Ben Gronow

Ben Gronow
Personal information
Full name Benjamin Gronow
Born 10 March 1887
Bridgend, Wales
Died 24 November 1967(1967-11-24) (aged 80)
Huddersfield, England
Playing information
Rugby union
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
190?–10 Bridgend
Glamorgan County
Total 0 0 0 0 0
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1910 Wales 4 1 0 0 3
Rugby league
Position prop, second-row, loose forward/lock
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1910–25 Huddersfield 400 83 689 1621
1926–27 Grenfell
1927–28 Huddersfield 7 0 7 14
1928–29 Batley 16 0 22 44
1929–30 Featherstone Rovers 23 2 43 92
Total 446 85 761 0 1771
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1910–23 Wales 8 0 9 18
1911–20 Great Britain 7 0 11 22
1921 Other Nationalities 2 1 5 13
Coaching information
Club
Years Team Gms W D L W%
Morley
Source: rugbyleagueproject.org englandrl.co.uk

Benjamin "Ben" Gronow (10 March 1887[1] – 24 November 1967) was a Welsh dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1910s and '20s. At club level Gronow played under the union code for Bridgend RFC, county rugby for Glamorgan and international rugby for Wales union team. He was often used as a utility forward. When he switched to professional league rugby he represented Huddersfield (twice), Grenfell, Batley, and Featherstone Rovers, while at representative level, Gronow played for Great Britain, and Wales. His playing position varied under the league code being used as a prop, second-row, and loose forward/lock, i.e. number 8 or 10, 11 or 12, or 13, during the era of contested scrums.[2]

Playing career

While playing rugby union at Bridgend RFC, in 1910 Gronow won four caps for Wales. Gronow won eight caps for Wales under the league code, between 1910 and 1923 while playing for Huddersfield. Gronow was also capped for the Great Britain rugby league team while at Huddersfield, in 1911 against Australia (2 matches), and after being selected for the 1920 Great Britain Lions tour of Australasia, against Australia (2 matches), and New Zealand (3 matches).

Ben Gronow played Left-prop, i.e. number 8 in Huddersfield's 2–8 defeat by Wakefield Trinity in the 1910 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1910–11 season at Headingley Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 3 December 1910, played Right-prop, i.e. number 10, and scored 4-conversions in the 18–8 victory over Dewsbury in the 1919 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1918–19 season at Headingley Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 17 May 1919, played Right-prop and scored 3-conversions in the 24–5 victory over Leeds in the 1919 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1919–20 season at Thrum Hall, Halifax on Saturday 29 November 1919, and played Left-prop and scored a conversion in the 4–10 defeat by Hull in the 1923 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1923–24 season at Headingley Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 24 November 1923.

Gronow also played at least one game for the Other Nationalities team, on 5 February 1921 against England. The game was notable for the Other Nationalities side being entirely composed of Welsh players; but despite approaches to have the game recognised as a 'Wales' v England encounter the rugby league authorities refused to accept the request.[3] Gronow beame one of less than twenty-five Welshmen to have scored more than 1000-points in their rugby league career.[4]

Gronow was selected for Great Britain while at Huddersfield for the 1924 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand, he did not play in any of the Test matches on this tour.[5]

In 1925 Gronow became the first British player to move down under when he went from Huddersfield to Grenfell, New South Wales as their coach but returned two years later.[6]

Coaching career

Gronow was the coach for rugby union team Morley R.F.C. in the 1930s, however when a history of the club was produced some years later, due to his previous rugby league associations, he was identified as 'unknown' in a team photograph.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Birth details at freebmd.org.uk". freebmd.org.uk. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  2. ↑ Williams, Graham; Lush, Peter; Farrar, David (2009). The British Rugby League Records Book. London League. pp. 108–114. ISBN 978-1-903659-49-6.
  3. ↑ Gate, Robert (1986). Gone North: Volume 1. Ripponden: R.E. Gate. p. 154. ISBN 0-9511190-0-1.
  4. ↑ Robert Gate (1988). "Gone North – Volume 2". R. E. Gate. ISBN 0-9511190-3-6
  5. ↑ "The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 14 April 1924, Page 12". newspapers.nl.sg. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  6. ↑ Collins, Tony (2006). Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain. UK: Routledge. p. 126. ISBN 0203088352.
  7. ↑ David Lawrenson (2007). "The Rugby League Miscellany [Page-59]". Vision Sports Publishing. ISBN 978-1-905326-30-3

External links

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