Elliot Tenbosch Nicholson (13 December 1871 – 1 December 1953)
Scrum.com was an English international

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 ...

wing who played club rugby for

Birkenhead Park Birkenhead Park is a major public park located in the centre of Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. It was designed by Joseph Paxton and opened on 5 April 1847. Birkenhead park was designated a conservation area in 1977 and declared a Grade I N ...

. Nicholson played international rugby for

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 ...

and was selected for the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

team on its 1899 tour of Australia.

Rugby career

Nicholson came to note as a rugby player while playing for Birkenhead Park, and in 1899 he became the first player form the club to represent the British Isles team; now known as the British Lions. Nicholson was selected for the British Isles tour of Australia, and was described by the team captain,

Matthew Mullineux Matthew Mullineux MC (8 August 1867 – 13 February 1945) was an English rugby union scrum-half who, although not capped for England, was selected for two British Lions tours. He gained one cap during the 1896 tour to South Africa and ca ...

, as 'a very fast wing'. Nicholson was not chosen for either of the first two Tests against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, with captain Mullineux choosing Irish wing Gerry Doran; but in the Third Test Nicholson was brought into the squad. The British Isles won the Test by a narrow 11–10 score line, and Nicholson kept his place for the fourth and final test. On his return to Britain, Nicholson found himself in favour with the English selectors and was brought into the England team for the

1900 Home Nations Championship The 1900 Home Nations Championship was the eighteenth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship, Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 6 January and 17 March. It was contested by England national rugby union team, En ...

. After losing all three games the previous Championship, the selectors brought in 13 new caps for the opening game, against Wales, and Nicholson was the only member of the threequarter line with any international experience. The game ended in a Welsh victory, although Nicholson scored his first and only international points during the match with a try. Despite losing the opening game, Nicholson was retained by the selectors for the second English game of the tournament, which was played at home to Ireland. England won the game 15–4, but Nicholson was dropped from the team for the next game, and never reselected for his country again.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, Elliot 1871 births 1953 deaths English rugby union players Rugby union wings Rugby union players from Derby British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England England international rugby union players Birkenhead Park FC players