Douglas Clark (rugby league)

Douglas "Duggy" Clark MM (2 May 1891 – 1 February 1951) was an English rugby league footballer, wrestler and World War I veteran. A Rugby Football League Hall of Fame inductee, he played for Huddersfield, Cumberland, England and the Great Britain national side, as a forward (prior to the specialist positions of; prop, hooker, second-row, loose forward), during the era of contested scrums.[2][3][4] Clarke helped Huddersfield to three Challenge Cups and seven Yorkshire County Cups, and is in the club's Hall of Fame.

Dougie Clark
Godfrey Phillips Cigarette card featuring Clark
Personal information
Full nameDouglas Clark
Born2 May 1891
Ellenborough, England
Died1 February 1951(1951-02-01) (aged 59)
Birkby, Huddersfield, England
Playing information
PositionForward
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1909–27 Huddersfield 485 99 0 297
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1910–30 Cumberland 31 3 0 9
1911–20 Great Britain 11 3 0 9
1912–25 England 6 5 0 15
Source: [1][2][3][4]

Biography

Background

Douglas Clark was born in Ellenborough, Cumberland, England on 2 May 1891.[5]

1910s

During the 1909–10 Northern Rugby Football Union season, Clark's first, he played in Huddersfield's 21–0 victory over Batley in the 1909 Yorkshire Cup Final at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 27 November 1909. The following year he played in the 2–8 loss against Wakefield Trinity in the 1910 Yorkshire Cup Final at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 3 December 1910.[6] At the end of the season he played in Huddersfield's 13–5 victory over Wigan in the Championship Final, and also played in the 22–10 victory over Hull Kingston Rovers in the 1911 Yorkshire Cup Final at Belle Vue, Wakefield on Saturday 25 November 1911. During the 1911–12 Kangaroo tour Clark played in the forwards for Great Britain in two Ashes series tests matches.

Clark played in Huddersfield's 9–5 victory over Warrington in the 1913 Challenge Cup Final at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds in front of a crowd of 22,754. He also scored a hat-trick of tries in his side's victory in the Championship Final of 1913. Clark played in Huddersfield's 19–3 victory over Bradford Northern in the 1913 Yorkshire Cup Final at Thrum Hall, Halifax on Saturday 29 November 1913. Going on the 1914 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand, he played for in the famous "Rorke's Drift Test" in Sydney when his side won with 11 men.[7] Clark was a member of Fartown's "Team of all talents" which won all four cups in 1915.[8] Clark played in the 31–0 victory over Hull F.C. in the 1914 Yorkshire Cup Final at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 28 November 1914. Clark played in the 37–3 victory over St. Helens in the 1915 Challenge Cup Final at Watersheddings, Oldham on Saturday 1 May 1915 in front of a crowd of 8,000. Clark played in the 35–2 victory over Leeds in the 1914–15 Northern Rugby Football Union season's Championship Final.

Clark served in World War I on the front line in France in 1917,[9] earning the Military Medal for his deeds. He then returned to wrestling with great success, becoming World heavyweight champion. Clark played in the 14–8 victory over Dewsbury in the 1918–19 Yorkshire Cup Final at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 17 May 1919. He played in the 24–5 victory over Leeds in the 1919–20 Yorkshire Cup Final at Thrum Hall, Halifax on Saturday 29 November 1919.

1920s

Clark and played in the 21–10 victory over Wigan in the 1920 Challenge Cup Final at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds in front of a crowd of 14,000. Clark played in the 2–3 defeat by Leeds in the Championship Final. Clark was selected to go on the 1920 Great Britain Lions tour of Australasia. He played in the 5–15 defeat by Hull Kingston Rovers in the Championship Final. Clark played in the 4–10 loss against Hull F.C. in the 1923 Yorkshire Cup Final at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 24 November 1923, played in the 0–2 defeat by Dewsbury in the 1925 Yorkshire Cup Final at Belle Vue, Wakefield on Saturday 28 November 1925, and played in the 10–3 victory over Wakefield Trinity in the 1926 Yorkshire Cup Final at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Wednesday 1 December 1926, the initial match at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 27 November 1926 had been postponed due to fog.

Clark also played in Huddersfield's victories in the Yorkshire County League during the 1911–12 season, 1912–13 season, 1913–14 season, 1914–15 season, 1919–20 season and 1921–22 season. By the time of his retirement from football in 1927 he had helped his club to three Challenge Cups, and seven Yorkshire County Cups.[10]

Post-playing

After rugby, he wrestled in England.

Clark died aged 59 in Birkby, Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. In 2005 he was inducted into the British Rugby League Hall of Fame.

References
  1. "Douglas Clark". Huddersfield Rugby League Heritage. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  2. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  3. "England Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  4. "Great Britain Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  5. Ray French's 100 great Rugby League players. London: MacDonald/Queen Anne. 1989. ISBN 978-0-356-17578-2.
  6. Hoole, Les (2004). Wakefield Trinity RLFC - FIFTY GREAT GAMES. Breedon Books. ISBN 1-85983-429-9
  7. "Kangaroos training for test". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. 9 November 1933. p. 12. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  8. Ledger, John (2 October 2005). "Fartown legend Clark joins RL's Hall of Fame". The Yorkshire Post. Europe Intelligence Wire. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  9. Collins, Tony (2006). Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain. UK: Taylor & Francis. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-415-39614-1.
  10. examiner.co.uk (20 July 2009). "Fartown rugby ace's niece in memorabilia row". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. UK: Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales Limited. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
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