John Kelly ( – death unknown) was an English
rugby union and professional
rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s. He played club level rugby union (RU) fo
Bramley Old Boys RUFC as a
Fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to:
Sports
* A position in various kinds of football, including:
** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position
** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...
, i.e. number 15, and club level rugby league (RL) for
Leeds and
St. Helens (one match when a man short) as a , or , i.e. number 1, or 2 or 5.
Leeds career
On Saturday 24 December 1938 Leeds played
Salford at
Headingley Rugby Stadium. However, because the
rugby pitch was frozen, the match was switched to the
cricket field
A cricket field is a large grass field on which the game of cricket is played. Although generally oval in shape, there is a wide variety within this: some are almost perfect circles, some elongated ovals and some entirely irregular shapes with l ...
.
Vic Hey scored the only try of the match, and Jack Kelly became the only player to ever kick a goal on the cricket pitch in a 5-0 win. He spent most of his career at Leeds behind
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
"Charlie" Eaton for the position, but he still managed to play in 83 matches, mainly during the Emergency Leagues throughout World War II. On Saturday 6 December 1941 Leeds played
St. Helens at
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a stadium complex in Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, comprising two separate grounds; Headingley Cricket Ground and Headingley Rugby Stadium, linked by a two-sided stand housing common facilities. The grounds a ...
, the St. Helens team was a man short, so Jack Kelly played as a stand-in for them.
Note
Someone named Jack Kelly played rugby league for
Wests and
North Sydney during the 1920s and 1930s, and someone named J Kelly played rugby league for
Newtown Bluebags during the 1940s; however, these footballers are unlikely to be this Jack Kelly.
References
External links
Search for "Kelly" at rugbyleagueproject.org
*(archived by web.archive.org
Profile at leedsrugby.dnsupdate.co.ukProfile at saints.org.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, John
1917 births
English rugby league players
English rugby union players
Leeds Rhinos players
Place of birth missing
Place of death missing
Rugby league fullbacks
Rugby league players from Leeds
Rugby union fullbacks
Rugby union players from Leeds
St Helens R.F.C. players
Year of death missing