- Charles Gurdon
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Charles Gurdon Full name Charles Gurdon Date of birth 3 December 1855 Place of birth Norfolk, England Date of death 26 June 1931 (aged 75)Place of death London, England School Haileybury School University Jesus College, Cambridge Rugby union career Playing career Position Forward Amateur clubs Years Club / team Cambridge University R.U.F.C.
Richmond F.C.National team(s) Years Club / team Caps (points) 1880–1886 England 14 (0) Charles Gurdon (3 December 1855 – 26 June 1931)[1] was an English rower and rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cambridge University and Richmond. Gurdon represented England fourteen times during the early development of international rugby union, once as captain. He and his brother Edward Temple Gurdon formed one of the most notable sibling pairings in English rugby.
Contents
Personal history
Gurdon was born in Barnham Broom, Norfolk in 1855, the second son of Rev Edward Gurdon. He was educated at Haileybury School before matriculating to Jesus College, Cambridge in 1874.[2] His elder brother Edward Temple and younger brother Francis also studied at Cambridge; Francis entered the clergy, becoming the Bishop of Hull. Gurdon chose to enter the legal profession and was admitted to the Inner Temple in 1877. He received his BA in 1878, and was called to the Bar in 1881.[2] From 1923–29 he was a County Court judge for Cornwall, before retiring to London.[2] He died suddenly on 26 June 1931.[2]
Sporting career
Gurdon was keen sportsman from a young age. At Cambridge he was a member of both the rugby club and Cambridge University Boat Club and won five sporting Blues. He won four Blues for rowing in the Boat Race in 1876, 1877, 1878 and 1879 with two Cambridge wins in 1876 and 1879 and the only dead heat in 1877.[2] In 1879 he was a member of the Jesus College eight which won the Grand Challenge Cup and the coxless four which won the Stewards' Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta.[3] Gurdon gained one Blue for playing in the Varsity Match in 1877. His brother Edward had won three Blues the previous three seasons in the Varsity Match, and Gurdon followed his brother in representing Cambridge. Oxford were the stronger team throughout the season, Cambridge played with just five members with prior Varsity Match experience and Oxford won by two tries to nil. On leaving University, Gurdon joined first-class English club team Richmond.
Gurdon was first chosen to represent England during the 1879–80 season. By this time, his brother Edward had already gained two caps but was unavailable for Gurdon's first international, which was played away against Ireland. Gurdon was reselected for the very next international and for the first time, the brothers played in the same pack for England, Edward scoring a try in a heavy defeat of Scotland. The brothers would play a total of ten matches together as England team mates, from 1880 through to 1886.
Gurdon next played in all three England internationals of the 1880–81 season, which began with a win over Ireland at Manchester, followed by a crushing victory over Wales in the first Welsh international rugby match. The season ended with an away draw with Scotland. England played in just two games during 1881–82 and Gurdon played in both, bringing his consecutive matches for England to seven. His sixth match, against Ireland at Lansdowne Road, was notable as the one and only time that Gurdon was given the captaincy of the England national team. The seventh match was also the first time Gurdon had appeared on a losing England team, with Scotland beating England by two tries to nil to take the Calcutta Cup for the first time in four attempts.
The next year saw the first Home Nations Championship, with all the Home Nations competing for the title. Gurdon missed the first two encounters, but was in the team for the final England game of the tournament away to Scotland. Under the captaincy of his brother Edward, England had won the first two games against Ireland and Wales, leaving the match with Scotland as the Championship decider. In a tight and exciting game England narrowly won, taking the title, Calcutta Cup and the very first Triple Crown.
Gurdon returned for the 1884 Home Nations Championship, and under the captaincy of his brother, he played in the first and third games of the tournament; England taking the Triple Crown for the second year in succession. Gurdon played in four more matches for England, playing once in the 1885 Home Nations Championship and then all three games of the 1886 Championship. Gurdon played his last international game in 1886 to Scotland, which was also his brother's final game.
See also
- List of Cambridge University Boat Race crews
Bibliography
- Godwin, Terry (1984). The International Rugby Championship 1883–1983. London: Willow Books. ISBN 000218060X.
- Griffiths, John (1982). The Book of English International Rugby 1872–1982. London: Willow Books. ISBN 002180065.
- Marshall, Howard; Jordon, J.P. (1951). Oxford v Cambridge, The Story of the University Rugby Match. London: Clerke & Cockeran.
References
- ^ Charles Gurdon rugby profile Scrum.com
- ^ a b c d e Gurdon, Charles in Venn, J. & J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press, 10 vols, 1922–1958.
