Merv Hicks
Encyclopedia
Mervyn J. Hicks is a Welsh
former rugby union
and professional rugby league
footballer
of the 1960s and '70s. He played rugby union club football in Wales for the Cross Keys RFC
, rugby league club football in Britain for Doncaster, Warrington, St. Helens, Hull, Leeds and Bradford Northern, and in Australia for the Canterbury Bulldogs and North Sydney Bears
. Hicks was also selected to play representative football for Great Britain
, Commonwealth XIII, and Lancashire.He has two sons.Paul Hicks and Andrew Hicks.The fomer Bulldogs player now lives in QLD.
Youth Rugby Union as number 8 and captain in 1960 (in the same team as David Watkins), he was 'lured north' to play rugby league for Doncaster (3 appearances 1961) for the sum of £1000, enough to buy several houses in his home village at that time. At 6'2" and 17 stones, his dynamic skills, aggressive defence and size caught the eye of Warrington
(24 appearances 1962-1964), who paid Doncaster £6000 just a few months later to sign him. The "Wire" converted him from a to a hard running ball distributor playing as a or .
Whilst at Warrington, he was picked as captain of the Great Britain under-24 team. He then moved onto St. Helens (84 appearances 1964-1966) starring in one of the all-time great packs alongside legends such as Ray French, Cliff Watson
and John Mantle, and also winning selection for Commonwealth XIII and full caps for Great Britain.
Merv Hicks represented Commonwealth XIII while at St. Helens in 1965 against New Zealand at Crystal Palace National Recreation Centre
, London
on Wednesday 18 August 1965,
with his wife, Gwyneira, and two young sons, Paul and Andrew, in 1966. Two daughters, Julie and Tanya, followed in 1967 and 1970.
Five highly successful seasons with the Berries (84 appearances) including a grand final in 1967 ended with his move to the North Sydney Bears (19 appearances) as captain-coach for the 1971 and 1972 seasons. Although these were lean times for the Bears and an injury stricken Hicks, they managed to beat all of the finalists of those years when Hicks was on the field, as well as creating many headlines with the hard-hitting antics of the captain and his fellow Welsh import, 'Big' Jim Mills. His 7 seasons in the Sydney competition were highlighted by an ultimately unsuccessful newspaper campaign to have the international representation rules changed so that he could be picked for New South Wales and Australia, such was his dominance at club level.
A short season with the Orange CYMS (16 appearances) in country NSW had sufficient impact on the district that he was named in the club's "Team of the Century". The Hicks family then returned to the north of England.
(13 appearances) and Bradford Northern
(2 appearances). Having played in an era when Wales was not represented on the international stage during his first stint in British rugby league, his selection for Wales for the 1975 Rugby League World Cup was cruelly denied by yet another broken arm. 19 straight seasons of professional rugby league ended for the "Pale Whale" with 3 years at the Bowral Blues (40 appearances) in Group 6 of the New South Wales country rugby league.
Merv Hicks now lives with his wife of 46 years, Gwyneira and two artificial knees in Brisbane and still works in the hotel industry.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
former 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...
and professional 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
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
of the 1960s and '70s. He played rugby union club football in Wales for the Cross Keys RFC
Cross Keys RFC
Cross Keys RFC is a rugby union club located in the Welsh village of Crosskeys. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.- History :...
, rugby league club football in Britain for Doncaster, Warrington, St. Helens, Hull, Leeds and Bradford Northern, and in Australia for the Canterbury Bulldogs and North Sydney Bears
North Sydney Bears
The North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition. The Bears are based on...
. Hicks was also selected to play representative football 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"....
, Commonwealth XIII, and Lancashire.He has two sons.Paul Hicks and Andrew Hicks.The fomer Bulldogs player now lives in QLD.
Early career
After representing WalesWales
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...
Youth Rugby Union as number 8 and captain in 1960 (in the same team as David Watkins), he was 'lured north' to play rugby league for Doncaster (3 appearances 1961) for the sum of £1000, enough to buy several houses in his home village at that time. At 6'2" and 17 stones, his dynamic skills, aggressive defence and size caught the eye of Warrington
Warrington 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....
(24 appearances 1962-1964), who paid Doncaster £6000 just a few months later to sign him. The "Wire" converted him from a to a hard running ball distributor playing as a or .
Whilst at Warrington, he was picked as captain of the Great Britain under-24 team. He then moved onto St. Helens (84 appearances 1964-1966) starring in one of the all-time great packs alongside legends such as Ray French, Cliff Watson
Cliff Watson
Clifford H. Watson is a former rugby league footballer of the 1960s and '70s. He played for the St. Helens rugby football club in the English Rugby Football League Championship and later the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in Australia. His position of...
and John Mantle, and also winning selection for Commonwealth XIII and full caps for Great Britain.
Merv Hicks represented Commonwealth XIII while at St. Helens in 1965 against New Zealand at Crystal Palace National Recreation Centre
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace, in the former parkland and also usurping part of the former grand prix circuit.It was...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on Wednesday 18 August 1965,
New Life & Career in Australia
The offer to start a new life with the Canterbury Bankstown Berries in the Sydney Rugby League competition led Hicks to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with his wife, Gwyneira, and two young sons, Paul and Andrew, in 1966. Two daughters, Julie and Tanya, followed in 1967 and 1970.
Five highly successful seasons with the Berries (84 appearances) including a grand final in 1967 ended with his move to the North Sydney Bears (19 appearances) as captain-coach for the 1971 and 1972 seasons. Although these were lean times for the Bears and an injury stricken Hicks, they managed to beat all of the finalists of those years when Hicks was on the field, as well as creating many headlines with the hard-hitting antics of the captain and his fellow Welsh import, 'Big' Jim Mills. His 7 seasons in the Sydney competition were highlighted by an ultimately unsuccessful newspaper campaign to have the international representation rules changed so that he could be picked for New South Wales and Australia, such was his dominance at club level.
A short season with the Orange CYMS (16 appearances) in country NSW had sufficient impact on the district that he was named in the club's "Team of the Century". The Hicks family then returned to the north of England.
Later career
Hicks returned to the north of England for 4 seasons to finish off his first class career with spells at Hull (24 appearances), LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
(13 appearances) and 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....
(2 appearances). Having played in an era when Wales was not represented on the international stage during his first stint in British rugby league, his selection for Wales for the 1975 Rugby League World Cup was cruelly denied by yet another broken arm. 19 straight seasons of professional rugby league ended for the "Pale Whale" with 3 years at the Bowral Blues (40 appearances) in Group 6 of the New South Wales country rugby league.
Coaching career
After hanging up his boots, he coached several teams including Bowral, Group 6, Southern Division, Junee and Riverina in the country championships, alongside his long career in hotel management.Merv Hicks now lives with his wife of 46 years, Gwyneira and two artificial knees in Brisbane and still works in the hotel industry.