Alec Boswell Timms
Encyclopedia
Alec Boswell Timms was an Australia
n-born international rugby union
forward who played club rugby for Edinburgh Wanderers and Edinburgh University
. Timms played international rugby for Scotland
and was selected for the British Isles
team on its 1899 tour of Australia
.
in 1872. He grew up in Geelong, attended Melbourne Grammar School
before transferring to The Geelong College
where he captained the school in Australian rules football
, his talent earning him the nickname "Shako" and played some senior games for both Geelong College and the Geelong Football Club
in 1892.
He was sent to Edinburgh
to study as a medical doctor. After finishing his degree at Edinburgh University he progressed to the College of Surgeons
and took the Scottish triple qualifications in 1903.
, and it was while playing for the former club that he was first selected to represent Scotland's national team. Timms was brought into the squad as a temporary replacement for JJ Gowans at centre in Scotland's opening game of the 1896 Home Nations Championship
, played away to Wales
at the Cardiff Arms Park
. Scotland lost by two tries
to nil and Timms was replaced by a returning Gowan for the next international.
Before Timms would win his second Scotland cap, he was selected to represent Matthew Mullineux
's British Isles team on the 1899 tour of Australia
. Timms scored two tries in the opening match of the campaign, against Central Southern, but missed the next four games, including the First Test against Australia
. Timms regained his place for the sixth game of the tour, and missed only two more games, becoming a regular fixture in the team. After the British lost the First Test match of the tour, and Mullineux made several changes to improve his team for the Second Test. Timms was brought in at centre as replacement for Charles Adamson
, and was partnered with Gwyn Nicholls
, with whom he would be paired at centre for the remaining three Tests. The British won the last three Tests, with Timms scoring a try in the Third Test at Sydney
.
On returning to Britain, Timms found himself back in the Scotland team, playing two games of the 1900 Home Nations Championship
. From this point Timms was a regular member of the Scottish team until 1905. He played in two Triple Crown
winning Championships, in 1901
and 1903
. Timms was switched to the wing position for the 1904 Home Nations Championship, during a period when he moved to Wales to set up a practice in Cardiff, joining Cardiff RFC
at the same time. Timms was back at centre for the Scotland team in 1905
for the games against Ireland and England. Timms scored a try in the loss to Ireland, but was given the honour, in his final international game, of captaining Scotland in the encounter against England. Scotland beat England 8-0 to retain the Calcutta Cup
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n-born international rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
forward who played club rugby for Edinburgh Wanderers and Edinburgh University
Edinburgh University RFC
Edinburgh University Rugby Football Club is a leading rugby union side based in Edinburgh, Scotland which currently plays its fixtures in the top Scottish National League and the British Universities Premiership. It is one of the eight founder members of the Scottish Rugby Union...
. Timms played international rugby for Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
and was selected for the British Isles
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
team on its 1899 tour of Australia
1899 British Lions tour to Australia
The 1899 British Isles tour to Australia was the fourth rugby union tour by a British Isles team and the second to Australia; though the first tour in 1888 was a private venture, making the 1899 tour the first official undertaking of Australia...
.
Personal history
Timms was born in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1872. He grew up in Geelong, attended Melbourne Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, located in South Yarra and Caulfield, suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
before transferring to The Geelong College
The Geelong College
The Geelong College is an independent, co-educational, day and boarding school, located in Newtown, an inner-western suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia....
where he captained the school in Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
, his talent earning him the nickname "Shako" and played some senior games for both Geelong College and the Geelong Football Club
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
in 1892.
He was sent to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
to study as a medical doctor. After finishing his degree at Edinburgh University he progressed to the College of Surgeons
University of Edinburgh Medical School
The University of Edinburgh Medical School is part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine of the University of Edinburgh. Established nearly 283 years ago, Edinburgh Medical School is one of the oldest medical schools in Scotland and the UK...
and took the Scottish triple qualifications in 1903.
Rugby career
Timms came to note as a rugby player while representing club team Edinburgh Wanderers and Edinburgh University RFCEdinburgh University RFC
Edinburgh University Rugby Football Club is a leading rugby union side based in Edinburgh, Scotland which currently plays its fixtures in the top Scottish National League and the British Universities Premiership. It is one of the eight founder members of the Scottish Rugby Union...
, and it was while playing for the former club that he was first selected to represent Scotland's national team. Timms was brought into the squad as a temporary replacement for JJ Gowans at centre in Scotland's opening game of the 1896 Home Nations Championship
1896 Home Nations Championship
The 1896 Home Nations Championship was the fourteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 4 January and 14 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:...
, played away to Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
at the Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
. Scotland lost by two tries
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
to nil and Timms was replaced by a returning Gowan for the next international.
Before Timms would win his second Scotland cap, he was selected to represent Matthew Mullineux
Matthew Mullineux
Matthew Mullineux MC was an English rugby union scrum-half who, although not capped for England, was selected for two British Lions tours. He gained one cap during the 1896 tour to South Africa and captained the 1899 tour of Australia...
's British Isles team on the 1899 tour of Australia
1899 British Lions tour to Australia
The 1899 British Isles tour to Australia was the fourth rugby union tour by a British Isles team and the second to Australia; though the first tour in 1888 was a private venture, making the 1899 tour the first official undertaking of Australia...
. Timms scored two tries in the opening match of the campaign, against Central Southern, but missed the next four games, including the First Test against Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
. Timms regained his place for the sixth game of the tour, and missed only two more games, becoming a regular fixture in the team. After the British lost the First Test match of the tour, and Mullineux made several changes to improve his team for the Second Test. Timms was brought in at centre as replacement for Charles Adamson
Charlie Adamson
Charles "Charlie" Young Adamson was an English international rugby union utility back who played club rugby for Durham. Adamson played international rugby for the British Isles team on its 1899 tour of Australia...
, and was partnered with Gwyn Nicholls
Gwyn Nicholls
Erith Gwyn Nicholls was a Welsh rugby union player who gained 24 caps for Wales as a centre. Nicholls was known as the "Prince of Threequarters"....
, with whom he would be paired at centre for the remaining three Tests. The British won the last three Tests, with Timms scoring a try in the Third Test at Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
On returning to Britain, Timms found himself back in the Scotland team, playing two games of the 1900 Home Nations Championship
1900 Home Nations Championship
The 1900 Home Nations Championship was the eighteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 6 January and 17 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:...
. From this point Timms was a regular member of the Scottish team until 1905. He played in two Triple Crown
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
winning Championships, in 1901
1901 Home Nations Championship
The 1901 Home Nations Championship was the nineteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 5 January and 16 March...
and 1903
1903 Home Nations Championship
The 1903 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-first series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 10 January and 21 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:...
. Timms was switched to the wing position for the 1904 Home Nations Championship, during a period when he moved to Wales to set up a practice in Cardiff, joining Cardiff RFC
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
at the same time. Timms was back at centre for the Scotland team in 1905
1905 Home Nations Championship
The 1905 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-third series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 14 January and 18 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
for the games against Ireland and England. Timms scored a try in the loss to Ireland, but was given the honour, in his final international game, of captaining Scotland in the encounter against England. Scotland beat England 8-0 to retain the Calcutta Cup
Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between England and Scotland. It is currently England's since the 2009 Six Nations Championship....
.