Dickie Lloyd
Encyclopedia
Richard Averill "Dickie" Lloyd (4 August 1891 in County Tyrone
, Ireland
– 23 December 1950 in Belfast
, Northern Ireland
) was an Irish cricketer
and rugby union
player. At cricket
, he was a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace
bowlerwho played two first-class
matches for the Ireland cricket team, also playing for Lancashire
. In rugby union, he was a fly-half who played 19 times for the Ireland national rugby union team
, scoring 72 points, and was regarded as one of the best goal kickers of the time. He is rated by his school, Portora Royal School
, as one of their most famous pupils, alongside Samuel Beckett
and Oscar Wilde
.
, and he made his Ireland debut while there, playing against Scotland in July 1911. He played his second, and final, match for Ireland against South Africa a year later. In 1914, he played one first-class match for the Free Foresters, against Cambridge University
.
Later, he played three first-class matches for Lancashire, a County Championship
match against Gloucestershire
, a match against Australia in 1921, and a match against Cambridge University in 1922. Cricket Archive records him as having played for Denbighshire
in Minor Counties
cricket in the 1930s, though some research suggests that this is a different RA Lloyd, as the RA Lloyd who played for Denbighshire apparently looked nothing like a rugby player and did not sound Irish.
at an average of 32, with a top-score of 47 against Scotland in his first match. In first-class cricket, he scored 202 runs at an average of 20.2, with a top-score of 51 for Lancashire against Gloucestershire, his only half-century. He appears to have not bowled after leaving school, playing as wicket-keeper
in one of his Lancashire matches.
He made his debut for the Ireland rugby union team in 1910, while still a student, playing against England
and Scotland
in the Five Nations
. He played in all Ireland's matches in the following year's tournament, repeating that run in 1912 and 1913. He also played a match against South Africa
in November 1912. He played just twice in the 1914 Five Nations, against England and France
, returning after the war
to play twice in the 1920 tournament, again against England and France. He was later an international referee.
, 16 conversions, seven drop goals
and three penalties
, for a total of 72 points under the current point scoring system, which was different when Lloyd played.
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
– 23 December 1950 in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
) was an Irish cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
and 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...
player. At cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, he was a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
bowlerwho played two first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
matches for the Ireland cricket team, also playing for Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
. In rugby union, he was a fly-half who played 19 times for the Ireland national rugby union team
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
, scoring 72 points, and was regarded as one of the best goal kickers of the time. He is rated by his school, Portora Royal School
Portora Royal School
Portora Royal School for boys, and some 6th form girls, located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is one of a number of 'free schools' founded by Royal Charter in 1608, by James I...
, as one of their most famous pupils, alongside Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
and Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
.
Cricket career
His cricket career began with Dublin UniversityDublin University Cricket Club
Dublin University Cricket Club is a cricket team in Ireland. They currently play in the Leinster Senior League, and in the past had first-class status, and played against several sides that were touring England, including the Australians , South Africans and West Indians .Their first first-class...
, and he made his Ireland debut while there, playing against Scotland in July 1911. He played his second, and final, match for Ireland against South Africa a year later. In 1914, he played one first-class match for the Free Foresters, against Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
.
Later, he played three first-class matches for Lancashire, a County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
match against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
, a match against Australia in 1921, and a match against Cambridge University in 1922. Cricket Archive records him as having played for Denbighshire
Denbighshire County Cricket Club
Denbighshire County Cricket Club was a county cricket club based in the historic Welsh county of Denbighshire, that played in the Minor Counties Championship for five seasons from 1930 to 1935 . The side was unsuccessful, and in its final season it lost each of its eight matches, six of them by an...
in Minor Counties
Minor counties of English cricket
The Minor Counties are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that are not afforded first-class status. The game is administered by the Minor Counties Cricket Association which comes under the England and Wales Cricket Board...
cricket in the 1930s, though some research suggests that this is a different RA Lloyd, as the RA Lloyd who played for Denbighshire apparently looked nothing like a rugby player and did not sound Irish.
Cricket statistics
In his two matches for Ireland, he scored 96 runsRun (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
at an average of 32, with a top-score of 47 against Scotland in his first match. In first-class cricket, he scored 202 runs at an average of 20.2, with a top-score of 51 for Lancashire against Gloucestershire, his only half-century. He appears to have not bowled after leaving school, playing as wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
in one of his Lancashire matches.
Rugby union career
Lloyd reached high level in schools' rugby in Ireland, representing the Ulster Schools XV. His school team at Portora, where he was a key player, was considered by an Irish rugby historian to be "the greatest school side in the history of the game", beating adult sides on more than one occasion.He made his debut for the Ireland rugby union team in 1910, while still a student, playing against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
and 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...
in the Five Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
. He played in all Ireland's matches in the following year's tournament, repeating that run in 1912 and 1913. He also played a match against South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
in November 1912. He played just twice in the 1914 Five Nations, against England and France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
, returning after the war
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
to play twice in the 1920 tournament, again against England and France. He was later an international referee.
Rugby union statistics
In his 19 matches for Ireland, he scored two triesTry
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...
, 16 conversions, seven drop goals
Field goal (rugby)
A drop goal, also referred to as a dropped goal or field goal, is a method of scoring points in rugby union and rugby league. A drop goal cannot be scored in open play by punting the ball, and instead must be scored by drop kicking the ball over the crossbar and between the uprights. After the...
and three penalties
Penalty (rugby)
In rugby football, the penalty is the main disciplinary sanction available to the referee to penalise players who commit deliberate infringements. The team who did not commit the infringement are given possession of the ball and may either kick it towards touch , attempt a place kick at goal, or...
, for a total of 72 points under the current point scoring system, which was different when Lloyd played.
See also
- List of Irish cricket and rugby union players