Basil J. Watts (15 June 1926 – 31 December 2019), also known by the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

of "Baz", was an English

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

winning professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. He played at representative level for

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, and at club level for

York York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...

, as a .

Background

Watts was born in

on 15 June 1926 and attended the local Poppleton School. He joined the army in 1944 and took up rugby league after being released in 1948, joining

in 1949. After he retired from rugby in 1961, he worked as a publican and then at the

Imphal Barracks Imphal Barracks is a military installation located in Fulford, York, England. History Cavalry barracks were built in Fulford as part of the British response to the threat of the French Revolution and were completed in 1795 but these have now bee ...

in York.

Playing career

A one-club man Watts played his entire career at York making his debut on 8 October 1949, his last game was on 6 May 1961 after making 354 appearances for the club scoring 65 tries. Watts played in a single major final when he played left- in York's 8–15 defeat by

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into t ...

in the 1957–58 Yorkshire Cup Final

Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingl ...

Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...

on Saturday 19 October 1957.

International honours

Basil Watts won a

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

for

in November 1953 against

Other Nationalities The Other Nationalities rugby league team are a rugby league representative team that usually consists of non-English players. They have also played under the name The Exiles and more recently Combined Nations All Stars. They competed in the first ...

. The following year he was selected for the

squad for the

1954 Rugby League World Cup The 1954 Rugby League World Cup was rugby league football's first World Cup and was held in France in October–November 1954. Officially known as the "Rugby World Cup", SPARC, 2009: 28 four nations competed in the tournament: Australia, Franc ...

when he played left- in all four of Great Britain's 1954 World Cup matches, including the 16–12 victory over

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

in the 1954 Rugby League World Cup final at Parc des Princes,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

on 13 November 1954. His fifth and final Great Britain cap was on 12 November 1955 against New Zealand when he scored his only international try in the 27–12 victory.

York Hall of Fame

Watts was one of the first seven players to be inducted into the York Rugby League Hall of Fame during March 2013 along with; Geoff Pryce, Gary Smith,

Vic Yorke Victor "Vic" S. Yorke (birth registered third ¼ 1933 – July 2009) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played at representative level for Rugby League XIII and Rugby League War of the Rose ...

, Norman Fender, Willie Hargreaves, and Edgar Dawson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Basil 1926 births 2019 deaths England national rugby league team players English rugby league players Great Britain national rugby league team players Rugby league second-rows Rugby league players from York York Wasps players