Kenneth Jeffrey Jones
OBE (30 December 1921 – 18 April 2006) was a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
sprinter and record breaking Welsh international
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. He played for both
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
and the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
. He is best known in Wales for his contribution to Welsh rugby, but most notably for his winning try against the
All Blacks
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...
in 1953.
Early life
Jones was born in
Blaenavon
Blaenavon ( cy, Blaenafon) is a town and community (Wales), community in Torfaen county borough, Wales, high on a hillside on the source of the Afon Lwyd. It is within the boundaries of the historic county of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshi ...
,
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...
on 30 December 1921
[Smith (1980), pg 334.] and as a youth attended
West Monmouth Grammar School in
Pontypool
Pontypool ( cy, Pont-y-pŵl ) is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales. It has a population of 28,970.
Location
It is situated on the Afon Lwyd ri ...
. There, under the guidance of Gilbert Garnett, he nurtured a skill in rugby union, representing his school and during the holidays he would play for
Talywain
Talywain () is situated in Garndiffaith, Abersychan and Pentwyn in Torfaen in south east Wales, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire.
Old mining area
It is a semi rural area that has a long heritage in coal mining. The old Britis ...
.
[Thomas (1979), pg 104.] During the 1939–40 season, he was selected for the Welsh Secondary School XV, his first Welsh cap and later that year he attended St. Paul's Training College in
Cheltenham
Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
. Jones served his country towards the end of World War II and was stationed in India with the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
. It was while on service that Jones developed his sprinting.
Track and field career
Jones was well known as a sprinter. Before he competed at the
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
he was already Welsh and
Amateur Athletic Association
The Amateur Athletic Association of England or AAA (pronounced 'three As') is the oldest national governing body for athletics in the world, having been established on 24 April 1880. Historically it effectively oversaw athletics throughout Britai ...
[Smith (1980), pg 335.] champion and won the
silver medal
A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...
at the 1948 Olympics in the 4×100 metres relay, together with teammates
Jack Archer,
John Gregory and
Alastair McCorquodale
Alastair McCorquodale (5 December 1925 – 27 February 2009) was a British athlete and cricketer.
McCorquodale was educated at Harrow where he opened the bowling for the 1st XI in the 1948 Eton v Harrow match at Lord's. He represented Br ...
. In 1954 he ran in the
British Empire and Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
and won a bronze medal in the 220 yard sprint. In the same year was given the honour of captaining the British team in the
European Championships
The European Championships is a multi-sport tournament which brings together the existing European Championships of some of the continent's leading sports every four years. The inaugural edition in 2018 was staged by the host cities of Berlin, ...
in
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
. It was at these championships that Jones was again part of a 100-metre relay, silver medal team. On this occasion the team comprised Jones,
George Ellis,
Kenneth Box
Kenneth James Box (1 December 1930 – 1 September 2022) was a retired track and field sprinter, who represented Great Britain in the men's 100 metres and 4×100 metres relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. He was born ...
and
Brian Shenton
Brian Shenton (15 March 1927 – 9 May 1987) was a track and field sprinter. He represented Great Britain in the men's 200 metres and men's 4x100 metres relay at two consecutive Summer Olympics (1952 and 1956).
Born in Doncaster from a workin ...
, losing in the final to Hungary.
[
]
Club rugby
After returning from the war, Jones looked for rugby clubs to join. During the end of the 1945–46 season Jones managed to play a few games for both Blaenavon
Blaenavon ( cy, Blaenafon) is a town and community (Wales), community in Torfaen county borough, Wales, high on a hillside on the source of the Afon Lwyd. It is within the boundaries of the historic county of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshi ...
and Pontypool
Pontypool ( cy, Pont-y-pŵl ) is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales. It has a population of 28,970.
Location
It is situated on the Afon Lwyd ri ...
