Geoffrey "Geoff" P. Wraith (birth registered third ¼ 1946
– 26 August 2019) was an English professional
rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
ed in the 1980s. He played at representative level for
Yorkshire, and at club level for
Hunslet Juniors,
Wakefield Trinity (
Heritage No. 693) (two spells),
Norths Devils and
Castleford (
Heritage No. 572), as a left-footed
toe-end style (rather than
round the corner style)
goal-kicking , or , i.e. number 1 or, 3 or 4, and coached at club level for
Castleford (Assistant Coach) and
Wakefield Trinity.
Background
Geoff Wraith's birth was registered in
Leeds district,
West Riding of Yorkshire, England, he was a pupil at
Foxwood School
Foxwood School was a Comprehensive school in Seacroft, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1956 and closed 40 years later in 1996.
History
Summary
Foxwood School was the first comprehensive school in Leeds and opened on 4 September 195 ...
,
Seacroft,
Leeds, he died aged 72, his funeral took place at
Holy Trinity Church Holy Trinity Church may refer to:
Albania
* Holy Trinity Church (Berat), Berat County
* Holy Trinity Church, Lavdar, Opar, Korçë County
Armenia
* Holy Trinity Church, Yerevan
Australia
* Garrison Church, Sydney, South Wales, also known as ''H ...
,
Rothwell, West Yorkshire
Rothwell is a town in the south-east of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated between Leeds and Wakefield.
It is in the Rothwell (ward), Rothwell ward of Leeds City Council and Elmet and Rothwell (U ...
at 11:45am on Thursday 5 September 2019, followed by a reception at the Repton Room,
Oulton Hall
Oulton Hall in Oulton, West Yorkshire, is a Grade II listed building in England. It was once the home of the Blayds/Calverley family. After a major fire in 1850 the hall was remodelled, but its fortunes declined until it was revived for use as ...
,
Oulton, West Yorkshire
Oulton is a village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England, between Leeds and Wakefield. It is at the junction of the A639 and A642 roads. Though now adjoining the village of Woodlesford, it was once quite sep ...
.
Playing career
County honours
Geoff Wraith won
caps playing for
Yorkshire while at
Wakefield Trinity, and while at
Castleford in the 10-7 victory over Cumbria at
Crown Flatt
Crown Flatt, currently known as the Tetley's Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a rugby league stadium in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of the Dewsbury Rams, who play in the Championship. The ground occupies the site of th ...
,
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Hudder ...
on Wednesday 19 November 1975, the 16-16 draw with
Other Nationalities at
Odsal Stadium
Odsal Stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, is the home of Bradford Bulls Rugby League team. It has also been used by the Bradford Dukes speedway team, BRISCA F1 and F2 stock cars, the football team Bradford City, following the Valley ...
,
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
on Saturday 6 December 1975, the 12-12 draw with Cumbria at
Recreation Ground,
Whitehaven on Tuesday 15 February 1977, and the 16-17 defeat by Cumbria at
The Boulevard,
Hull
Hull may refer to:
Structures
* Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle
* Fuselage, of an aircraft
* Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds
* Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship
* Submarine hull
Mathematics
* Affine hull, in affi ...
on Wednesday 17 September 1980.
County Cup Final appearances
Geoff Wraith played (replaced by
interchange/
substitute Leslie Sheard) in
Wakefield Trinity's 2-7 defeat by
Leeds in the
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
Yorkshire County Cup
The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...
Final during the
1973–74 season at
Headingley Rugby Stadium,
Leeds on Saturday 20 October 1973, and played in
Castleford's 17-7 victory over
Featherstone Rovers in the
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
Yorkshire County Cup
The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...
Final during the
1977–78 season at
Headingley Rugby Stadium,
Leeds on Saturday 15 October 1977.
BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Final appearances
Geoff Wraith played in
Castleford's 12-4 victory over
Leigh
Leigh may refer to:
Places In England
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan
** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)
* Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Dorset
* Leigh, Gloucestershire
* Leigh, Kent
* Leigh, Staf ...
in the
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
BBC2 Floodlit Trophy
The BBC 2 Floodlit Trophy (also known as the BBC 2 Television Trophy) was a competition for British rugby league clubs held between 1965 and 1980. It was designed specifically for television, and the then director of BBC2, broadcaster David Att ...
Final during the
1976–77 season at
Hilton Park,
Leigh
Leigh may refer to:
Places In England
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan
** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)
* Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Dorset
* Leigh, Gloucestershire
* Leigh, Kent
* Leigh, Staf ...
on Tuesday 14 December 1976.
Player's No.6 Trophy Final appearances
Geoff Wraith played (replaced by
interchange/
substitute Bernard Ward) in
Wakefield Trinity's 11-22 defeat by
Halifax in the
1971–72 Player's No.6 Trophy Final during the
1971–72 season at
Odsal Stadium
Odsal Stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, is the home of Bradford Bulls Rugby League team. It has also been used by the Bradford Dukes speedway team, BRISCA F1 and F2 stock cars, the football team Bradford City, following the Valley ...
,
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
on Saturday 22 January 1972, and played , and scored a
try in
Castleford's 25-15 victory over
Blackpool Borough
Blackpool Borough was a rugby league club based in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, that played in the Rugby Football League from 1954 until 1993. The club moved to Wigan in 1987 and was renamed Springfield Borough; to Chorley in 1988 and was ...
in the
1976–77 Player's No.6 Trophy Final during the
1976–77 season at
The Willows, Salford on Saturday 22 January 1977.
Club career
Geoff Wraith made his début for
Wakefield Trinity against
Castleford at
Belle Vue, Wakefield during May 1963, he played his last match for Wakefield Trinity (in his second spell) when came out of retirement to play 1-game during his period as coach of Wakefield Trinity, he transferred from Wakefield Trinity to
Norths Devils, he transferred from Norths Devils to
Castleford, he made his début for Castleford in the 10-25 defeat by
Leeds in the
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
BBC2 Floodlit Trophy
The BBC 2 Floodlit Trophy (also known as the BBC 2 Television Trophy) was a competition for British rugby league clubs held between 1965 and 1980. It was designed specifically for television, and the then director of BBC2, broadcaster David Att ...
preliminary round match during the
1975–76 season at
Headingley Rugby Stadium,
Leeds on Wednesday 24 September 1975, and he played his last match for Castleford during March 1983.
Coaching career
Club career
Geoff Wraith was the coach of
Wakefield Trinity from February 1984 to May 1984.
Quote
"On Mondays which I set aside for developing skills and positional play, there were sometimes only four or five players turning up. From the others I’d get excuses like 'My wife was having a
Tupperware party'." Geoff Wraith, on his resignation as coach of Wakefield Trinity.
[Barber, John (17 January 2012). ''Quote Sport Unquote''. Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. ASIN: B006Z93WFA]
References
External links
*
Geoff Wraith Memory Box Search at archive.castigersheritage.comSearch for "Geoffrey Wraith" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.ukSearch for "Geoff Wraith" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
1946 births
2019 deaths
Castleford Tigers players
English rugby league coaches
English rugby league players
Norths Devils players
People from Seacroft
Rugby league centres
Rugby league fullbacks
Rugby league players from Leeds
Wakefield Trinity coaches
Wakefield Trinity players
Yorkshire rugby league team players
{{England-rugbyleague-bio-stub