Vincent "Vince" Gribbin (born 15 March 1965) is a former 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 1980s and 1990s. 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 ...

, and at club level for

Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and civil parish in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. It is a port on the north-west coast, and lies outside the Lake District National parks of England and Wales, National Park. ...

(two spells), and

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, ...

, as a .

Background

Vince Gribbin's birth was registered in

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

, England.

Playing career

Club career

Gribbin signed for

in July 1982 from junior club

Hensingham Hensingham is a suburb of Whitehaven and former civil parish, now in the parish of Whitehaven, in the Cumberland district, in the ceremonial county of Cumbria, England. The ward population taken at the 2011 census was 4,145. Historically in ...

. He made his debut in October 1982 against

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 ...

, scoring two tries and five goals in a 25–16 win at

Elland Road Elland Road, or Elland Road Stadium, is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the Home (sports), home of Leeds United F.C., Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the List of foot ...

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 1985, Gribbin spent time on loan at

, scoring three tries in four appearances before returning to Whitehaven. Gribbin held Whitehaven's "tries in a season" record with 31 tries, beating Bill Smith's previous record of 29 (this total has since been surpassed by Mick Pechey, who scored 34 in the 1994–95 season). He also holds the club record for most tries in a single match, scoring six against

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

on 18 November 1984, a feat equalled by Andrew Bulman in 2019. Vince Gribbin is a Whitehaven Hall Of Fame Inductee.

International honours

Vince Gribbin won a

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 ...

for

while at Whitehaven in 1985 against France. He is the last Whitehaven player to represent England or Great Britain at senior international level.

References

External links

The Immortals… and the Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gribbin, Vince 1965 births Living people English rugby league players Great Britain national rugby league team players Cumbria rugby league team players Rugby league centres Rugby league players from Whitehaven Salford Red Devils players Whitehaven R.L.F.C. players 20th-century English sportsmen