Keith Bradshaw (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Keith Bradshaw is a former international rugby union
player. He was capped nine times for Wales, and at club level played for Bridgend
.
. Bradshaw later played for Tondu
before switiching to first-class team Bridgend. Bradshaw was first selected to represent Wales in the opening encounter of the 1964 Five Nations Championship
, played against England at Twickenham. Bradshaw was paired at centre alongside Llanelli's
Ken Jones
, in a game that ended in a 6-6 draw.
Bradshaw retained his place for the rest of the 1964 tournament, and in his second game, a home fixture with Scotland, he scored his first international points for Wales with a try
, a conversion and a penalty goal, in a convincing win. He was on the scoredsheet for the next match, when away against Ireland he successfully converted all three Welsh tries. Wales won 15-6. The last game of the 1964 Championship was a home match against France, but their form shown against the Home Nations left the team, and they struggled to keep up with a poor French team. At one point France were eight points in front, and only some fine place-kicking from Bradshaw (with a conversion and two penalties) allowed the team to snatch a draw.
In May 1964, Bradshaw was chosen as part of the Welsh squad to tour Africa
, the first team from Wales to play outside Europe. Bradshaw was given kicking duties, scoring four conversions and a penalty against East Africa
and then, in the only Test of the tour, he scored the only Welsh points, with a single penalty, in a humiliating 24-3 loss against South Africa
.
In the 1964/65 season Bradshaw was made captain of the senior Bridgend team. Bradshaw failed to play for Wales in the 1965 Championship
, but the next year he played in all four games of the 1966 tournament
. Wales beat England and Scotland, Bradshaw scoring a conversion in the Scottish encounter. Despite scoring a penalty goal for Wales in the Ireland game, the Welsh team were beaten 6-9, leaving the team needing a win over France to secure the Championship title. The France encounter was an exciting contest filled with incident. Bradshaw kicked two penalties to bring Wales back into the game after France built up an eight point lead in the first 12 minutes; then Stuart Watkins
intercepted a French pass in their own 25, completing a 70 yard run to score the winning try. Wales took the match and the Championship. This was Bradshaw's final international game.
in 1939, and was educated at Ogmore Grammar School. He was employed as a draughtsman for the National Coal Board
, before becoming a schoolmaster. His son, Chris, also played rugby, for Bridgend and Swansea
and was named the 'Bill Everson Man of the Tournament' in the 1991 Snelling Sevens
competition.
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. He was capped nine times for Wales, and at club level played for Bridgend
Bridgend RFC
Bridgend Ravens are a semi-professional rugby union club based in Bridgend, South Wales. They currently play in the Welsh Premier Division...
.
Rugby career
Bradshaw first played rugby at club level for his home town team of Cefn Cribwr RFCCefn Cribwr RFC
Cefn Cribwr RFC is a rugby union club based in the village of Cefn Cribwr near Bridgend. They currently play in WRU Division Five South Central and run a senior and a youth team.-Website:http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/cefncribwr/...
. Bradshaw later played for Tondu
Tondu RFC
Tondu Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the village of Aberkenfig, South Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Rugby Union Division Two West League and is a feeder club for the Ospreys.....
before switiching to first-class team Bridgend. Bradshaw was first selected to represent Wales in the opening encounter of the 1964 Five Nations Championship
1964 Five Nations Championship
The 1964 Five Nations Championship was the thirty-fifth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the seventieth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between...
, played against England at Twickenham. Bradshaw was paired at centre alongside Llanelli's
Llanelli RFC
Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...
Ken Jones
Ken Jones (rugby player born 1941)
David Kenneth Jones is a former international rugby union player.He was capped fourteen times by Wales as a centre between 1962 and 1966. He scored five tries for Wales...
, in a game that ended in a 6-6 draw.
Bradshaw retained his place for the rest of the 1964 tournament, and in his second game, a home fixture with Scotland, he scored his first international points for Wales with a try
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...
, a conversion and a penalty goal, in a convincing win. He was on the scoredsheet for the next match, when away against Ireland he successfully converted all three Welsh tries. Wales won 15-6. The last game of the 1964 Championship was a home match against France, but their form shown against the Home Nations left the team, and they struggled to keep up with a poor French team. At one point France were eight points in front, and only some fine place-kicking from Bradshaw (with a conversion and two penalties) allowed the team to snatch a draw.
In May 1964, Bradshaw was chosen as part of the Welsh squad to tour Africa
1964 Wales rugby union tour
The 1964 Wales rugby union tour of Africa was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the Wales national rugby union team to Africa. The tour also took in five matches against African regional and invitational teams with one test against South Africa. This was the first official...
, the first team from Wales to play outside Europe. Bradshaw was given kicking duties, scoring four conversions and a penalty against East Africa
East Africa rugby union team
Established in 1950, The East Africa rugby union team is a multi-national rugby union team drawing players from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, though the vast majority of these came from Kenya which has traditionally been the strongest rugby playing nation in this part of the world...
and then, in the only Test of the tour, he scored the only Welsh points, with a single penalty, in a humiliating 24-3 loss 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 the 1964/65 season Bradshaw was made captain of the senior Bridgend team. Bradshaw failed to play for Wales in the 1965 Championship
1965 Five Nations Championship
The 1965 Five Nations Championship was the thirty-sixth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the seventy-first series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
, but the next year he played in all four games of the 1966 tournament
1966 Five Nations Championship
The 1966 Five Nations Championship was the thirty-seventh series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the seventy-second series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
. Wales beat England and Scotland, Bradshaw scoring a conversion in the Scottish encounter. Despite scoring a penalty goal for Wales in the Ireland game, the Welsh team were beaten 6-9, leaving the team needing a win over France to secure the Championship title. The France encounter was an exciting contest filled with incident. Bradshaw kicked two penalties to bring Wales back into the game after France built up an eight point lead in the first 12 minutes; then Stuart Watkins
Stuart Watkins
Stuart Watkins was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Newport and Cardiff.Watkins began his rugby career at Cross Keys before switching to Newport in 1963, staying with the club for the majority of his career...
intercepted a French pass in their own 25, completing a 70 yard run to score the winning try. Wales took the match and the Championship. This was Bradshaw's final international game.
Personal history
Bradshaw was born in Cefn CribwrCefn Cribwr
Cefn Cribwr is a village about 5 miles from the centre of Bridgend in south Wales. It has a population of approximately 1,546.The village has good amenities including a shop, a Post Office, a grocery store, pub, Chinese takeaway, garage, athletic club, sports ground at 'Cae Gof', two playground...
in 1939, and was educated at Ogmore Grammar School. He was employed as a draughtsman for the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
, before becoming a schoolmaster. His son, Chris, also played rugby, for Bridgend and Swansea
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea. The team is sometimes known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip...
and was named the 'Bill Everson Man of the Tournament' in the 1991 Snelling Sevens
Snelling Sevens
The Snelling Sevens was an annual Welsh Rugby Union sevens competition that ran from 1954 until 1995....
competition.