Alan Hardman (19 May 1937 – 10 May 2021) was an English former 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 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. An

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 b ...

international representative , he played at club level in England for St Helens prior to carrying out his

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

Early life and background

Hardman was born in St Helens,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, England. His younger brother was

Colin Hardman Colin Hardman (24 February 1947 – 8 July 2006) was a British motorcycle racer who competed in both the solo and sidecar classes. Biography Nicknamed ''"Cocker"'', Hardman was born in St Helens, Lancashire and was the younger brother of the r ...

, a motorcycle sidecar racer who won an Isle of Man TT race as passenger to

Dave Molyneux Dave Molyneux (born 21 November 1963 in Douglas, Isle of Man) is a Manx professional Sidecar racer. He is the most successful Sidecar competitor in the history of the Isle of Man TT races, achieving 17 TT victories and 30 podium finishes. ...

in 1989.

Playing career

After playing amateur rugby he turned professional, signing in 1952 with his home-town club, St. Helens. Hardman made his solitary appearance for

in 1956 against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, with his professional rugby career put on hold due to his

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...

requirement; his final appearance for St. Helens was against

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

. The

St Helens R.F.C.–Wigan Warriors rivalry The St Helens R.F.C. – Wigan Warriors rivalry is a historic local rivalry between the rugby league clubs St Helens and the Wigan Warriors, based in North West England. The rivalry is born out of relative proximity of the two towns, but as two o ...

left Hardman with two broken ribs and a broken nose.

Army Service

Hardman commenced his

in 1956. He joined the

7th Queen's Own Hussars The 7th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first formed in 1689. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in ...

, being part of the force tasked with containing the

1956 Hong Kong Riots The 1956 Hong Kong riots, also known as the Double Ten riots ( zh, t=雙十暴動), were the result of escalating provocations between the pro-Kuomintang and pro-CCP camps on Double Ten Day, 10 October 1956.HKheadline.com.HKheadline.com" ''� ...

. During this time he also represented his regiment on the rugby field.

Subsequent career

Returning to St. Helens following his stint in the army, he re-joined the club, subsequently being loaned out to

Liverpool Stanley Liverpool Stanley was a semi-professional rugby league club from Liverpool, England. It was renamed Liverpool City in 1951, but was otherwise unrelated to the original Liverpool club of the same name. The club's origins date back to 1880 when i ...

. Hardman retired from rugby in 1971 prior to emigrating to Australia.

Australia

Together with his wife and three children, Hardman moved to Australia in 1971, settling in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and taking a job with the Public Building Department of the

Government of South Australia The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government, SA Government or more formally, His Majesty’s Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of South Australia. It is modelled o ...

. Following his retirement, he and his wife continued to live in Adelaide.

Death

Hardman died on 10 May, 2021. He was survived by his wife and children.

References

External links

Saints Heritage Society profilerl1908.com 1956 Kangaroo tour
*(archived by web.archive.org
Rugby League Records
*(archived by web.archive.org

*

Runcorn Highfield RLFC Liverpool Stanley was a semi-professional rugby league club from Liverpool, England. It was renamed Liverpool City in 1951, but was otherwise unrelated to the original Liverpool club of the same name. The club's origins date back to 1880 when i ...

Remember Runcorn Highfield on Facebook

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardman, Alan 1937 births 2021 deaths 7th Queen's Own Hussars soldiers England national rugby league team players English rugby league players Liverpool City (rugby league) players Rugby league players from St Helens, Merseyside St Helens R.F.C. players Rugby league fullbacks