright, won

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 ...

s for

while at St Helens in 1933 against

Other Nationalities The Other Nationalities rugby league team are a rugby league representative team that usually consists of non-English players. They have also played under the name The Exiles and more recently Combined Nations All Stars. They competed in the first ...

, while at Warrington in 1936 against France, and Wales, in 1937 against France, in 1938 against France, and won

s for

while at Warrington in 1936 against Australia (2 matches), and New Zealand, and in 1937 against Australia (3 matches). During the 1936 tour Arkwright achieved the unusual distinction of being dismissed twice in one game. Playing against Northern Districts he was dismissed for violent play. The opposing captain, J Kingston, appealed to the referee for Arkwright to continue to play. The referee rescinded the sending off but towards the end of the game dismissed Arkwright again for punching an opponent.

County honours

Jack Arkwright played left-, i.e. number 10, in

's 7-5 victory over

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 ...

in the 1937–38 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France match at

Wilderspool Stadium Wilderspool Stadium was a rugby league stadium in Warrington, England. The ground was Warrington RLFC's old ground before moving to the Halliwell Jones Stadium. History In 1898, Warrington RLFC moved to the Wilderspool Stadium. A 10-year lea ...

on Wednesday 29 September 1937, in front of a crowd of 16,250.

Championship Final appearances

Jack Arkwright played left-, i.e. number 11, in St. Helens' 9-5 victory over

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 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 1931–32 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 7 May 1932.

County Cup Final appearances

Jack Arkwright played left-, i.e. number 11, in St. Helens' 9-10 defeat by

in the

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

County Cup The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...

Final during the 1932–33 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 ...

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 ...

on Saturday 19 November 1932.

Club career

Jack Arkwright signed for St. Helens for a signing-on fee of £50, he was transferred from St. Helens to Warrington for a world record

transfer fee Transfer may refer to: Arts and media * ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović * ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film * ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies ...

for a forward of £800 on 1 October 1934, (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £146,100 in 2016).

Honoured at St Helens RFC and Warrington RLFC

Jack Arkwright is an inductee in both the St Helens RFC Hall of Fame, and the Warrington RLFC Hall of Fame.

Genealogical information

Jack Arkwright was the father of the rugby league who played in the 1960s for St. Helens; John Arkwright Jr.

and the grandfather of the rugby league footballer;

Chris Arkwright Christopher Arkwright (born 8 February 1959) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Lancashire, and at club level for ...

References

External links

Profile at saints.org.uk
*(archived by web.archive.org
Hall of Fame at Wire2Wolves.comStatistics at wolvesplayers.thisiswarrington.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arkwright, John 1902 births 1990 deaths England national rugby league team players English rugby league players Great Britain national rugby league team players Lancashire rugby league team players Rugby league players from St Helens, Merseyside Rugby league props Rugby league second-rows St Helens R.F.C. players Warrington Wolves players