- ^ R C Lehmann The Complete Oarsman
English national rugby union team captains To 1900 1871-1873: Frederick Stokes • 1874: Alfred St. George Hamersley • 1875: Henry Arnold Lawrence • 1875-1876: Francis Luscombe • 1877-Mar 1878: Edward Kewley • Mar 1878: Murray Wyatt Marshall • 1879: Frank Reginald Adams • 1880-1881: Lennard Stokes • Feb 1882: Charles Gurdon • Mar 1882: A. N. Hornby • Dec 1882-1885: Edward Temple Gurdon • Jan-Feb 1886: Charles John Bruce Marriott • Mar 1886: Edward Temple Gurdon • 1887: Alan Rotherham • 1889: Fred Bonsor • Feb 1890: Andrew Stoddart • Mar 1890: John Lawrence Hickson • Mar 1890: Andrew Stoddart • 1891-Jan 1892: Frederic Alderson • Feb 1892: Sammy Woods • Mar 1892: Frederic Alderson • Jan 1893: Andrew Stoddart • Feb 1893: Sammy Woods • Mar 1893: Andrew Stoddart • Jan-Feb 1894: Richard Lockwood • Mar 1894: Ernest Taylor • 1895: Sammy Woods • 1896: Ernest Taylor • Mar 1896: Frank Mitchell • 1897: Ernest Taylor • 1898: J. F. Byrne • 1899: Arthur Rotherham •
To the First World War Jan 1900: Richard Cattell • 1900: John Daniell • Jan 1901: John Taylor • Feb-Mar 1901: William Bunting • Jan 1902: Harry Alexander • Feb-Mar 1902: John Daniell • Jan-Feb 1903: Bernard Oughtred • Mar 1903: Toggie Kendall • Jan 1904: Frank Moxon Stout • Feb-Mar 1904: John Daniell • Jan-Mar 1905: Frank Moxon Stout • Dec 1905 - Dec 1906: Vincent Cartwright • Jan 1907: Basil Alexander Hill • Feb 1907: John Green • Mar 1907: Ernest Roberts • Jan 1908: Thomas Kelly • Jan 1908: John Birkett • Feb 1908: Curly Hammond • Mar 1908: Lancelot Slocock • Jan 1909: George Lyon • Jan-Mar 1909: Robert Dibble • Jan-Feb 1910: Adrian Stoop • Mar 1910: Edgar Mobbs • Mar 1910-Feb 1911: John Birkett • Mar 1911: Anthony Gotley • Jan-Mar 1912: Robert Dibble • Apr 1912-Mar 1913: Norman Wodehouse • 1914: Ronald Poulton •
To the Second World War 1920: J. E. Greenwood • 1921: Dave Davies • Jan 1922: Bruno Brown • Feb 1922-1923: Dave Davies • 1924-1926: Wavell Wakefield • 1927: Leonard Corbett • 1928-Feb 1929: Ronald Cove-Smith • Mar 1929-Feb 1930: Joe Periton • Feb 1930-Jan 1931: Sam Tucker • Feb 1931: Peter Howard • Mar 1931-Jan 1933: Carl Aarvold • Feb-Mar 1933: Tony Novis • 1934: Bernard Gadney • Jan-Feb 1935: Douglas Kendrew • Mar 1935-Mar 1936: Bernard Gadney • 1937: Tuppy Owen-Smith • Jan-Feb 1938: Peter Cranmer • Mar 1938-Mar 1939: Henry Toft •
To the Professional Era Jan-Feb 1947: Joe Mycock • Mar-Apr 1947: Jack Heaton • Jan 1948: Edward Scott • Jan 1948: Tommy Kemp • Feb-Mar 1948: Edward Scott • Mar 1948: Bob Weighill • Jan-Feb 1949: Nim Hall • Feb 1949-Mar 1950: Ivor Preece • Jan 1951: Vic Roberts • Feb-Mar 1951: John Kendall-Carpenter • Jan 1952-Mar 1953: Nim Hall • 1954: Bob Stirling • Jan-Feb 1955: Nim Hall • Feb-Mar 1955: Peter Dalton Young • Jan 1956-Mar 1958: Eric Evans • 1959: Jeffrey Butterfield • 1960-1962: Dickie Jeeps • Jan-Mar 1963: Richard Sharp • May-Jun 1963: Mike Weston • Jan-Feb 1964: John Willcox • Feb-Mar 1964: Ron Jacobs • 1965: David Perry • 1966: Budge Rogers • Jan 1967: Richard Sharp • Feb-Nov 1967: Philip Judd • Jan-Feb 1968: Colin McFadyean • Feb-Mar 1968: Mike Weston • Feb 1969: Dick Greenwood • Feb-Apr 