, and when the 1946–47 season opened he applied for a trial for Newport at Rodney Parade
Rodney Parade is a stadium in the city of Newport, South Wales, owned and operated by the Welsh Rugby Union. It is located on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre. The ground is on Rodney Road, a short walk from the city's cen ...
and managed to get a place in the first XV. Jones spent the rest of his career with Newport, playing just one game for the Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...
during the 1948–49 season. Jones captained Newport over two seasons in 1950–51 and 1953–54. His captaincy during the 1950–51 season was particularly memorable when Newport won the Welsh Club Championship for the first time since 1922–23.
Welsh international rugby career
1947–1950
Jones was first capped for his country in an international game against England on 18 January 1947 under the captaincy of Haydn Tanner
Haydn Tanner (9 January 1917 – 5 June 2009) was a Welsh international rugby union player who represented both Wales and the British and Irish Lions. At club level he played for several top-flight teams, including Bristol, Cardiff, Swansea, Lond ...
. The match was the first international for both countries since the start of the war, and unsurprisingly both sides were filled with new caps. Tanner and Howard Davies were the only players from Wales with any experience at this level, though Jones did have the benefit of starting with two of his Newport team mates, Reg Blackmore and George Parsons.[Godwin (1984), pg 218.] Wales lost the game and although Blackmore and Parsons wouldn't represent their country again, Jones would play in all three remaining games of the championship. In the next game against Scotland, Jones repaid the selector's belief in him when he scored two tries. Wales ran out 22–8 winners, the highest scoring victory against Scotland since 1911
A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole.
Events January
* January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...
.[Godwin (1984), pg 219.]
1949 was a poor year for Wales, and in that year's Championship, although scoring a try in the final game against France, Jones let his opposite wing in for the decisive score. That try relegated Wales to last place in the league and gave them the wooden spoon Wooden Spoon may refer to:
* Wooden spoon, implement
* Wooden spoon (award)
A wooden spoon is an award that is given to an individual or team that has come last in a competition. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous e ...
. The next season saw an incredible turn-around in Welsh fortunes which made Jones's world-class reputation. In the opening game of the Championship, Wales achieved a rare victory over England at Twickenham
Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...
and in the next game against Scotland, Jones scored a try in another win. On 11 March at Ravenhill, Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
Jones was again on the score sheet as Wales beat Ireland to win their eighth Triple Crown
Triple Crown may refer to:
Sports Horse racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)
** Triple Crown Trophy
** Triple Crown Productions
* Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Trip ...
. Though celebrations were short lived when a day later, a plane carrying jubilant supporters back to Wales crashed at Llandow, killing eighty. It was therefore a somber occasion when Wales faced France on 25 March at the Cardiff Arms Park. The match itself was a walkover for Wales, with Jones scoring two of the four tries in a 21–0 score line. This was the first time Wales had won the Grand Slam since 1911.
1951–1953
Much was expected of the Welsh team in the 1951 season after the Grand Slam had been taken the year before, but the resulting championship was made up of mixed performances. Jones scored a try in an emphatic win against England in January, but found himself on the losing team when an unfancied Scotland beat Wales 19–0 at Murrayfield
Murrayfield is an affluent area to the west of Edinburgh city centre in Scotland. It is to the east of Corstorphine and north of Balgreen and Roseburn. The A8 road runs east–west through the south of the area. Murrayfield is often con ...
. After a draw against Ireland, Jones scored with a try against France in the last game of the season, but these was the only Welsh points in an 8–3 loss.
The next season saw a resurgent Wales, in which Jones scored against all three home nation teams. The opening game with England turned out to be the championship decider. While Lewis Jones was off the pitch receiving treatment for an injury, England took the numerical advantage scoring two tries through Albert Agar
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Alber ...
and Ted Woodward
Ted Woodward (born November 28, 1963) is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Maine. He took over the position vacated by John Giannini in 2004, and compiled a 117–178 ...
. In the second half the Welsh forwards dominated, especially in the line out, and in the resulting pressure Jones scored two tries, one converted by Malcolm Thomas, which gave Wales victory.[Godwin (1984), pg 245.] The matches against Ireland and Scotland were won without Wales hitting their best form, and the final match against France was won despite the poor Welsh kicking. Jones had now collected his second Grand Slam trophy with Wales, and had played 25 consecutive games for his country.[Godwin (1984), pg 248.]
