Dominic John O'Garra (22 February 1891 – 15 January 1960) was an English

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer who played as a halfback. He played at club level for

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census had a population of 62,400. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, ...

between 1908 and 1922, and at representative level for

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

. After retiring from rugby, he was elected onto the town council and became mayor of Widnes in 1945.

Playing career

Club career

O'Garra made his debut for Widnes in 1908. In March 1921, O'Garra and teammate

Arthur Johnson Arthur Johnson may refer to: Sports *Arthur Johnson (athletic director), athletic director for Temple Owls *Arthur Johnson (boxer) (born 1966), U.S. Olympic boxer *Arthur Johnson (rugby league), Widnes and Great Britain 1908/09 - 1922/23 *Arthur Jo ...

were granted a benefit match in recognition of their service at Widnes.

Representative career

O'Garra made two appearances for

in the 1913–14

County Championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

, scoring one try in a 24–3 win against

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

. O'Garra was also selected for the

1914 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand This year saw the beginning of what became known as the First World War, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It also saw the first airline to provide ...

. He scored five tries in eight appearances, but did not appear in any

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film) ...

matches.

Outside of rugby league

In July 1922, O'Garra married Janet Barker at

St Marie's Church, Widnes St Marie's Church is a redundant Roman Catholic church in Lugsdale Road, Widnes, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. History The church was built between 186 ...

. After ending his rugby career, O'Garra became the licensee of the Grosvenor Hotel in Widnes. He was elected onto the Widnes town council in 1931, and became mayor of the town in 1945.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogarra, Jack 1891 births 1960 deaths English rugby league players Lancashire rugby league team players Place of birth missing Place of death missing Rugby league halfbacks Widnes Vikings players 20th-century English sportsmen