Alexander Givvons (2 November 1913 – 14 June 2002) was a Welsh

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

and professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for

Cross Keys RFC Cross Keys RFC () is a rugby union club located in the Wales, Welsh village of Crosskeys. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union, and is a feeder club for the Dragons (rugby union), Dragons regional team. History The club achieved first ...

, as a scrum-half, and representative level rugby league (RL) for

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, and at club level for

Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...

(two spells) and

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees 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 confl ...

, as a or .

Background

Alex Givvons was born in

Pillgwenlly Pillgwenlly (), usually referred to as Pill, is a community and electoral ward in the city of Newport, South Wales. It is the centre of the historic docks industry in south east Wales and contains a number of landmarks that remain from that era ...

Newport, Wales Newport ( ) is a city and Principal areas of Wales, county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. The population grew considerably between the 2011 and the 2021 Unit ...

, he died aged 88 in

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Playing career

International honours

Alex Givvons won

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. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

s for

(RL) while at Oldham 1936–1939 6-caps.

Challenge Cup Final appearances

Alex Givvons played in Huddersfield's 7–4 victory over

Bradford Northern The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, and compete in the Championship, the second tier of British rugby league. The club have won the League Championship six times, the Challenge Cup f ...

in the first-leg of the

1944–45 Challenge Cup The 1944–45 Challenge Cup was the 44th staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup. Qualifier First round Second round Semifinals Final In the final of the Rugby league Challenge Cup, Huddersfield beat Brad ...

Final during the 1944–45 season at

Fartown Ground The Fartown Ground or just simply Fartown is a sports ground located in the Huddersfield suburb of Fartown, Huddersfield, Fartown in West Yorkshire, England and is predominantly famous for being the home ground of Huddersfield Giants, Huddersfi ...

, and in the 6–5-second-leg victory at

Odsal Stadium Odsal Stadium (known as Bartercard Odsal Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a multi-purpose stadium, multipurpose stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The stadium is currently the home of Bradford Bulls rugby league football club and ...

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

County Cup Final appearances

During Alex Givvons' time at Oldham, they had a 12–0 victory over

St Helens Recs St Helens Recreation Rugby League Football Club, often known as St Helens Recs or just the Recs, is a former professional rugby league club from St. Helens, Lancashire, that played in the Rugby Football League during the inter-war years. The club ...

in the 1933–34 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1933–34 season at

Station Road, Swinton Station Road was a stadium in Pendlebury, near Manchester, England. It was the home of Swinton Rugby League Club between 1929 and 1992 and was widely recognised as one of the finest grounds in the Rugby League. Swinton moved to Station Road w ...

on Saturday 18 November 1933.

Honoured at Oldham RLFC

Alex Givvons is an Oldham Hall of Fame Inductee.

Honoured in Oldham

Givvons Fold in Oldham is named after Alex Givvons.

Personal life

Givvons married Eunice Clayton in 1934 and had two sons; Alex, who was also a rugby league player,Tribute paid to rugby stalwart
/ref> and Trevor.

References

External links

Deaths Of Two Fine Rugby Men
{{DEFAULTSORT:Givvons, Alex 1913 births 2002 deaths 20th-century Welsh sportsmen Black British sportsmen Cross Keys RFC players Footballers who switched code Huddersfield Giants players Oldham R.L.F.C. players Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league locks Rugby league players from Newport, Wales Rugby league utility players Rugby union players from Newport, Wales Rugby union scrum-halves Wales national rugby league team players Welsh rugby league players Welsh rugby league referees Welsh rugby union players