The 1953 Five Nations Championship
The 1953 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-fourth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-ninth series of the northern hemisphere rug ...
saw another good Welsh run, losing only to eventual champions England. Jones was again picked for all four games, but only managed a single try against Scotland.[Godwin (1984), pg 252.] 1953 also saw the arrival in Wales of the touring New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
team. On 19 December, Wales and the All Blacks met at the Cardiff Arms Park with the New Zealand team so far unbeaten in the tour. Welsh hopes were raised after two New Zealand draws against 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 ...
and Ulster, and Wales were favourites to win the contest.[Smith (1980), pg. 348] The game did not start as was expected, and Wales were chasing the game after New Zealand took an early lead. In the last twenty minutes Wales appeared to raise their game and started playing offensive rugby. Gareth Griffiths returned to the field despite dislocating his shoulder and Clem Thomas
Richard Clement Charles "Clem" Thomas (28 January 1929 – 5 September 1996) was a international rugby union player. A flanker, he represented Cambridge University R.U.F.C. in the Varsity Match in 1949 and played for Brynamman, Swansea, Lo ...
moved back into the pack and the Welsh play became more focused. Gwyn Rowlands kicked a penalty to bring the scores level and with five minutes to go Clem Thomas made a dash down the left hand touchline. With his path cut off by the All Black defense, Thomas cross-kicked the ball for Jones to take it on the bounce. Jones rounded Ron Jarden
Ronald Alexander Jarden (born 14 December 1929, Lower Hutt, New Zealand and died 18 February 1977, Lower Hutt), better known as Ron Jarden, was a New Zealand rugby union footballer, businessman, and sharebroker.
Career Rugby career
Jarden playe ...
on the inside and scored his most memorable and final try of his Welsh career. With Rowlands converting the score Wales had beaten New Zealand 13–8.
1954–1957
Jones was again one of the first-choice players in the 1954 Welsh squad, and in a repeat of the previous season Wales lost their opening fixture to England. A last minute try from Chris Winn gave England the victory, but not the Championship after Wales won the final three games of the tournament to lift the Five Nations trophy. Jones played in all four matches, but finished the campaign without a single score to his name, though he did receive the honour of captaining his country for his only time in the game against Scotland. The 1955 Five Nations Championship
The 1955 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-sixth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the sixty-first series of the northern hemisphere rugby ...
started on a more positive note for both Wales and Jones; Wales beat England in the opening game while Jones became Wales's most capped player in the same match, playing in his 36th appearance. Although Wales lost the next fixture against Scotland, they would beat Ireland and France to win the tournament for the fourth time in the last six years. Jones again played in all four games, taking him to 39 caps.
The 1956 Championship was a very tight competition with most matches decided by one or two scores. Wales, under the captaincy of Cliff Morgan
Clifford Isaac Morgan, (7 April 1930 – 29 August 2013) was a Welsh rugby union player who played for Cardiff RFC and earned 29 caps for Wales between 1951 and 1958. After his playing career ended, Morgan made a successful career in broadcas ...
, played excellent rugby, deserving of the title.[Godwin (1984), pg 265.] Wales took the Championship title again, but on this occasion losing to Ireland to prevent a Welsh Grand Slam and Triple Crown. Jones again played all four games, and again failed to score a try in any of them, though in the last match of the campaign against France on 24 March, Jones won his 43rd cap. This made him the most capped player in world rugby, beating the record held by Ireland's George Stephenson
George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians a great example of diligent application and thirst for ...
. The next season, in the opening game against England, Wales ran out for the first time since rugby resumed in 1947 without Ken Jones. Jones was dropped by the selectors breaking his consecutive run of 43 matches. The next match, in a Welsh loss against Scotland, Jones played his very last international game for Wales. Jones was once quoted as saying, 'People ask me often which match I enjoyed most, the truth is I enjoyed them all. It was a marvellous experience playing for Wales.'[Godwin (1984), pg 272.]
International matches played for Wales
Wales[Smith (1980), pg 468.]
