Martin Purdy (born 29 October 1981) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

former

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 it ...

player who played for

London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seaso ...

, Bath Rugby, and

Wasps A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...

. Purdy's position of choice was at

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 ...

Career

Purdy was born in Crawley,

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ...

and attended

The Judd School The Judd School (often known simply as Judd) is a voluntary aided grammar school in Tonbridge, Kent, England. It was established in 1888 at Stafford House on East Street in Tonbridge, where it remained for eight years before moving to its present ...

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated populat ...

. Following his A-levels, Purdy accepted an offer to study at

Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Fitzwilliam College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , establish ...

, where he completed his undergraduate degree. However, Purdy also signed a part-time contract as an academy player for Premiership side

, and combined his studies with training while at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

.Purdy signs for Bath
- Guinness Premiership News, 12 March 2007. Retrieved on 9 March 2009. Purdy gained a

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

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 ...

in 2000, when he became the youngest forward to represent Cambridge in

The Varsity Match The Varsity Match is an annual rugby union fixture played between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England. The event began in 1872 with the first men's match, with interruptions only for the two World Wars. Since 1921, the game has ...

in over a decade. Purdy signed a senior contract with Wasps in 2003 and made 51 appearances for them over the next 4 years. He played as a replacement when Wasps won both the 2003–04 Premiership Final and the 2004–05 Premiership Final. He was also a replacement for the victorious 2004 Heineken Cup Final. He then joined Bath Rugby. After just a year at Bath, Purdy was signed by

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 ...

side North Harbour in April 2008, alongside former Wasps team mate Dave Walder. Purdy has also played for L'Aquila, in Italy. In 2012 Purdy signed for London Welsh,Where are they now - Martin Purdy
- ''Inside the Locker Room'', 15 December 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2009. making 5 appearances for the club before leaving in 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purdy, Martin 1981 births Living people Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Bath Rugby players North Harbour rugby union players People educated at The Judd School Rugby union players from Crawley