Cecil Mountford
Encyclopedia
Cecil "Ces" Mountford MBE
(1919 - 19 July 2009) was a New Zealand rugby league
footballer and coach.
Mountford was one of ten siblings, he and four of his brothers played rugby league for the South Island whilst Bill Mountford and Ken Mountford played for New Zealand. Mountford also played for West Coast, along with Bill and Ken, in inter-provincial matches.
Mountford married a Wigan-born woman, Edna.
in 1946, he shared in one of Wigan’s finest moments in the 1949/50 campaign when, as captain – in place of usual skipper Joe Eagan who was on tour with seven other Wigan stars – he led his side to a sensational 20-2 Championship final win over
Huddersfield
at Maine Road
.
Mountford played at Wembley Stadium
on two occasions, the first being in 1948, when they beat the current title holders Bradford Northern
8-3 in a nail biting final. The second visit, in 1951, Mountford led the team to a 10-0 victory over Leigh in a rain-soaked Wembley final. He also became the first overseas player to receive the Lance Todd Trophy
.
in four European Championships in a team labeled "The Rest" at Central Park in 1950, watched by a crowd of 25,000 fans. He requested, and was granted, permission from Wigan to join the 1947-8 New Zealand tour of Great Britain but the Management decided that injuries were not bad enough to bring him in. Instead, during the Kiwis tour Cecil played for Wigan against the Kiwis, which included his brother Ken.
, despite Wigan initially refusing to release him as a player. Mountford made his first appearance for Warrington in October 1952 initially as a player coach. After completing his tenure as a coach, he returned to New Zealand in May 1961, before heading back to England as Manager of Blackpool Borough
in 1972, which was short-lived when he resigned in June 1973. Mountford returned to New Zealand in 1974, initially providing coaching courses before being signed as the manager-coach of the New Zealand Kiwis from 1979 to 1982.
In 1990 Mountford received the MBE for services to New Zealand Rugby League and inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame
. In 2000 he was inducted as one of the NZRL Legends of League.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(1919 - 19 July 2009) was a New Zealand rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer and coach.
Mountford was one of ten siblings, he and four of his brothers played rugby league for the South Island whilst Bill Mountford and Ken Mountford played for New Zealand. Mountford also played for West Coast, along with Bill and Ken, in inter-provincial matches.
Mountford married a Wigan-born woman, Edna.
Early years
Mountford played soccer at school, as he was considered too small to play rugby league. In 1935 at the age of 16 he joined Blackball Rugby League club, where he earned the nickname ‘The Blackball Bullet’ due to his speed on the field.Player for Wigan
Mountford signed for Wigan Rugby League ClubWigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
in 1946, he shared in one of Wigan’s finest moments in the 1949/50 campaign when, as captain – in place of usual skipper Joe Eagan who was on tour with seven other Wigan stars – he led his side to a sensational 20-2 Championship final win over
Huddersfield
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
at Maine Road
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...
.
Mountford played at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
on two occasions, the first being in 1948, when they beat the current title holders Bradford Northern
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
8-3 in a nail biting final. The second visit, in 1951, Mountford led the team to a 10-0 victory over Leigh in a rain-soaked Wembley final. He also became the first overseas player to receive the Lance Todd Trophy
Lance Todd Trophy
The Lance Todd Trophy is awarded to the Man-of-the-Match in rugby league football's Challenge Cup Final.The trophy was introduced in 1946, in memory of Lance Todd, the New Zealand-born player and administrator, who was killed in a road accident during the Second World War...
.
International career
Internationally he missed out on playing for New Zealand, but he did represent Other NationalitiesOther Nationalities rugby league team
The Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players...
in four European Championships in a team labeled "The Rest" at Central Park in 1950, watched by a crowd of 25,000 fans. He requested, and was granted, permission from Wigan to join the 1947-8 New Zealand tour of Great Britain but the Management decided that injuries were not bad enough to bring him in. Instead, during the Kiwis tour Cecil played for Wigan against the Kiwis, which included his brother Ken.
Coaching at Warrington
In 1951 Mountford qualified as a first grade coach, being offered a 10 year contract at WarringtonWarrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
, despite Wigan initially refusing to release him as a player. Mountford made his first appearance for Warrington in October 1952 initially as a player coach. After completing his tenure as a coach, he returned to New Zealand in May 1961, before heading back to England as Manager of Blackpool Borough
Blackpool Borough
Blackpool Borough was a rugby league club based in Blackpool, Lancashire.The team wore tangerine, black and white jerseys.-Blackpool Borough:...
in 1972, which was short-lived when he resigned in June 1973. Mountford returned to New Zealand in 1974, initially providing coaching courses before being signed as the manager-coach of the New Zealand Kiwis from 1979 to 1982.
In 1990 Mountford received the MBE for services to New Zealand Rugby League and inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame
New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame
The New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame is an organisation commemorating New Zealand's greatest sporting triumphs. It was inaugurated as part of the New Zealand sesquicentenary celebrations in 1990. Some 160 members have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since its inception representing a wide...
. In 2000 he was inducted as one of the NZRL Legends of League.
External links
- Ces Mountford Wigan Career Page on the Wigan RL Fansite.
- Greymouth Star obituary
- The Independent obituary
- Dominion Post obituary