Willie Hargreaves (birth registered second ¼ 1931 – 4 July 2013), also known by the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

of "Little Rock", 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 1950s and 1960s. He played at club level for

Stanley Rangers Stanley Rangers (founded 1919) is an amateur rugby league club situated in the village of Stanley near Wakefield. They are in Division One of the National Conference League. Players range from 8-years old and receive training in all aspects of ...

ARLFC, and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, as a , i.e. number 1.

Background

Willie Hargreaves' birth was registered in

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, ...

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, he died aged 82 in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, England, and his funeral took place at York Crematorium at 10.20am on Friday 19 July 2013.

Playing career

County Cup Final appearances

Willie Hargreaves played in

's 8-15 defeat by

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 ...

in the

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...

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 ...

County Cup The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...

Final during the 1957–58 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 ...

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 populati ...

on Saturday 19 October 1957.

Club career

Willie Hargreaves made his début for

on Monday 3 November 1952, and he played his last match for York on Sunday 20 November 1966.

Testimonial match

Willie Hargreaves'

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 ...

for

took place in 1962.

Honoured at York Rugby League

The first seven players to be inducted into the York Rugby League Hall of Fame during March 2013 were; Geoffrey Pryce,

Gary Smith (rugby league, York born) Gary Smith (born 21 April 1954) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for Yorkshire, and at club level for York, as a utility player. Background Smith w ...

Vic Yorke Victor "Vic" S. Yorke (birth registered third ¼ 1933 – July 2009) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played at representative level for Rugby League XIII and Rugby League War of the Rose ...

, Norman Fender, Willie Hargreaves,

Basil Watts Basil J. Watts (15 June 1926 – 31 December 2019), also known by the nickname of "Baz", was an English Rugby League World Cup, World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. He played at repres ...

and Edgar Dawson.

Wakefield Express The ''Wakefield Express'' is the newspaper serving the City of Wakefield district in West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1852 and was the subject of a centenary film directed by Lindsay Anderson in 1952. The newspaper is owned by John ...

Page-33, Friday 12 July 2013

Genealogical information

Willie Hargreaves' marriage to Doretta Shirley (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Lister)
birth registered
third ¼ in

Knaresborough Knaresborough ( ) is a market and spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Nidd. It is east of Harrogate. History Knaresborough is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Chenares ...

district) was registered during third ¼ 1954 in

district. They had children; Stephanie E. Hargreaves
birth registered
first ¼ in

district), Julie A. Hargreaves
birth registered
third ¼ in

district), and Graham P. Hargreaves
birth registered
first ¼ in

district).

References

External links

Search for "Hargreaves" at rugbyleagueproject.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hargreaves, Willie 1931 births 2013 deaths English rugby league players Place of death missing Rugby league players from Wakefield Rugby league fullbacks York Wasps players