Ivor Preece (15 December 1920 – 14 March 1987) 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 ...

footballer who represented and captained England Schools,

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

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

. He is the only Coventry RFC player to have achieved this accolade. He was selected to play with the

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England national rugby union team, England, Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland, Scotland national rugby union team, Scotland, and ...

, on their tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1950. Born in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

(now in the West Midlands), he attended Broad Street School, Foleshill,

playing in the schools successful side winning the Coventry F.C Shield one of the oldest trophies played for in schoolboy rugby throughout the world being established in 1897. Once his playing career was over he still dedicated himself to the game of

serving as president for Coventry Schools, Warwickshire RFU, Coventry R.F.C. and Broadstreet RFC from 1970 until his death in 1987. Preece's son, Peter Preece, was also an England rugby union international who played for Coventry – he was capped 12 times between 1972 and 1976. Broadstreet RFC honoured Preece by naming their ground the Ivor Preece Field after him.

International matches played

England * 1948, 1950, 1951 * 1948, 1949, 1950 * 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951 * 1950, 1951

British Lions

* 1950 Lions 1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia

References

External links

*http://www.lionsrugby.com/6567.php *http://www.lionsrugby.com/6012.php?player=17293&includeref=dynamic *https://web.archive.org/web/20090330100811/http://www.broadstreet-rugby.co.uk/the-club/history/ivor-preece.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Preece, Ivor 1920 births 1987 deaths English rugby union players English rugby union coaches Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union players from Coventry British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England England international rugby union players English people of Welsh descent Coventry R.F.C. players 20th-century English sportsmen