Kenneth "Ken" Davies

Ken Davies
Personal information
Full name Ken Davies
Playing information
Position Halfback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1936–1951 Keighley RLFC 199 34 7 0 116

Kenneth Henry Davies (born 29 May 1916) in Blaengarw, a mining village in South Wales. He was a former Welsh rugby union footballer and professional rugby league footballer, playing at club level for Blaengarw RFC, Bridgend RFC & Keighley RLFC in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s at Stand-off half . He formed a formidable partnership with Thomas Cockcroft at Scrum Half

Early Life

Ken was brought up at 16 Brigg Street, Blaengarw, he played for his local School team and later Blaengarw first XV. when he moved to Bridgend he was initially under study to Glamorgan County player Cliff Jones, from Bridgend he signed for Keighley aged 19 in April 1936. The attraction of a job as a fitter at Prince Smith & Stell persuaded him to give up his job in the pit and move north.

Keighley RLFC

Davies signed from Welsh side, Bridgend Rugby Football Club in 1936 and went on to play 199 games for Keighley. He made his Debut 14 April 1936 v Huddersfield Away on the losing team 0 - 12 Sadly the Second World War took away many of his best playing years. In one of the war time fixtures on 7 November 1942, Davis played standoff for Keighley against Leeds his scrum half partner was a war time loan player from Warrington fellow Welshman Melville De Lloyd .Also on loan that day was the great Jim Sullivan from Wigan who played an inspirational game at Fullback for the Lawkholme Lane club.

On 10 April 1943 Ken played in a Challenge Cup semi final 1st leg at Lawkholme Lane in which Keighley beat Leeds 5 - 3. Unfortunately Leeds won the second leg 27 - 0 to qualify to meet Dewsbury in the Final.

Yorkshire Cup

Davies played right-Centre in Keighley RLFC's 7-10 aggregate defeat to Bradford Northern in the 1943 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1943–44 Wartime Emergency League season, the 2-5 defeat at Odsal Stadium, Bradford on Saturday 27 November 1943, and the 5-5 draw at Lawkholme Lane, Keighley on Saturday 4 December 1943.

Rugby Football League Championship

While on leave from the Army in 1941- 42 season, Davies was signed as a guest player for Bradford Northern, when regular scrum half Donald Ward was injured. On 18 April 1942, he played on the losing Bradford Northern team 0–13 to Dewsbury in the Championship play-off final at Headingley in front of a crowd of 18,000 and receipts £1,121.0.0. In total Davies played 4 games for Bradford Northern.

Representative Rugby

On 18 December 1944, Davies played right wing, marking international winger Eric Batten, for the Army XIII against a Rugby League XIII at Thrum Hall, Halifax the home of Halifax RLFC. The attendance was 2,500 with gate receipts of £160, the Rugby League XIII won the game by 11–l4

Military service

During World War 2 Davies served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers where he served in the North African campaign. While stationed in Cairo he played for the REME Rugby team which also included Bradford Northern & Wales second row Trevor Foster.

Despite the intervention of the war he went on to be a great servant to the club and was awarded a benefit season in 1950. First, Keighley played against a Welsh XIII. Then at The Willow Tree Inn in Riddlesden on 28 June 1950, Davies had his benefit Dinner. Ken Davies playing career ended with an 8–8 drawn game against Bramley in the final match of the 1950–51 season.

Life after Rugby

Ken Davies settled in Keighley when he retired from rugby as a shop keeper for many years. Davies formed a lifelong friendship with his former teammate Thomas Cockroft. Davies became godfather to Cockcroft's daughter Mollie, (Whitcombe), and his son William Cockcroft took Kenneth as his middle name.

On 21 October 1981, Davies returned to Wales to take part in the Golden jubilee celebrations of Blaengarw RFC.

His visit coincided with the touring Australian Rugby Union team, The Wallabies playing against Bridgend, the club Ken had signed from for Keighley. At this game were many former Rugby league players who were welcomed back to the club to enjoy the occasion. It was different in 1935 when Davis 'Went North'. His loss was considered so sever that a veto on rugby league agents was enforced by the Bridgend club.

Davies died in September 1984

References

    External links