Edward Perkins Alexander (7 August 1863 – 26 October 1931) was a Welsh

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 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 Cambridge University

Cambridge University R.U.F.C.

The Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club, or CURUFC, is the rugby union club of Cambridge University, and plays Oxford University in the annual Varsity Match at Twickenham stadium every December. CURUFC players wear light blue and white hooped jerseys with a red lion crest...

 and London Welsh and international rugby for 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...

. Alexander also represented several cricket teams, including Llandovery College

Llandovery College

Llandovery College is an independent school in Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was founded and endowed by Thomas Phillips in 1847 to provide a classical and liberal education in which the Welsh language; the study of Welsh literature and history were also to be cultivated.Llandovery...

.

Early life

Alexander was born in 1863 at Monknash, Wales to Thomas Alexander. He was educated at Llandovery College

Llandovery College

Llandovery College is an independent school in Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was founded and endowed by Thomas Phillips in 1847 to provide a classical and liberal education in which the Welsh language; the study of Welsh literature and history were also to be cultivated.Llandovery...

 and in 1883 graduated to Jesus College, Cambridge

Jesus College, Cambridge

Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...

.

Rugby career

Alexander first came to note as a rugby player when he was selected for the Cambridge University team. He won three sporting Blues, playing in Varsity matches in 1884, 1885 and 1886. In 1885, while still a Cambridge student, he was selected for the Wales national team in their Home Nations Championship

1885 Home Nations Championship

The 1885 Home Nations Championship was the third series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Four matches were played between 3 January and 21 February 1885. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales...

 encounter with Scotland. Brought in to replace John Sidney Smith

John Sidney Smith (rugby player)

John Sidney Smith was an English-born international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff Rugby Football Club and international rugby for Wales.- Rugby career :...

, Alexander was part of a nine man pack which contained four players who would later become Wales team captains, Bob Gould

Bob Gould (rugby player)

Bob Gould was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport Rugby Football Club. He won 11 caps for Wales and captained them for one match...

, Tom Clapp

Tom Clapp

Tom Clapp was an English-born international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport and Nantyglo RFC. He won 14 caps for Wales and captained the team on three occasions...

, Willie Thomas

Willie Thomas

William 'Willie' Henry Thomas was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Llanelli and London Welsh. He was capped eleven times for Wales and captained the team on two occasions. In 1888, Thomas was chosen to tour New Zealand and Australia as part of the first British...

 and Frank Hill

Frank Hill (rugby player)

Frank Hill was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff. Hill won 15 caps for Wales over a period of ten years and was given the team captaincy on four occasions....

. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, Wales' best result against Scotland to date. Alexander was reselected for the next two Wales international matches, against England and Scotland in the 1896 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:...

; which saw Wales adopt the four threequarters formation in the Scottish game. the first team to do so at international level. Despite Wales losing both matches, the selectors kept faith with Alexander and he played in the opening and closing matches of the 1887 tournament

1887 Home Nations Championship

The 1887 Home Nations Championship was the fifth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 8 January and 12 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....

. Under the captaincy of Charlie Newman

Charlie Newman

Charlie Newman was a Welsh international three-quarter who played club rugby for Newport. He was awarded ten caps for Wales and captained the team on six occasions. An original member of the Newport squad he captained the team in the 1882/83 season.-Personal life:Newman was born Newport in 1857 to...

, Wales drew the first game against England, but Alexander was replaced for the Scottish game by Evan Richards

Evan Richards

Evan Sloane Richards was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Swansea, captaining the club through three seasons during the 1880s. Richards' father was Member of Parliament for Ceredigion, Evan Matthew Richards.- Rugby career :Richards first came to prominence within...

. The Scotland game was a sporting disaster for Wales, with the Scottish team scoring 12 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...

 without reply. Alexander regained his position for the last match of the series, now playing for Brecon RFC

Brecon RFC

Brecon Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club from the town of Brecon, South Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Cardiff Blues.The club was one of the eleven founding members of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881...

, which saw Wales win thanks to a dropped kick from Arthur 'Monkey' Gould.

External links

• Cricket Archive Cricket profile of Edward Alexander