John Pinch (2 December 1870 – 3 March 1946) was an English

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 ...

footballer who played in the 1890s. He played at representative level for

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 at club level for Lancaster, as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

, e.g. front row,

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

, or back row. Prior to the 1901–02 season, Lancaster was a

club.

Background

John Pinch was born in Lancaster,

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 he died aged 75 in Lancaster,

Playing career

International honours

John Pinch won caps for

while at Lancaster in 1896 against Wales, and Ireland, in 1897 against Scotland.

Change of Code

When Lancaster converted from the

code to the

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 ...

code for the 1901–02 season, John Pinch would have been approximately 31 years of age. Consequently, he may have been both a rugby union and rugby league footballer for Lancaster.

References

External links

Search for "Pinch" at rugbyleagueproject.orgSearch for "John Pinch" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinch, John 1870 births 1946 deaths England international rugby union players English rugby union players Lancaster RFC players Rugby union forwards Rugby union players from Lancaster