Raymond Batten (23 September 1945 – 23 September 2020) 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 1960s and 1970s, and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

ed in the 1980s. 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 ...

and

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 Heworth ARLFC and

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 ...

as a or , and coached at club level for

Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the c ...

Playing career

International honours

Ray Batten won caps for

while at Leeds in 1968 against Wales, in 1969 against Wales, and France, and won caps for

while at Leeds in 1969 against France, and in 1973 against Australia (2 matches).

Challenge Cup Final appearances

Ray Batten played in

' 11-10 victory over

in the

1968 Challenge Cup The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

"Watersplash" final during the 1967-68 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 11 May 1968, and played in the 13-16 defeat by St. Helens in the

1972 Challenge Cup Year 197 ( CXCVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magius and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 950 '' Ab urbe con ...

Final during the 1971-72 season at

on Saturday 13 May 1972.

County Cup Final appearances

Ray Batten played in

' 22-11 victory over

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 ...

in the

1968 Yorkshire Cup The year was highlighted by Protests of 1968, protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechos ...

Final during the 1968–69 season at Belle Vue,

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

on Saturday 19 October 1968, played in the 23-7 victory over Featherstone Rovers in the 1970 Yorkshire Cup Final during the 1970–71 season at

Odsal Stadium Odsal Stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, is the home of Bradford Bulls Rugby League team. It has also been used by the Bradford Dukes speedway team, BRISCA F1 and F2 stock cars, the football team Bradford City, following the Valley ...

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

on Saturday 21 November 1970, played in the 36-9 victory over

Dewsbury Dewsbury is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Hudder ...

in the 1972 Yorkshire Cup Final during the 1972–73 season at

on Saturday 7 October 1972, played in the 7-2 victory over

in the

1973 Yorkshire Cup Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. P ...

Final during the 1973–74 season at Headingley,

on Saturday 20 October 1973, and played right- in the 15-11 victory over Hull Kingston Rovers in the

1975 Yorkshire Cup It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. Ha ...

Final during the 1975–76 season at Headingley,

on Saturday 15 November 1975.

BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Final appearances

Ray Batten played in

' 9-5 victory over St. Helens in the 1970 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Final during the 1970–71 season at Headingley,

on Tuesday 15 December 1970.

Testimonial match

Ray Batten's Testimonial match at

took place in 1974.

Coaching career

Ray Batten was the coach of

from April 1980 to May 1981 and again from May 1982 to July 1983.

Death

Batten died on 23 September 2020, at the age of 75.

Genealogical Information

Ray Batten was the son of the rugby league footballer; Billy Batten Jr., the grandson of the rugby league footballer; Billy Batten, and the nephew of the rugby league footballer;

Eric Batten Frederick "Eric" E. Batten (13 June 1914 – 3 September 1993) was an English rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, and coached rugby league in the 1950s. He played club level rugby leagu ...

References

External links

Rugby Cup Final 1968
{{DEFAULTSORT:Batten, Raymond 1945 births 2020 deaths England national rugby league team players English rugby league coaches English rugby league players Great Britain national rugby league team players Leeds Rhinos players Rugby league locks Rugby league second-rows Rugby league players from York Wakefield Trinity coaches