Tommy Scourfield

Thomas Scourfield (26 February 1909 – 14 February 1976) was a Welsh dual code rugby international full back who played club rugby for Ynysybwl and Torquay as an amateur rugby union player and played professional rugby league with Huddersfield.[4] He won a single international cap with both the league and union Wales teams.[2][3][1]

Tommy Scourfield
Birth nameThomas Brinley Scourfield
Place of birthPontypridd, Wales
Place of deathSaskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
SpouseViolet (Vicki)
Occupation(s)labourer, groundsman
Rugby league career
Position(s) Backs
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1935 Huddersfield ()
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1935 Wales[1] 1 (0)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Full back
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Ynysybwl RFC ()
– Torquay RFC ()
– London Welsh RFC ()
– Devon ()
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1930 Wales[2][3] 1 (0)

Rugby union career

Scourfield was born in Pontypridd in 1909 before moving to Ynysybwl. In 1930 Scourfield was selected for his one and only appearance for Wales in a game against France as part of the 1930 Five Nations Championship. Under the captaincy of Guy Morgan, Scourfield made the trip to Paris to play the French at Stade Colombes. The game was an extremely bad-tempered affair from a French team well known throughout the 1930s for their rough play. The game took a turn for the worse when Scourfield collected a loose ball from the back and kicked it into touch. One of the French players who was chasing the ball, ignored the fact that the ball was cleared, continued his race towards Scourfield and punched him in the head.[5] Later on Bert Day, the Welsh hooker, was kicked in the face[6] requiring nine stitches. When Welsh forward Tom Arthur retaliated on the wrong French player, the game fell into running fist fights, with the referee having to halt the game on several occasions.[7] Wales won the game 11–0, but Scourfield did not represent Wales at rugby union again.

International matches played

Wales (union)[8]

Rugby league career

In 1932 Scourfield turned his back on the amateur rugby union game by turning professional with Huddersfield. His first appearance for the club was against Bradford Northern on 26 November 1932, and in 1933 he won a Cup Final winners medal against Warrington, in front of a record crowd of nearly 42,000 people. Tommy Scourfield played fullback in Huddersfield's 8–11 defeat by Castleford in the 1934–35 Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 4 May 1935, in front of a crowd of 39,000.[9] He won his only international cap for the Wales league team in 1935 in an encounter with England at Liverpool.[1][4]

Bibliography
  • Smith, David; Williams, Gareth (1980). Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0766-3.
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References
  1. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org (RL)". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  2. "Statistics at en.espn.co.uk (RU)". espn.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  3. "Statistics at wru.co.uk (RU)". wru.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  4. Williams, Graham; Lush, Peter; Farrar, David (2009). The British Rugby League Records Book. London League. pp. 108–114. ISBN 978-1-903659-49-6.
  5. Thomas, Wayne (1979). A Century of Welsh Rugby Players. Ansells Ltd. p. 70.
  6. On This Day – 21 April ESPN
  7. Griffiths, John (1987). The Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records. London: Phoenix House. p. 4:22. ISBN 0-460-07003-7.
  8. Smith (1980), pg 471.
  9. "Castleford Beat Huddersfield For Rugby League Cup". newspapers.nl.sg. 23 May 1935. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
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