* 1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
* 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956
* 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956
* 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956
* 1953
* 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957
* 1951
British Lions
Throughout his career, Jones suffered a lack of scoring opportunities, at club and international level. Even when alongside the likes of Welsh midfield star players such as Bleddyn Williams
Bleddyn Llewellyn Williams MBE (22 February 1923 – 6 July 2009), was a Welsh rugby union centre. He played in 22 internationals for Wales, captaining them five times, winning each time, and captained the British Lions in 1950 for some of thei ...
and Cliff Morgan
Clifford Isaac Morgan, (7 April 1930 – 29 August 2013) was a Welsh rugby union player who played for Cardiff RFC and earned 29 caps for Wales between 1951 and 1958. After his playing career ended, Morgan made a successful career in broadcas ...
, Jones scored very few tries for a wing of his class. This would change when Jones was selected to play in the 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand. Selected for 17 of the games, including three of the four tests against New Zealand, Jones scored 17 tries and was chosen as one of the five Players of the Year for the tour.[Thomas (1979), pg 105.]
Jones's greatest moment in the tour came in the Fourth Test against New Zealand. In this match Jones found himself playing against an equally fast track sprinter in the All Black's Peter Henderson. During the test, Jones found himself outside fellow Welsh international Lewis Jones, following a break from the Lions' 25 yard line. Henderson was running between the two Joneses, but with Bob Scott closing in on Lewis Jones, he threw a pass over Henderson's head which Ken Jones collected the ball skillfully at shoulder level. With 50 yards to the try line, and with four All Blacks giving chase, Jones showed his Olympic sprinting finesse to just keep ahead of his opponents to score a magnificent try. Unfortunately for Jones, although he scored one of the tries of his career, he found himself on the losing side. A fact made worse when in the last minute, with the Lions 11–8 down, Jones chased a kick head and looked to score a certain winning try when the ball turned away from him on the bounce, and the chance was lost.
International matches played for the British Lions
* 1950, 1950, 1950
Later life and awards
Jones was a high school teacher for most of his life. From 1948 to 1985, he was also a sports reporter for Welsh newspaper, the ''Sunday Express'', dealing mainly with rugby and athletics.
In the 1960 Queen's Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...
he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(OBE), "For services to Welsh Rugby Football".
Jones has also been honoured by the sporting and journalist communities. In 1954 he was the inaugural winner of the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year
The BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year is a televised sporting competition, broadcast on BBC Two every year; and the most prestigious annual Sport in Wales, sport award in Wales. It was first awarded in 1954, and is currently organise ...
and was also chosen as the first rugby union inductee into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
The Welsh Sports Hall of Fame (WSHOF) is a charitable organisation created to commemorate the sporting achievements and preserve the artefacts of Welsh athletes. It was established in 1980 from the memorabilia collection of Welsh radio commentato ...
in 1990,[ ahead of more well known players such as ]Gareth Edwards
Sir Gareth Owen Edwards CBE (born 12 July 1947) is a Welsh former rugby union player who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey".
In 2003, in a poll of international ru ...
or J.P.R. Williams.
In his late years Jones served as a board member and president of the Newport rugby club, resigning in 1995 in protest of the introduction of professionalism to rugby. After a stroke, he was confined to a wheelchair. He died in 2006, at the age of 84.[Ken Jones]
sports-reference.comFormer Wales wing Ken Jones dies
''BBC Sport'' (19 April 2006)
Competition record
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
Ken Jones player profile
Scrum.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Ken
1921 births
2006 deaths
Alumni of Loughborough University
Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
Barbarian F.C. players
Blaenavon RFC players
British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales
British sportswriters
Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Wales
Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
European Athletics Championships medalists
Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Newport RFC players
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Olympic athletes of Great Britain
Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)
Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain
People educated at West Monmouth School
Pontypool RFC players
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
Rugby union players from Blaenavon
Talywain RFC players
Wales international rugby union players
Wales rugby union captains
Welsh male sprinters
Welsh Olympic medallists
Welsh rugby union players
Rugby union wings
Medallists at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games