Barrie Bennetts

Barzillai Beckerleg Bennetts MBE, also known as Barrie Bennetts (14 July 1883 – 26 July 1958) born in Penzance and was a Cornish rugby union player who played at international level, touring Argentina with the 1910 Combined British rugby union side, an early incarnation of the British and Irish Lions.[1][2]

Not to be confused with Barrie Bennett.

Barrie Bennetts
Birth nameBarzillai Beckerleg Bennetts
Date of birth(1883-07-14)14 July 1883
Place of birthPenzance, Cornwall
Date of death26 July 1958(1958-07-26) (aged 74)
Place of deathPenzance
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight11 st 0 lb (154 lb; 70 kg)
SchoolBridgend College, London
Occupation(s)Solicitor
Rugby union career
Position(s) wing/centre
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1901–
1902–12
1905


1907–1910		 Penzance RFC
Cornwall
Richmond
Redruth
Devonport Albion
Leicester Tigers
42



2		 ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1908–11
1909
1910		 Barbarians
England
Combined British		 9
2
4		 3
0
23

Personal life

Barzillai Beckerleg Bennetts was born in Penzance in 1883 to Mr J H Bennetts, a local coal merchant. He was educated at Bridgend College, London and trained in the legal profession. By 1910 he was a solicitor for Boase and Bennetts in Penzance.[2] He excelled in many sports and represented Cornwall at cricket, golf and hockey, and was President of the Cornwall RFU from 1945 to 1950. During the First World War he joined the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, seeing action in France and being mentioned in dispatches. At the age of 57 he saw further military service when he was one of the first, in Penzance, to volunteer for the newly formed Home Guard. Bennetts was awarded the MBE for services to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1949 and was made a Lifetime Governorship for the RNLI in 1957.[2][3] He died in 1958 at his brother's home in Alverton, Penzance.

Sports

Bennetts was an accomplished sportsman excelling in many sports including football, playing for Penzance Football Club and appearing in four Cornwall Senior Cup finals.[2] He played cricket at minor counties level for Cornwall, making eleven appearances between 1906 and 1914.[4] He also represented Cornwall at golf and hockey, and tennis would have probably been on the list if there was a Cornwall tennis team at the time. While in London training to be a solicitor he played rugby for Richmond.[2] Bennetts played twice for Leicester Tigers, once in 1907 and once in 1910.[5]

Combined British Team to Argentina
Date Opponents Venue Result Score Notes
11910 June 12ArgentinaFloresW28 – 3Argentina's first International match[6]

England
Date Opponents Venue Result Score Notes
11909 Jan 9AustraliaRectory Field, BlackheathL3 – 9First England v Australia International
21909 Jan 16WalesCardiff Arms ParkL0 – 8Home International Championship, with four Cornish players in the England team

[7]

See also

References
  1. Forward, Raymond (2009). "1 North Parade". Picture Penzance. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  2. Tomlin, Steve (2015). Cornish Pirates Legends. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. pp. 28–30. ISBN 978-1-4456-4656-5.
  3. Batten, Ben G (1978). Newlyn, Penzance and the Pirates. Penzance: Penzance & Newlyn Rugby Football Club. p. 16. ISBN 0-9506301-0-1.
  4. "Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Barrie Bennetts". CricketArchive. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  5. Farmer, Stuart; Hands, David. Tigers - Official history of Leicester Football Club. The Rugby DevelopmentFoundation. p. 431. ISBN 978-0-9930213-0-5.
  6. "Rugby Union - ESPN Scrum - Argentina v Great Britain XV at Flores". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  7. Westren, P; Thomas, J; Matthews, H (1995). 50 Golden Years. Penzance: Penzance & Newlyn RFC.
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