Kevin Beardmore (21 June 1960 – 14 November 2022) 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 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. 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

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, and at club level for

Castleford Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins the ...

, as a or .

Background

Beardmore was born on 21 June 1960. His birth was registered in

Pontefract Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wake ...

district,

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, England.

Playing career

International honours

Kevin Beardmore won a

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 ...

for

while at Castleford in 1984 against Wales, and won

s for

while at Castleford in 1984 against New Zealand (sub), in 1987 against France (2 matches), in 1988 against France (2 matches), Papua New Guinea, France (2 matches), and New Zealand, in 1989 against France (2 matches), and New Zealand, and in 1990 against France (2 matches). Beardmore was selected to go on the 1988 Great Britain Lions tour of Australasia.

County honours

Kevin Beardmore won

s for

while at

, he played in the 16–10 victory over Lancashire at

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 ...

's stadium on 16 September 1987, the 24–14 victory over Lancashire at

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 ...

' stadium on 21 September 1988, and the 56–12 victory over Lancashire at

's stadium on 20 September 1989.

Challenge Cup Final appearances

Kevin Beardmore played in

's 15–14 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 Challeng ...

in the

1986 Challenge Cup The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

Final during the 1985–86 season at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on Saturday 3 May 1986.

County Cup Final appearances

Kevin Beardmore played in

's 18–22 defeat by

in the

1986 Yorkshire Cup The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

Final during the 1986–87 season at

Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingle ...

on Sunday 27 October 1985, played , scored 2- tries, and was

man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

winning the

White Rose Trophy The RFL Yorkshire Cup is a rugby league county cup competition for teams in Yorkshire. Starting in 1905 the competition ran, with the exception of 1915 to 1918, until the 1992–93 season, when it folded due to fixture congestion. In 2019, th ...

in the 31–24 victory over

Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and were ...

in the

Final during the 1986–87 season at

on Saturday 11 October 1986, played in the 12–12 draw with

Bradford Northern The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is predomi ...

in the

1987 Yorkshire Cup File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

Final during the 1987–88 season at

on Saturday 17 October 1987, did not play ( Kenny Hill playing ) in the 2–11 defeat by

in the

Final replay during the 1987–88 season at

Elland Road Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Premier League club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England. The g ...

on Saturday 31 October 1987, and played in the 12–33 defeat by

in the

1988 Yorkshire Cup File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

Final during the 1988–89 season at

on Sunday 16 October 1988.

Testimonial match

Kevin Beardmore's

Testimonial match A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, particularly in association football in the United Kingdom and South America, where a club has a match to honour a player for servic ...

took place in 1988.

Honoured at Castleford Tigers

Kevin Beardmore is a

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

Hall Of Fame Inductee.

Personal life and death

Kevin Beardmore was the twin brother of the rugby league footballer,

Bob Beardmore Robert "Bob" Beardmore (born 21 June 1960) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He played at club level for Castleford ( Heritage № 608) and Leigh ( Heritage No. 999), as a goal- ...

, and the younger brother of Kenneth Beardmore, and Janet Beardmore. Beardmore died on 14 November 2022, at the age of 62.

References

External links

*
Photograph "Castleford hooker Kevin Beardmore takes a knock at Headingley" at wakefieldmuseumcollections.org.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beardmore, Kevin 1960 births 2022 deaths Canberra Raiders players Castleford Tigers players England national rugby league team players English rugby league players Great Britain national rugby league team players Rugby league hookers Rugby league players from Castleford Rugby league props English twins Yorkshire rugby league team players