1969: Budge Rogers • Dec 1969-Mar 1970: Bob Hiller • Apr 1970: Bob Taylor • Jan 1971: Tony Bucknall • Feb 1971: John Spencer • Feb 1971: Bob Hiller • Mar-Apr 1971: John Spencer • Jan-Feb 1972: Bob Hiller • Feb-Mar 1972: Peter Dixon • Jun 1972-Mar 1974: John Pullin • Jan-Feb 1975: Fran Cotton • Mar-May 1975: Tony Neary • May 1975: John Pullin • Jan-Mar 1976: Tony Neary • 1977: Roger Uttley • 1978: Bill Beaumont • Feb 1979: Roger Uttley • Feb 1979-Jan 1982: Bill Beaumont • Feb 1982-Feb 1983: Steve Smith • Mar 1983: John Scott • Nov 1983-Mar 1984: Peter John Wheeler • Jun 1984: John Scott • Nov 1984: Nigel Melville • 1985: Paul Dodge • 1986: Nigel Melville • Feb-Mar 1987: Richard Hill • Apr 1987-Feb 1988: Mike Harrison • Mar 1988: Nigel Melville • Apr-Jun 1988: John Orwin • Jun 1988: Richard Harding • Nov 1988-Mar 1989: Will Carling • May 1989: Rob Andrew • Nov 1989-May 1995: Will Carling • May 1995: Rob Andrew • Jun 1995: Will Carling
To the Present Day Nov 1995-Mar 1996: Will Carling • Nov 1996: Phil de Glanville • Dec 1996: Jason Leonard • Feb-Jul 1997: Phil de Glanville • Nov 1997-Apr 1998: Lawrence Dallaglio • Jun 1998: Tony Diprose • Jun-Jul 1998: Matt Dawson • Nov 1998: Martin Johnson • Nov 1998-Apr 1999: Lawrence Dallaglio • Jun-Oct 1999: Martin Johnson • Feb-Apr 2000: Matt Dawson • Jun 2000-Apr 2001: Martin Johnson • Jun 2001: Kyran Bracken • Oct 2001: Matt Dawson • Nov 2001: Neil Back • Nov 2001-Mar 2002: Martin Johnson • Mar-Apr 2002: Neil Back • Jun 2002: Phil Vickery • Nov 2002-Feb 2003: Martin Johnson • Mar 2003: Jonny Wilkinson • Mar-Jun 2003: Martin Johnson • Aug 2003: Jason Leonard • Aug 2003: Dorian West • Sep-Oct 2003: Martin Johnson • Nov 2003: Phil Vickery • Nov 2003: Martin Johnson • Feb-Jun 2004: Lawrence Dallaglio • Nov 2004-Feb 2005: Jason Robinson • Mar 2005-Mar 2006: Martin Corry • Jun 2006: Patrick Sanderson • Nov 2006: Martin Corry • Feb 2007: Phil Vickery • Mar 2007: Mike Catt • May 2007: Jason Robinson • Jun 2007: Jonny Wilkinson • Aug 2007: Phil Vickery • Aug 2007: Mike Catt • Aug-Sep 2007: Phil Vickery • Sep 2007: Martin Corry • Oct 2007-Feb 2008: Phil Vickery • Feb 2008: Steve Borthwick • Feb-Mar 2008: Phil Vickery • Jun 2008-Mar 2010: Steve Borthwick • Mar 2010-Nov 2010: Lewis Moody • Nov 2010: Nick Easter • Nov 2010: Lewis Moody • Feb 2011: Mike Tindall • Aug 2011: Lewis Moody • Aug 2011-Sep 2011: Mike Tindall • Sep 2011: Lewis MoodyNote 1 • Sep 2011: Simon ShawNote 1 • Oct 2011: Lewis Moody
Notes Note 1: Lewis Moody was substituted in the England vs Georgia match on 18 September 2011, and Simon Shaw was confirmed as captain for the remainder of the match.
Rugby Union Captain Preceded by
Lennard StokesEnglish National Rugby Union Captain
Feb 1882Succeeded by
A. N. HornbyCategories:- 1855 births
- 1931 deaths
- People from Norfolk
- Old Haileyburians
- Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge
- Cambridge University rugby union players
- England international rugby union players
- English rugby union players
- Rugby union forwards
- Richmond F.C. players
- Cambridge University Boat Club rowers
- English rowers
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