Thomas McCue (23 September 1913 – 19 April 1994) was an English 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 1930s and 1940s. He played at representative level for

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

( vice-captain 1946 Great Britain Lions tour),

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

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 ...

, and at club level for

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census had a population of 62,400. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, ...

as a . During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he also appeared as a wartime

guest A guest is person who is given hospitality. Guest or The Guest may refer to: * Guest (surname), people with the surname ''Guest'' * USS ''Guest'' (DD-472), U.S. Navy ''Fletcher''-class destroyer 1942–1946 * Guest appearance, guest actor, guest ...

player for

Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...

Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...

, Halifax,

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 ...

and St Helens.French, Ray (1989). ''100 Great Rugby League Players'' age 139 MacDonald Queen Anne Press.

Background

Tommy McCue was born in

(birth registered in

Prescot Prescot is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. It lies about to the east of Liverpool city centre. At the 2001 Census, the civil parish population was 11,184 (5,265 males, 5,919 femal ...

), and he died aged 80 in

Cornwall, Ontario Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, situated where the provinces of Central Canada, Ontario and Quebec and the U.S. state of New York (state), New York converge. It is Ontario's easternmost city. Although it is the seat of the United ...

, Canada.

Playing career

International honours

Tommy McCue won

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 for

while at Widnes in 1935 against France, and Wales, in 1936 against France, in 1937 against France, in 1938 against Wales (2 matches), and France, in 1940 against Wales, in 1945 against Wales, in 1946 against France, and Wales, and won

s for

while at Widnes in 1936 against Australia, in 1937 against Australia, and in 1946 against Australia (3 matches), and New Zealand.

County honours

Tommy McCue played in

's 7-5 victory over

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 ...

in the 1937–38 Kangaroo tour match at

Wilderspool Stadium Wilderspool Stadium was a rugby league stadium in Warrington, England. The ground was Warrington RLFC's old ground before moving to the Halliwell Jones Stadium. History In 1898, Warrington RLFC moved to the Wilderspool Stadium. A 10-year l ...

on Wednesday 29 September 1937, in front of a crowd of 16,250.

Challenge Cup Final appearances

Tommy McCue played in

' 5-11 defeat by

Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the Leeds city centre, city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside (ward), Hunslet and Riverside ward of Lee ...

in the

1933–34 Challenge Cup The 1933–34 Challenge Cup was the 34th staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup during the 1933–34 Northern Rugby Football League season, 1933–34 season. First round Second round Quarterfinals Semifina ...

Final during the 1933–34 season at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on Saturday 5 May 1934, played in the 18-5 victory over

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford, n ...

in the 1936–37 Challenge Cup Final during the 1936–37 season at

on Saturday 8 May 1937, and played in Halifax's 2-9 defeat by

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 ...

in the 1940–41 Challenge Cup Final during the 1940–41 season at

Odsal Odsal is an area of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire. Odsal Stadium is currently the home of Bradford rugby league club and YorStox F1 and F2 stock cars. The Richard Dunn Sports Centre is named after the boxer who lived in Bradford at th ...

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

, in front of a crowd of 28,500.Irvin Saxton (publish date tbc) "History of Rugby League – № 46 – 1940–41". Rugby Leaguer ISBN n/a

County Cup Final appearances

Tommy McCue played in

' 4-5 defeat by Swinton in the 1939–40 Lancashire Cup Final first-leg during the 1939–40 season at Naughton Park,

on Saturday 20 April 1940, and played in the 11-16 defeat (15-21 aggregate defeat) by Swinton in the 1939–40 Lancashire Cup Final second-leg during the 1939–40 season at Station Road, Swinton on Saturday 27 April 1940, and played , and was

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

' 7-3 victory over

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 ...

in the

1945–46 Lancashire Cup The 1945–46 Lancashire Cup was the thirty-third occasion on which the RFL Lancashire Cup, Lancashire Cup competition had been held in rugby league, and the first since the end of the Second World War in Europe. For the first time for several s ...

Final during the 1945–46 season at

on Saturday 27 October 1945.

Club career

Tommy McCue made his début for

on Saturday 23 November 1940, this was as a

, and this was his only appearance for Warrington.

Honoured at Widnes

Tommy McCue is a Widnes Hall Of Fame Inductee.

References

External links

Statistics at rugby.widnes.tvHall Of Fame at rugby.widnes.tvHall Of Fame at rugby.widnes.tvStatistics at rugby.widnes.tvStatistics at wolvesplayers.thisiswarrington.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCue, Tommy 1913 births 1994 deaths Castleford Tigers players England national rugby league team captains England national rugby league team players English rugby league players Great Britain national rugby league team players Halifax Panthers players Lancashire rugby league team players Oldham R.L.F.C. players Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league players from Widnes Rugby League XIII players Sportspeople from Cornwall, Ontario St Helens R.F.C. players Warrington Wolves players Widnes Vikings players 20th-century English sportsmen