Jimmy Lewthwaite
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Lewthwaite (born in Broughton Road, Cleator Moor
, Cumberland
) was a rugby league
for Great Britain
, Cumberland, and Barrow
.
he scored a club record 351 tries and kicked 20 goals in exactly 500 appearances from 1943–57. He scored 50 tries in his final season, 1956–57, another club record. He retired after Barrow's Rugby League Challenge Cup
final defeat by Leeds
in 1957, one of three Wembley
appearances he made with the Cumbrian club during that decade.
Lewthwaite's Testimonial match
at Barrow took place in 1956.
He was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame when it was launched in 2001, alongside 1950s team-mates Phil Jackson and Willie Horne
.
in 1946 – the famous "Indomitables" tour, named after the vessel on which they sailed, HMS Indomitable
. He top-scored with 25 tries on that tour despite not making the Test team. He also won one England
cap.
's 0-10 defeat to Wigan
in the 1950–51 Challenge Cup
final at Wembley Stadium on 5 May 1951, and played Right-, i.e. number 2, in Barrow
's 21-12 victory over Workington Town
in the 1954–55 Challenge Cup
final at Wembley Stadium on 30 April 1955.
to take up an apprenticeship at the town's shipyard.
He continued to excel as a footballer and had trials with Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End before switching to rugby league with Barrow
in 1943, making his first-team debut against St Helens in April that year.
He also managed to play golf around the district, after he slowed down from rugby.
Cleator Moor
Cleator Moor is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Cumbria and within the boundaries of the traditional county of Cumberland....
, Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
) was a 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...
for Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
, Cumberland, and Barrow
Barrow Raiders
Barrow Raiders are an English professional rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, who are coached by Dave Clark. Formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club, the club is the oldest of the current professional sports teams in Cumbria....
.
Barrow
With BarrowBarrow Raiders
Barrow Raiders are an English professional rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, who are coached by Dave Clark. Formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club, the club is the oldest of the current professional sports teams in Cumbria....
he scored a club record 351 tries and kicked 20 goals in exactly 500 appearances from 1943–57. He scored 50 tries in his final season, 1956–57, another club record. He retired after Barrow's Rugby League Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final defeat by Leeds
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
in 1957, one of three Wembley
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...
appearances he made with the Cumbrian club during that decade.
Lewthwaite's Testimonial match
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
at Barrow took place in 1956.
He was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame when it was launched in 2001, alongside 1950s team-mates Phil Jackson and Willie Horne
Willie Horne
Willie Horne was an English rugby league footballer. He played for Great Britain, England, Lancashire and Barrow between 1943 to 1959 and captained all four sides. He captained Great Britain in a test series against Australia in the days when Great Britain could beat the Aussies...
.
International
On the international front he travelled to Australasia with Great BritainGreat Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
in 1946 – the famous "Indomitables" tour, named after the vessel on which they sailed, HMS Indomitable
HMS Indomitable (R92)
HMS Indomitable was a modified Illustrious class aircraft carrier of the British Royal Navy. The Illustrious class came about due to the 1937 Naval Programme...
. He top-scored with 25 tries on that tour despite not making the Test team. He also won one England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
cap.
Challenge Cup final appearances
Jimmy Lewthwaite played in BarrowBarrow Raiders
Barrow Raiders are an English professional rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, who are coached by Dave Clark. Formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club, the club is the oldest of the current professional sports teams in Cumbria....
's 0-10 defeat to Wigan
Wigan 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 the 1950–51 Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final at Wembley Stadium on 5 May 1951, and played Right-, i.e. number 2, in Barrow
Barrow Raiders
Barrow Raiders are an English professional rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, who are coached by Dave Clark. Formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club, the club is the oldest of the current professional sports teams in Cumbria....
's 21-12 victory over Workington Town
Workington Town
Workington Town is a professional rugby league club playing in Workington in West Cumbria. They play in the Championship 1. Their stadium is called Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team....
in the 1954–55 Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final at Wembley Stadium on 30 April 1955.
Life
He was a natural athlete and represented Cumberland at rugby union and soccer as a schoolboy, as well as winning a medal in the All-England Schools Athletics competition at the age of 13. He moved to Woodley, near Reading, shortly before turning 15 to work at an aircraft factory but later relocated to BarrowBarrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
to take up an apprenticeship at the town's shipyard.
He continued to excel as a footballer and had trials with Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End before switching to rugby league with Barrow
Barrow Raiders
Barrow Raiders are an English professional rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, who are coached by Dave Clark. Formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club, the club is the oldest of the current professional sports teams in Cumbria....
in 1943, making his first-team debut against St Helens in April that year.
He also managed to play golf around the district, after he slowed down from rugby.