James Metcalfe (rugby)
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| Full name | James Metcalfe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
1873 Cumberland, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 1⁄2 in (182 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 13 st 0 lb (83 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Fullback | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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James "Jimmy" D. Metcalfe (1873 — death unknown) born in Cumberland, was an English rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1890s, 1900s, and 1910s, playing representative level rugby union (RU) for Yorkshire, and at club level for Askam RUFC (now Askam ARLFC), Barnsley RUFC, and Featherstone RUFC (now Featherstone Rovers), and playing representative level rugby league (RL) for Yorkshire, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity (captain) (Heritage № 62), as a fullback, i.e. number 1.
Playing career
County Honours
Jimmy Metcalfe was selected for Yorkshire (RU) whilst at Featherstone RUFC during the 1896-7 season, and was selected for Yorkshire County XIII (RL) whilst at Wakefield Trinity during the 1897-8 and 1898-9 seasons.[1]
Challenge Cup Final appearances
Jimmy Metcalfe played fullback, and scored the conversion in Wakefield Trinity's 17-0 victory over Hull F.C. in the 1909 Challenge Cup Final during the 1908–09 season at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Tuesday 20 April 1909, in front of a crowd of 23,587.[2]
County Cup Final appearances
Jimmy Metcalfe played fullback, and scored a conversion in Wakefield Trinity's 8-2 victory over Huddersfield in the 1910 Yorkshire County Cup Final during the 1910–11 season at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 3 December 1910.[2]
Notable tour matches
Jimmy Metcalfe played fullback, and scored the goal in Wakefield Trinity's 5-5 draw with the New Zealand in the tour match at Belle Vue, Wakefield on Wednesday 23 October 1907, and played fullback, and scored four goals in the 20-13 victory over Australia in the 1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain match at Belle Vue, Wakefield on Saturday 19 December 1908.[2]
Club career
Jimmy Metcalfe made his début for Wakefield Trinity during September 1897, he appears to have scored no drop-goals (or field-goals as they are currently known in Australasia), but prior to the 1974–75 season all goals, whether; conversions, penalties, or drop-goals, scored 2-points, consequently prior to this date drop-goals were often not explicitly documented, therefore '0' drop-goals may indicate drop-goals not recorded, rather than no drop-goals scored. In addition, prior to the 1949–50 season, the archaic field-goal was also still a valid means of scoring points.
Contemporaneous Article Extract
"James Metcalfe - Of the many fine players who figured in Trinity's ranks in the early N.U. days was one who gave outstanding service to the club and in whom the players could always have supreme confidence on the last line of defence. Jimmy Metcalfe soon won recognition as one of the finest full-backs in the country. Born in Cumberland, Jimmy's early football was with Askham-in-Furness (sic Askam-in-Furness), with whom he started in 1890 under R.U. rules. His first club in Yorkshire was Barnsley R.U. and thence to Featherstone. Whilst there, in season 1896-7, he played twice for North v. South - these being R.U. trial matches - and in that season too he figured in all Yorkshire's R.U. county games. It was later - but still in 1897 - that he turned to the Northern Union code and joined Trinity. Here his distinctions were continued and he was a member of the Yorkshire N.U. side which won the County Championship of 1897-8 and again in 1898-9. We can hardly do justice to his fine career in what must necessarily be a short account, but mention must be made of the fact that he played in Trinity's successful Cup Final at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds in 1909, when he was thirty-six years old. And that was not the end. He did not cease to play until 1911 and, in his last match for Trinity gave a final display of his goal-kicking ability by adding three to his wonderful record. Jimmy's record of kicking eleven goals in a match has been equalled twice, but never extended. He set up the record on April 6, 1909, against Bramley at Belle Vue. Trinity's score was 11-15-67 to 2-2-10." [1]
Genealogical Information
James Metcalfe is the father of the Wakefield Trinity footballer who played in the 1930s, Joseph Metcalfe, and paternal grandfather of Featherstone Rovers, and Wakefield Trinity Fullback of the 1950s, and 1960s, Donald "Don" Metcalfe.
Note
'Dreadnoughts - A HISTORY OF Wakefield Trinity F. C. 1873 - 1960' states that James Metcalfe was "Born in Cumberland, Jimmy's early football was with Askham-in-Furness". Askam-in-Furness is on the Furness peninsula, which was part of Lancashire until the 1974 English county boundary reorganisation, when it became part of Cumbria. This would mean that James Metcalfe wasn't born in Askam-in-Furness, or it was mistakenly believed that Askam-in-Furness was in Cumberland.[1]