William Bowen (6 December 1897 – 19 December 1960) was a Welsh dual-code

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 1910s and 1920s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) 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 ...

, winning 6

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, and at club level for

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

, as a

fly half In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16� ...

, and club level rugby league (RL) for

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, as a .

Rugby career

Bowen was first selected to play for Wales during the

1921 Five Nations Championship The 1921 Five Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the thirty-f ...

in a game against Scotland. Under the captaincy of

Tommy Vile Major Thomas Henry Vile MBE (6 September 1882 – 30 October 1958) was a Welsh international rugby union player. He played club rugby predominantly for Newport, captaining the side twice and played county rugby for Monmouthshire. He also repres ...

, Wales lost the match in a match that was nearly abandoned due to crowd problems, when the St Helen's spectators kept pushing onto the pitch.Godwin (1983), pg 130. Bowen was re-selected for the next game of the tournament this time against France in a victory at the

Cardiff Arms Park Cardiff Arms Park (), also known as The Arms Park, is primarily a rugby union stadium, and also has a bowling green. It is situated in Cardiff, Wales, next to the Millennium Stadium. The Arms Park was host to the 1958 British Empire and Common ...

, though he lost his place for the last match in Ireland. Bowen was reselected to represent Wales for the entirety of the

1922 Five Nations Championship The 1922 Five Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the thirty-fi ...

in which Wales won the tournament, winning three of the games and drawing against Scotland. Bowen scored two tries during the tournament; the first in the opening Welsh victory over England when Bowen was one of eight different players to score a try for Wales. His second was more important, as it allowed the draw with Scotland snatched by Wales when Islwyn Evans scored a drop goal in the last two minutes.Godwin (1983), pg 135. Bowen may have been awarded more caps for Wales, but he 'Went North' in 1922, switching codes to professional rugby league, joining Leeds RLFC.Robert Gate (1986). "Gone North - Volume 1". R. E. Gate. Bowen made his début for

against

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 ...

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 Headingley ...

on Saturday 2 September 1922.Dalby, Ken (1955). ''The Headingley Story - 1890-1955 - Volume One - Rugby''. The Leeds Cricket, Football & Athletic Co. Ltd ASIN: B0018JNGVM Bowen played at and scored a try in

' 28–3 victory over

Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Hull play their home games at the MKM Stadium and compete in Super League, the ...

in the 1922–23 Challenge Cup Final during the 1922-23 season at Belle Vue,

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

, the only occasion the Challenge Cup final has ever been staged at Belle Vue. The

backline in the early 1920s was known as the Busy Bs, as it included; Jim Bacon,

Arthur Binks Arthur Binks (10 January 1902 – 1969) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s. He played at representative level for England, and at club level for Buslingthorpe Vale ARLFC (in Leeds), Leeds, Wiga ...

, Billy Bowen, Joe Brittain and Harold Buck.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 464. * 1922 * 1921, 1922 * 1922 * 1921, 1922

Bibliography

* *

References

External links

Search for "Bowen" at rugbyleagueproject.org

-> {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowen, Billy 1897 births 1960 deaths 20th-century Welsh sportsmen Leeds Rhinos players Rugby league centres Rugby league players from Swansea Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union players from Swansea Swansea RFC players Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby league players Welsh rugby union players