Robert Burdell (1 February 1939 – 15 May 2013) was an English

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

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. Born in

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

, Burdell began his career as a rugby union player with his hometown club Southport RFC before switching to rugby league in 1960. He went to play as a hooker for Liverpool City, St. Helens,

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

and

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

, and also appeared for

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

at representative level.

Early life and rugby union career

Burdell was born on 1 February 1939 and grew up with his two brothers in Birkdale,

. He attended King George V Grammar School, where he was first introduced to

. He went on to play for Southport RFC, becoming the youngest ever player to be picked for the first team.

Rugby league career

In the 1960s, Burdell switched codes to

, and played for several clubs, including Liverpool City, St. Helens,

and

. Burdell played for Wigan in the

1970 Challenge Cup Year 197 ( CXCVII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magius and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 950 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 197 for this y ...

final, which Wigan lost 2–7 against

Castleford Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield district, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the t ...

Death

After falling ill earlier in the year, Burdell died on 15 May 2013 in Spain, aged 74.

References

External links

Saints Heritage Society profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burdell, Bob 1939 births 2013 deaths English rugby league players English rugby union players Liverpool City (rugby league) players Rugby league hookers Rugby league players from Merseyside Sportspeople from Southport Rugby union players from Merseyside St Helens R.F.C. players Salford Red Devils players Wigan Warriors players Lancashire rugby league team players 20th-century English sportsmen