Raymond "Ray" Owen (birth registered third ¼ 1940 – 5 February 2006) 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 11 ...

footballer who played in the 1960s, and a chairman of the 1980s and 1990s. He played at club level for

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form th ...

and

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 ...

( Heritage № 694), as a , i.e. number 7, and he was chairman for

from 1987 to 1991.

Background

Ray Owen's birth was registered in

Prescot Prescot is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, it lies about to the east of Liverpool city centre. At the 2001 Census, the c ...

district,

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 Lancash ...

, England, and he died aged 65 in

, Cheshire, England.

Playing career

Championship final appearances

Ray Owen played , scored a

try Try or TRY may refer to: Music Albums * ''Try!'', an album by the John Mayer Trio * ''Try'' (Bebo Norman album) (2014) Songs * "Try" (Blue Rodeo song) (1987) * "Try" (Colbie Caillat song) (2014) * "Try" (Nelly Furtado song) (2004) * " Try (Ju ...

, 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

Harry Sunderland Trophy The Harry Sunderland Trophy is awarded annually to the man of the match in the Super League Grand Final. Named after Harry Sunderland, who was an Australian rugby league football administrator in both Australia and the United Kingdom, the Troph ...

, in

's 21-9 victory over St. Helens in the

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

Final replay during the 1966–67 season at Station Road, Swinton on Wednesday 10 May 1967, and scored two tries in the 17-10 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 Challen ...

in the

Final during the 1967–68 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 Headingley ...

Rugby Stadium,

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 popula ...

on Saturday 4 May 1968.

Challenge Cup Final appearances

Ray Owen played in

' 13-5 victory over

in the 1963–64 Challenge Cup Final during the 1963–64 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 original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

on Saturday 9 May 1964, in front of a crowd of 84,488, and played in

's 10-11 defeat by

in the

1968 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 ...

Challenge Cup "Watersplash" Final during the 1967–68 season at

on Saturday 11 May 1968, in front of a crowd of 87,100.Hoole, Les (2004). ''Wakefield Trinity RLFC - FIFTY GREAT GAMES''. Breedon Books.

County Cup Final appearances

Ray Owen played in

's 18-2 victory over

in the

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

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

County Cup Final during the 1964–65 season at

Fartown Ground The Fartown Ground or just simply Fartown is a sports ground located in the Huddersfield suburb of Fartown in West Yorkshire, England and is predominantly famous for being the home ground of Huddersfield Rugby League Club from 1878 to 1992. T ...

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

on Saturday 31 October 1964.

Club career

Ray Owen made his début for

during August 1964, and he played his last match for Wakefield Trinity during the 1968–69 season , he appears to have scored no drop-goals (or field-goals as they are currently known in Australasia), but prior to the 1974–75 season all goals, whether; conversions, penalties, or drop-goals, scored 2-points, consequently prior to this date drop-goals were often not explicitly documented, therefore '0' drop-goals may indicate drop-goals not recorded, rather than no drop-goals scored.

Rugby league career

Ray Owen was chairman of Widnes during the glory years of the 1980s, and was still involved, as chairman of the Widnes Past Players Association, up to his death.

Genealogical information

Ray Owen was the son of the rugby league footballer Harry Owen, and Margaret (née Leather
birth registered
during third ¼ 1912 in

district), the younger brother of the rugby league footballer for Widnes, and Liverpool City, Harry Owen, Jr.
birth registered
during fourth ¼ 1932 in

district), and the older brother of Christine Owen
birth registered
during first ¼ in

district), and David Owen
birth registered
during second ¼ in

district)

References

External links

Search for "Owen" at rugbyleagueproject.orgEx-Vikings chief dies
* ttps://www.questia.com/read/1G1-141948543/football-ray-was-a-true-great-tributes-pour-in-for Football: Ray Was a True Great; Tributes Pour in for Popular Widnes Chiefbr>Rugby Cup Final 1968
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Raymond 1940 births 2006 deaths English rugby league players Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league players from Prescot Wakefield Trinity players Widnes Vikings players